Finish Removal

[M0ses]

I've got an old SX. It plays pretty good, the neck is fairly decent. I'm planning on putting some hand-wound pickups in there as soon as I restock supplies.

But the thing is, it is ugly. It is this basically disgusting shade of blue, and the kicker is, it's sparkley. Like legitimately sparkley. I also dislike the color of the headstock (such a nasty orange), and I hate, repeat hate, the feel of the finish on the back of the neck - it is way too thick and glossy.

I haven't done any finish work before. I'm thinking about going the heat-gun method to remove the finish on the body. I've heard that this can be a little risky when it comes to burn marks; should I be worried about that? I want to leave it natural grain, what should I put on it?

Also, how should I go about removing the finish from the neck? And what should I put on THAT?

Thanks in advance.

[62bass]

Get a copy of the book "Hand Applied Finishes" by Jeff Jewitt and available from Taunton Press. It'll tell you almost everything you need to know.

What you're asking is impossible to answer in simple back and forth messages if you've had no experience.

There's also a lot of info all over the internet. A lot of it is wrong. You won't know that without experience.

I say get the book.