I did my first project about 2 years ago and at first I thought it was an ok job but upon further review it's not the best by any means. It is a shoreline gold cabronita with a maple neck finished in reranch amber and nitro. My question is this, I want to change color to black possibly and darken the neck some as it is too light. Do I need to strip all the existing finish on the neck and body or what? Thanks so much for any help...
Not happy with shoreline gold cabronita
- Thread starter tracy1965
- Start date
Cagey
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First off, welcome to the board!
If you have nitro on the neck, you can just add to it. If that isn't working out for whatever reason (color, finish quality, etc.), it's very easy to strip. Lacquer thinner will take off the existing finish pretty quick.
The body is a different story. Warmoth shoots poly on their bodies, which is difficult to strip or paint over. But, it can be done. If you're going to shoot nitro over it, then you need a barrier coat of shellac, after which you can shoot pretty much anything you want on there. If you want to strip it and start over, you need a powerful stripper that isn't available everywhere. But, just check the ingredients. If it has methylene chloride in it, it'll work. It's wicked stuff, though. Be careful with it, and follow all the precautions The stuff really can hurt you.
Of course, you could also just sand the body clean, but you need to be part masochist to take that on. Lotta work, lotta time.
If you have nitro on the neck, you can just add to it. If that isn't working out for whatever reason (color, finish quality, etc.), it's very easy to strip. Lacquer thinner will take off the existing finish pretty quick.
The body is a different story. Warmoth shoots poly on their bodies, which is difficult to strip or paint over. But, it can be done. If you're going to shoot nitro over it, then you need a barrier coat of shellac, after which you can shoot pretty much anything you want on there. If you want to strip it and start over, you need a powerful stripper that isn't available everywhere. But, just check the ingredients. If it has methylene chloride in it, it'll work. It's wicked stuff, though. Be careful with it, and follow all the precautions The stuff really can hurt you.
Of course, you could also just sand the body clean, but you need to be part masochist to take that on. Lotta work, lotta time.
alterbridgefan
Hero Member
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- 1,274
Nitro is a very delicate finish, so unless A) You never play your guitars, or B) You're a fan of the worn "layered finish" look (I'm a huge overburst lover), then you're going to want to strip it. As cagey mentioned, reranch should come right off with some lacquer thinner, and then you can paint your new color on.
As for the neck, I would simply rough it up a bit with some fine sandpaper, and spray a very light coat of reranch amber over it. Should do the trick!
As for the neck, I would simply rough it up a bit with some fine sandpaper, and spray a very light coat of reranch amber over it. Should do the trick!
To respray over the old, the most important part is to get a consistent base for it. If one part is sanded smooth with 320 grit wet/dry paper but there's a patch that is either smoother or rougher, the new color is naturally going to react to what it's laid on. That synthetic steel wool stuff - "non-woven fibers" - is great for this kind of stuff. The green "Scotch-Brite" kitchen pads are the coarsest, but it comes in four grits. The finest one - white - has no abrasives, so it's great for "easy" stripping jobs. Wear gloves, work outside or well-ventilated etc.
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