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I am planning on stripping the finish off of a POS guitar and was wondering what removers and chemicals could help me on my way. I am willing to use a little elbow grease. Thank you in advance.

belt sanders are the fastest road to removing finishes. Dremel also makes a really neat tool that allows you to sand into nooks and crannies, which is handy for cutaways and such things.

Bix Aircraft stripper works well on some finishes. But most Poly finishes
will need elbow grease. Be REAL CAREFUL with a belt sander . I perfer
a orbital sander ( you don't wanna divet the crap outta it or lost the
natural body lines) For curved areas (i.e. a Strat body) get a sanding sponge.
You wanna avoid power tools in these's area's as much as posiable.

I'm not sure what POS means, but Lacquer Thinner worked great with little elbow grease when I finished my first DIY guitar too dark (and my second one too salmon). I was finishing in nitrocellulose lacquer, I don't know how it would work on polyurethane.

Stripping a guitar is a pain. It really is .

I've done 5 or 6 and I'm finally getting reasonable good at it.

If you going to do a good job it will take lots of time and much more patience.

On my first couple of bodies, I made lots of mistake and ruined them by sanded to deep. I've learned you can use pretty coarse sand paper early on and it will cut down on the time, but you have to be carefull because 1 slip and your in trouble.

Also, the bodies with the pointy bits like Ibanez RG's, require alot more effort and care than a strat.

I'd say use a regular paint stripper first, then get out your sander. Since it's a pos, go for it.

Ohhhhh, POS, I get it. Duhhhh...


Originally Posted by MikeRockerI'm not sure what POS means, but Lacquer Thinner worked great with little elbow grease when I finished my first DIY guitar too dark (and my second one too salmon). I was finishing in nitrocellulose lacquer, I don't know how it would work on polyurethane.

P.O.S. normally is a acronium for a junker (get it ) Most P.O.S. 's
come from the orient. One thing they do well over there is appliy
Bionic paint to there guitars. Laqucer thinner will act more like a
polish not a stripper on some of these finishes.( I not even makeing
a joke)

lol,

I use a heat gun on those titainium coats of paint.

I actually sat there and used a hobby knife to chip/lift the paint off the wood sealer on the last RG body I did.

You'll more than likely need to get out the power tools. I used an orbital sander and a drum sander to take out the paint on my RG. Even the heavy-duty aircraft stripper wouldn't take the piant off. It's very much like a coating of plastic that resides on many of the cheap imports.