First I wanted to thank Ceri for very informative project it was very interesting to read the main body rebuild thread. I am still confused what to do with my project . I have a AmStd body 3 color sunburst that has wood blemishes and frankly I am bored of sun bursts (I have another one with much better burst combination and no wood disfigurations).

If I understand correctly if I wanted to change the color these would be the steps. Please correct me if wrong or add if I am missing anything.

1. Heat gun and scrapper or anti aircraft chemical to remove the top coat. Polyurethane or Urethane (this is 2007 body).

2. Sand the paint with fine sander till you reach the wood or sealer.

3. Remove under coat wood sealer (this one I don't know if it is needed at all)

4. Take it to my friend that has auto body repair shop and paint it with the new colour [I am thinking arctic white or white chocolate (new Ford paint)].
It will go well with rosewood neck.

5. Apply the finish coat Polyurethane or something waterbased (I can't remember the name) that I used to finish the oak stairs in my house.
How many coats would you recommend here?

6. Post pics on the forum for everybody to see the end result.

Thank you all in advance

On another note sombody here posted that they don't know who could be the next big blooze name try googling Ana Popovic.

You will definitely need to go right down to the bare wood. In finishing/refinishing the prep work is very important. Any minor imperfections will seem to dissapear as you work, but once you clear coat they show back up, and due to the depth effect (can't think of a better way to describe it,) the clear coats seem to have, it will be magnified, and exagerated. In my opinion it is next to impossible to get down to the sealer without marring it, or causing imperfections, so you need to remove it, and then go through the process of prepping the wood.

If you are using automotive paint, your 12 step program (not just a coincidence!!)is as follows:

1) remove the old finish

2) prep the wood, this means sanding to get rid of any imperfections, I like to go to around P400 fre-cut

3) primer, I like a polyester filler if i use a modern style finish, like a urethane, or an acrylic

4) sand to level and smooth it out, again maybe around a p600 grit, the guys at the auto shop will know about this, and be able to do a killer job in their sleep

5) get cocky and post pictures on every forum you are a member of.

6) colour coat--note** if you are doing the finish yourself, and it is your first one, this is where you will most likely start losing hair, you will notice a major mistake, at this point you skip back to step one (you will most likely repeat this cycle a few times,)

7) stress out and regret posting pictures, as you now are locked into the project, and can't just quietly throw it in the bin.(damn pictures, wtf was I thinking!!)

7a) optional step of throwing guitar against wall, swearing and ranting and raving, if you choose this option you need to go back to step one

8 ) clear coats, amount you do varies by choice of material, and budget

9) depending on alignment of planets, and use of wishes from monkey paw, you either skip back to step 1, or move on to 10.

10) smugly post pictures of end project, making it seem as though it went smoothly, all the while popping antacids like they are Pez.

11) swearing that you will never go through this kind of hassle again, rant/rave at sheer stupidity of doing project

12) buying new(most likely a used one, but new to you, or an unfinished body,) guitar and doing it all over again.

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Hi daniel: thank you for that, very kind! Now I just have to reply, don't I?

Couple of ways to go. Back in the day, when Fender botched a sunburst finish they just sprayed a solid color over the top, so as not to waste the body. Lot of solid color Strats turn out to have a 'burst underneath. No reason why you shouldn't do the same, though you'd want to first give it a bit of a sand all over with 320 grit paper just to create a "tooth" for the new paint to adhere to.

Then spray it up with the color of your choice. Again, in the '60s Fender sometimes clearcoated over the top, sometimes not. If a white body has yellowed a lot then it has the clearcoat: if it has stayed bright white there's no clear, just the colored paint.

Your choice which to do: but if you are not clearcoating then do more layers of color coat - say five to eight, perhaps? Depends how thickly you spray... If clearcoating over the top, perhaps two or three color coats and six or eight clear. But others will have different ideas...

The only issue is what type of paint to use. Your 2007 American Standard body will definitely have a polyurethane finish, and many people would advise strongly against mixing finishes. So you'll need to get hold of polyurethane lacquer (not to be confused with polyester - which is much more easily available to auto finishers).

The alternative is to strip the entire thing back to the wood and start again. Mr lomitus has several recent threads on his paint stripping project, and if you can wait a bit we're all hoping that Forum User Twelvebar is going to do a stripping-and-refinning thread shortly, which promises to be hot stuff.

Meanwhile, this might help:

http://www.projectguitar.com/tut/sand.htm

Good luck - and let us know how you get on, won't you?

Cheers - C

EDIT: Ha! Twelvebar was typing faster than me. Listen to that man: he knows...

Ceri, this damn weather is killing me. Still snowing, and like I have said before, i need to spray outside, i actually expected to be completely done my first body by now, but it has been sitting in my work room downstairs for a couple months waiting for spring : (

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I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

No sweat, man. We're contentedly waiting patiently - but we're not going to forget! I have the feeling it's going to be THE definitive finishing thread...

Cheers - C

man, no pressure!!1

it better turn out great, or one of you is going to have to fly up here, and take away my belt and shoe laces!!!

_________________
I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

I think it's gonna work out fine.

Be happy to visit, though. My dad comes to Canada a lot and loves it. Mostly Toronto, but he goes other places too. Last time he brought back a tub of maple butter. It was new to me - man, delicious!! Belt needed to be let out a notch...

Cheers - C

Your right on with that ceri there were many sunburst painted over like that. Like you said just sand it to get a nice working surface wipe it down so as to removes all the dust and oils and let the paint fly. No need to reseal it.

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

Hi cvilleira: only small issue: it can sometimes be more difficult to find colored polyurethane lacquer than either polyester or nitrocellulose. I don't want danielhelc to go to the body shop and just ask for "poly", because he can't be sure what he's going to get in that case.

Any sources for polyurethane you could recommend in your part of the world?

Cheers - C

I have had good luck getting paints from here a few times over the years.
http://www.ketone.com/index.php?PHPSESS ... 61d8f22a3e

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

If you want to use automotive paint, really there are a ton of options.

Up here, it is a little harder to get traditional lacquers, though still pretty easy, just not at Home depot, like in the states.

Oh and a little gift for Cvilliera:



if oyu don't already have it

_________________
I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Thanx Twelveber, Always prepared as I am sure you are

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The strongest reason for the people to retain the right to keep and bear arms is, as a last resort, to protect themselves against tyranny in government.

Thomas Jefferson

though I am very much pro gun ownership for responsible, law-abiding citizens,actually all I own are a couple of hunting rifles, and one shotgun(only ever fired at ducks, one time,) I have never felt the need to be armed against crime, where I have lived.

_________________
I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Thanks guys again for a lot of good information. I will definitely post project pictures as I go. I am planning to start it in the May when we get a little warmer weather (still around 3-5 C here in Toronto) and I will create a new thread.

BTW I am getting into this trouble out of curiosity (last time I did that I built my self a house ) and to personalize this strat. So the plan is to try some nice white/light blue water effect paint job (inspired by the west coast choppers). If it is succesful Hendrix will rise and flip it around and wail (ok this is too much, just tired from the lack of sleep).

Weeeee shalllllll seeeee HAHAHAHAHAHAHA