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Refinishing poly to nitro

C

CauliColin

Feb 16, 2011
692
7
North Lincolnshire
www.youtube.com
#1
Hi!
This is my first time dipping my toes into the murky abyss of luthiery. Searching the forums yielded no results, so here I am!
I feel like I need a project to keep me occupied for a while. I am currently in love with my Squier Vintage Modified fretless jazz, I am not a huge fan of the sunburst (or the polyurethane finish), so I am thinking that I could remove the poly finish, spray on some seafoam green acrylic and spray on some nitrocellulose. This is where I need your help:

How could I remove the polyurethane?
Is there an equivalent to Aircraft Remover in England?
Failing that, what kind of sandpaper would I need?
Since the seafoam green should be an opauqe block colour , if I do sand the polyurethane, does it matter how shiny and clean the poly coat underneath it, if it is feasible?
Realistically, how much should equipment cost? A brief list has put the total, at my estimation, of £60-70.

Thanks for reading! :hyper:
 
#2
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...
 
#3
CauliColin said:
Hi!
I am thinking that I could remove the poly finish, spray on some seafoam green acrylic and spray on some nitrocellulose. This is where I need your help:
Click to expand...

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.

CauliColin said:
How could I remove the polyurethane?
Is there an equivalent to Aircraft Remover in England?
Failing that, what kind of sandpaper would I need?
Since the seafoam green should be an opauqe block colour , if I do sand the polyurethane, does it matter how shiny and clean the poly coat underneath it, if it is feasible?
Realistically, how much should equipment cost? A brief list has put the total, at my estimation, of £60-70.

Thanks for reading! :hyper:
Click to expand...

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.
 
#6
Beej said:
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...
Click to expand...

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.
 
#7
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...
 
#9
Beej said:
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...
Click to expand...

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.
 
#12
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.

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#14
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.
 
#18
#19
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.
 
#20
uOpt said:
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.
Click to expand...

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.
 

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