Stripping.....My First Experience

I have always been a "woody" kinda guy. Fenders like these are hard to find. So I decided to pull the trigger on a nice natural finish MIM a few weeks ago. From the CL ad, I saw that it had good wood grain and would be a prime specimin for my project.

So I decided to dissassemble the bass and strip the body. The best paint/poly stripper did not phase this hard Mexican coating, so I had to use the heat gun method, which took about 3 hours of hard work to remove the clear finish without harming the wood. Used orbital sander to get the major rough spots smooth and proceded with hand sanding 120, 150, 180, 220, 320.

Found a good "gel" type stain at a woodworking store near my house. This stuff was so easy to use, with virtually no mess. First coat looked good. Second coat looked great! Evened it all out using mineral spirits. Applyed a finish coat of pure Tung Oil. Reassembled the bass.

Turned out better than I ever expected!

 

But what about the curves of the beauty in the picture?

 

I did not get sheets of poly, but rather little chips. Maybe poly is not always the same depending on the country it was applied and the year. Who knows. But thanks all for the extensive recommendations. It all worked out with very little in the way of wood chipping.

This bass almost looks like Oak. I thought the body was Alder on these MIM's. But the wood guy at the shop told me this was likely Ash. Either way, the grain really popped in a way I wanted it. I cant complan.

 

yea....I will get you one, but here is a "full frontal" for now. Also changed out the neck bolt plate to an "F".....