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Post subject: Repairing beat up body - filling in missing "chunks"
Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 5:21 am
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So I got this bass a couple of years ago I'd like to repaint and repair a little. It's a low-end Ibanez that I got for free so I'm not too concerned if it doesn't come out great, as long as it still plays. Right now it plays fine, but the body is beat up pretty badly. It looks like it's been dropped several times and there are deep gouges out of the bottom near the rear strap button. I'm talking quarter-sized chunks missing with wood taken out in some places, so it's not just paint chipped off.

When I go to repair these spots, what's a good way to fill the missing chunks in? In the past when I've repainted guitars I've always sanded them down to the wood, but I have been reading more about just roughing them up and priming on top of existing paint. Could that work in this case knowing that I'm going to have to fill these spots?


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Post subject: Re: Repairing beat up body - filling in missing "chunks"
Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 5:59 am
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Hi TrpnBils: there are different ways to go on this thing. My own approach is always to strip back to bare wood and take it from there, but I've also sometimes suggested people simply level-sand the existing finish and use it as the primer layer for new paint, because often that's a perfectly satisfactory way of achieving a nice result, especially if you are working with automotive paint in aerosols.

Often, which answer to give can depend a bit on trying to gauge what someone's skill is and their level of interest and energy. It can be about finding a route that suits an individual.

In your case, it's a bit hard to say without seeing some good clear photos that show just how many and how deep these dents are. If you care to post pics we'd be glad to take a look.

Without that I can only tell you what my own method would be. I'd first strip all the existing finish using a painter-decorator's heat gun, and then see how bad the dents are. For really horrible dents I might remove a section of timber and carve a new piece to patch it with. Smaller but deep gashes I'd fill with a very hard two-part epoxy resin putty called Milliput - a really amazing product originally developed for sculptors. For small, shallow dents I'd use an ordinary carpenter's wood filler. There's dozens to choose from; my own favourite is a cellulose based filler in a tin called Brummer Stopping.

Then I'd level everything perfectly, prep sand to, say, P180 grit and begin repainting.

But who knows, maybe you don't need or want to do any of that. It could be you can do a very nice job by treating it like a dent on a car: make good the dings with automotive body filler, scuff-sand the existing finish, de-nib and repaint.

Horses for courses.

There's some options for you, anyhow. Happy to chat about it more if you want.

Good luck - C

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Post subject: Re: Repairing beat up body - filling in missing "chunks"
Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 7:49 am
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I'll get some pictures up this weekend - I'm at work now and I know I won't be getting home til probably 11:00 tonight. Like I said, it's not a nice guitar at all, so as long as it plays when I'm done it doesn't really matter to me how I get the results. I wondered about the body filler option but wasn't sure whether that would stand up to much.

I've been sitting on this thing for a year now, and now that it's warm enough to paint outside again I'm getting the itch to start on it, so I'll take some pics tonight or tomorrow and go from there.

Thanks!


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Post subject: Re: Repairing beat up body - filling in missing "chunks"
Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 7:55 am
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TrpnBils wrote:
I wondered about the body filler option but wasn't sure whether that would stand up to much.

Automotive body filler? If it can cope with filling a dent on a car that's driving round the streets all day, sun, rain, engine vibration, doors slamming, bumping into curbs and such... it'll be just fine sitting quietly under the finish on the tail end of a guitar! Tough stuff, body filler. :)

TrpnBils wrote:
Thanks!

No probs. Interested to see the pics, if you get round to it.

Good luck - C

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Post subject: Re: Repairing beat up body - filling in missing "chunks"
Posted: Fri May 02, 2014 9:03 am
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According to the previous owner of my triumph spitfire, filler could also be used structurally :-/


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