Refinishing poly to nitro

You don't need to remove the finish to spray a new one, just scuff sand it smoothly to 220 and go from there. Can you source nitro where you are? If so, just go with seafoam nitro, no need to use a separate nitro clear over acrylic...

 

Spraying a nitro clear over an acrylic top coat is not a good idea. There is a very good chance that the solvents in the nitro top coat will cause the base color coat to wrinkle and peel.

I have seen far to many people try and strip the finish on instruments when they decide to do a DIY refinish. 90% of the time doing this results in a not so great outcome.

The poly coat that is already on your bass is a great sealer. It is a hard perfectly flat surface to spray your new color coat over. Just block sand it with 400 grit until you remove all of the gloss. Then clean it with a good grease and wax remover.

Reranch sells a quality nitro finish in a rattle can. While I am not a huge fan of nitro, there isn't a rattle can alternative that is half as good. If you use their color and clear, you are guaranteed that all of the products will be compatible.

 

Hopkins is right about the block sanding, no need to get as coarse as 220. On another note though, Reranch won't ship it to him, he's going to have to find nitro locally...

 

Heat gun will pop the Poly off quick.
http://youtu.be/-x2kPlmKoHI

 

Right, I didn't think about that. I'm not sure what the air quality laws are where the OP live, so that may be a problem. Nitro is the only finish that works well in a rattle can, anything else to get it to where it will work in a spray can, hardness and durability are usually compromised.

 

I agree. Incidentally, you couldn't pay me to use nitro for anything anymore. So many better finishes to choose from, you'd practically have to subscribe to the "breathable finish" nonsense to find any value in it's use...

 

Try this company. I've used their decal service to make new ones for my Squiers when I refinished them with matching head stocks. Best decals on the market.

http://shop.rothkoandfrost.co.uk/original-fender-r-colours-s/4100.htm

 

Same, I use automotive urethane exclusively. Nitro is not durable, takes to many coats, and takes forever to cure. But I also own a couple of good spray guns and a compressor that is capable of delivering enough air to use them. In a rattle can, nitro is the only material that I would consider a quality finish.

 

^ Plus - and here's my west coast hippy coming out - in my opinion, it's environmentally irresponsible to use it...

 

Its better to spray over the original finish. Stripping it would mean the OP would have to prepare a bare wood body for finishing, which is a much bigger task.

 

I stripped poly using a heatgun and putty knife. It was a pain but it worked. The poly had several chipped places. If your finish is smooth it would be much easier to paint over it. The reranch cans worked great. But if you're going over poly might as well use poly.

 

The stuff I use is a solvent based VOC urethane, It may be better than nitro for the environment, but probably not much better.

 

One more thing. If you decide to do a matching headstock, put back on a Squier decal. With the quality of their instruments there is no need to feel the need to mislabel it a Fender. The only people who'd look down on your bass are a bunch of wankers anyway, and they matter little.

 

FWIW mine didn't come off that easy. Wish it did.

 

Try this dude...

http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/shop/category/nitrocellulose-lacquer/

 

Looks like you have more options than we have in the States

 

Block sanding doesn't work so great inside the cutaways. That can end up looking very odd if you leave thick poly in the curves.

If you want to strip I would go for methods involving chemicals or heat. Or spray over a just slightly roughed up surface.

Not stripping it has the risk of not getting you the feel you want. Instruments like yours can have very thick finishes that still feel like bulletproof even with new coats.

 

Block sanding is only for flat surfaces. To get into the cut away I usually use a foam block that is bend able and will form to the contours, same with the edges.

It will feel like whatever the top coat material is, you can not feel the undercoat. There is absolutely no reason to strip the paint and start over, when the present finish is a dead flat, pre-prepared surface to spray over. Stripping means starting completely over, which can be very overwhelming for someone spraying their first finish. It takes a lot of work to get a raw wood body ready for finish.