Deglossing a bass body

[SolarMan]

Yes, that dude RMC1 did hit it out of the park with that thread; He also had a very strange and sad demise on that forum. But basically everyone on that thread (which is still going 5 years later) had a good result. A couple of guys didn't - one tried to do it by hand with the pads, the other had the wrong sander.

Yes, I will probably take out the electronics to do the front - will be 10 x easier and won't get micro dust in anything important.

1500-2000 grit wet would be my weapon of choice. should be able to get the desired result in about 45 min to an hr for the whole body. It's made for the job and cuts more consistently than scotch brite. same way you would wet sand a car. cool results though.

Yeah, if I were good with that kind of thing I'd give it a try. Seems like way less margin for error with the sandpaper.

This scrubbing pad method seems like deglossing for dummies. It takes way longer, but seems very forgiving. Really the only way I can see messing it up is if you let the sander slip and nick the finish with the metal foot of the sander.

Glad you like it!

 

[SolarMan]

Ok, on to the front:

I was going to pull the electronics out, but the wires were long enough to just pull the stuff off to the side. In this photo you can see where the gloss is getting cut down - looks worse before it looks better. I also decided to just run right over the copper tape - no harm to the copper:

Not quite done, but done for today. Tomorrow I will finish the body:

I think I will slightly degloss the pickguard too - probably hit it with the softest pad. Neck is going to stay glossy for now - it really looks great next to the powerdy soft looking body. I'll put her back together tomorrow and we can all have a look!

 

[CBNJ]

Nice! Looking forward to the finished product.

 

[SBassman]

I was thinking of trying this - but with Comet cleanser.
Comments?

 

[Rip Topaz]

I wouldn't. Yes, it would be a low grade abrasive, but there are chemicals at play that you don't know how they're gonna react with the finish. You could accidentally cause a nasty cloudy mess.

 

[SolarMan]

Thanks folks for tuning in!

Yeah, I think Comet would be a fantastic mess.

The "Les Paul Method" really is the way to go unless you know your stuff about wet sanding - and still might be the way to go because I'm sure wet sanding is at least slightly messy whereas this "LP" method has virtually zero mess. Enough to call it the "Zero Mess Method" - and the zero mess method makes it practically impossible to ruin your finish as well.

Look around for a used mouse or cat sander on your craigslist - bet you can find one for $5 to $10. That plus a green Scotch Brite pad and you have all the equipment you need.

Ok, time to finish the body!

Hey - subjective question for everyone: Should I degloss the pickguard? It's black.

You'll have to picture it in your head and tell me what you think!

~Solar~

 

[Rip Topaz]

I would. If you leave the pickguard shiny it'll just look off.

 

[SolarMan]

I would. If you leave the pickguard shiny it'll just look off.

Here is the pickguard before:

And after:

Thanks Rip - I was going back and forth on the PG thinking I might end up with a grey mess - but your vote gave me the bananas to go ahead. Good call.

Now, I have to put some wax on the body. I don't wan't to - but without any finish at all the paint will hang onto every smudge.

Re-assembly and then more pics tonight!

 

[rumblinbass]

would you do that same thing for lacquer finish?

 

[Rip Topaz]

Sort of. You would need to be a lot more careful because lacquer won't take as much to completely sand through.

The process is the same, though.

 

[SolarMan]

would you do that same thing for lacquer finish?

I don't see why not - although the amount of pressure on the sander might be way different. This is "tough as nails" poly that we are knocking down - and it is so tough that it is next to impossible to burn through etc...

And maybe you need more precautions with nitrocellulose lacquer? I think the big hazard is the VOC's in nitro - so probably less of a concern after it has dried. However, I'm not positive so at least wear gloves and a mask (That is what I did, even though there was really no visible dust - that nano dust is probably bad stuff [and probably floated right through my mask - lol.])

Anyway, this finale is going to be a bit pic heavy, so it will come in two waves.

Wave 1)

For the finish I didn't want "polish" - I wanted "wax" - and I found just the thing with this Armour-All "Butter Smooth" wax:

After applying and wiping off - I had a mess. I thought - "after all this work I'm going to end up with this?!" - I put the polishing pad on the cat and went to work - and nothing! Look at this mess! (blury because I was freaking out at the time):

So, I calmed down and thought - "what will knock this wax off?" My answer to myself was - "isopropyl alcohol, but try a small area first"

Thank goodness - the isopropyl worked like a charm (I used the 91%) - and left just enough finish on there so it didn't smudge or collect fingerprints.

Perfect!

So, you are on your own with the waxing part - however I think this might actually work out quite well - I'm happy with what I've got after the "rescue"


[some of you might have noticed the tarnished hardware - I did that awhile ago but didn't do the bridge at the time, so I did that now:

Please PM me if you have any questions or comments on the "tarnishing"]



Putting the neck back on - I didn't know they did the neck date on these CV's:

Now, if you haven't done this before - taking the bass apart and stuff - take your time. Remember to check how tight the screws are before you take them out - and find the same threads before you screw them back in. None of these screws are really screwed in tight - just snugged up.

And here we are tonight:

I thought I was going to finish tonight, but I am flat out of time.

--- Fully Re-Assembled Pic's Tomorrow! ---

 

[Rip Topaz]

Thanks for posting!!

Regarding the wax, if you use Minwax Paste Wax instead, it might buff out a bit easier. Just be sure to use a THIN layer and buff it out completely.

 

[SolarMan]

Thanks for posting!!

Regarding the wax, if you use Minwax Paste Wax instead, it might buff out a bit easier. Just be sure to use a THIN layer and buff it out completely.

Yes - I would try anything but the Butter Smooth ("BS") wax next time. I just wanted to make sure it didn't have any polish because I didn't want any shine back.

Anyway - All Done!

Here are some before/after photos:

Here are the Glamour shots of the finished piece:

And a more Plain Jane photo:

And finally, next to her Shiny Sister:

I hope some of you enjoyed this expanded "How To" and demo on a solid poly finish. I know it isn't for everyone, but I love how it came out.

I would like to thank "RMC1" from the My Les Paul forum for giving a demo of this process back in 2008 - as far as I can tell he was the first to do it and document it.

I would also like to thank Cosmeticplagues for posting the link to the MLP forum.

fuzzy beard, I already thanked you - but thanks again!

Rip Topaz - for being so interested and following along so closely (and remember, you're up next!)


Cheers!

 

[Rip Topaz]

Yeah, I'm totally inspired by this!!

I just gotta decide which of my cheapies is getting the treatment. Yours looks great. I'd love to see it under stage lights.

Here's my dilemma:

I have two basses I could do this to, and each one comes with a puzzle.

My Dillion 5204. It's basically a butterscotch version of the Squier. Problem is that the finish is rock hard, some sort of catalyzed something. I've tried small spots on the back and it barely cuts the finish at all. I rubbed a small circular pattern on the lower gown and after almost 20 minutes, I barely made a scratch. I will have to be more aggressive with this one if I choose.

My new SX Ursa 2 MN Ash. Cool 70's jazz copy with blocks and binding on the maple fretboard.

Problem is that it's brand new, and although I bought it with the intention of performing this mod to it, the finish is MUCH nicer than I expected so I'm having a hard time wrapping my head around the concept of destroying the gloss. It would look really cool matte, though.

Both basses are modded already, so no concerns there. They have both had fretwork done to level things, and the Dillion has been drilled for ashtrays (some chipping around the holes, but that will add to the effect if I choose this one). The SX will be drilled for a pickup cover when it arrives.

I'm also trying to decide what to do about the bridge on the SX. The saddle screws are sharp and cut into my hand when palm muting, but I can't use the bridge cover because it will make muting that way impossible. I palm mute a lot, so no bridge covers. The SX will still get drilled for one just for the effect.

 

[CBNJ]

Bravo.

 

[SolarMan]

I think you gotta do the Dillon - that thing will look superb with a satin finish. With the grain showing, it should be a home run - and maybe lose that pickguard?!

Be careful if you use micromesh - I bet that stuff is way more agressive than a kitchen scrubbing pad!

The SX is just too new - hang out with it for a while - but the satin looks best of all on a sunburst - no doubt.

It's probably tough to get the real feel of what I did (on a solid color - no grain), but I just took a photo that I think gives the feel better than the others (showing the shiny neck contrast):

I was playing and just laid it down there, and I looked and said "that's the photo"!

Also: no fingerprints or smudge-marks at all! Maybe the "BS" wax followed by alcohol is the ticket after all?

 

[gabezylo]

Hey, awesome thread. I'm also thinking of doing this ton my bass, but I'm not sure what type of finish its got. My bass is a schack unique 5 fretless, I think it might be lacquer but it very well could be solid poly. What would the difference be in the steps to doing it?
As well, it's my only bass and this would be the first time I'm attempting anything like this.
How high is the margin for error roughly?

 

[gabezylo]

link to gallery of bass photos: Invalid Link Removed

 

[Rip Topaz]

I think you gotta do the Dillon - that thing will look superb with a satin finish. With the grain showing, it should be a home run - and maybe lose that pickguard?!

Be careful if you use micromesh - I bet that stuff is way more agressive than a kitchen scrubbing pad!

The SX is just too new - hang out with it for a while - but the satin looks best of all on a sunburst - no doubt.

It's probably tough to get the real feel of what I did (on a solid color - no grain), but I just took a photo that I think gives the feel better than the others (showing the shiny neck contrast):

I was playing and just laid it down there, and I looked and said "that's the photo"!

Also: no fingerprints or smudge-marks at all! Maybe the "BS" wax followed by alcohol is the ticket after all?

I've used Micromesh quite a bit in my shop, so no worries there.

I agree about the sunburst being the best finish for this treatment, but I think the Dillion is going to be the one. If you don't mind, I'll post here and just continue this thread.

 

[Rip Topaz]

And that pic is fantastic!