Opinion on these open pores?
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Steve_Karl
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Cagey said:
Yea. I hear ya on this. I was thinking that same thing earlier today ... hummm ... maybe a new body ... but naaa...
this one has some good history with me and the closer I get to the raw wood I'm seeing that it's really a nice piece of mahogany.
The only other finish removal I ever did was in the mid 70's on a '65 Fender P-Bass
and I did that with zip strip but it was still really difficult.
It was a sunburst and had that heavy yellow undercoat underneath the paint.
Back then the only thing I know about sand paper was that it came in heavy medium an light.
I used a quart of bowling alley finish and a 2" paint brush to do a clear coat on it and it was tough as nails.
Steve_Karl
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Bagman67 said:
That's my guess also.
But I wish it would dissolve more quickly.
Steve_Karl
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It's getting done ... slowly.
A lot of elbow grease required but it's getting easier each session as I discover better techniques.
For instance: Delivery of the Denatured Alcohol to the body.
1) Started out using a rag in left hand (I'm a lefty that plays right handed) picking up the 1 Quart can in right hand turning it into the rag
with a finger tip on the spout, then set the can down, then rub rag on the body, then putty knife.
2) Late yesterday - Filled a little pump spray bottle (using a tin foil funnel) with the alcohol.
three squirts can now drench a 3rd of the back ... and yea, it's seriously wet after that, which is working much better.
No rag ... straight to the putty knife and lift up the finish like rolling up a rug.
Later last night after quitting went to home depot and got a stiffer "Husky" putty knife,
and to the dollar store and got something better than a tin foil funnel.
Also, early yesterday before starting I put an eye hook on my work table to hold the nozzle of my air compressor,
and also popped the top off of a spent can of Zippo Lighter Fluid, the kind with the popup white nozzle, and refilled it from my Quart can of Naphtha. Way easier!
It's a learning experience.
A lot of elbow grease required but it's getting easier each session as I discover better techniques.
For instance: Delivery of the Denatured Alcohol to the body.
1) Started out using a rag in left hand (I'm a lefty that plays right handed) picking up the 1 Quart can in right hand turning it into the rag
with a finger tip on the spout, then set the can down, then rub rag on the body, then putty knife.
2) Late yesterday - Filled a little pump spray bottle (using a tin foil funnel) with the alcohol.
three squirts can now drench a 3rd of the back ... and yea, it's seriously wet after that, which is working much better.
No rag ... straight to the putty knife and lift up the finish like rolling up a rug.
Later last night after quitting went to home depot and got a stiffer "Husky" putty knife,
and to the dollar store and got something better than a tin foil funnel.
Also, early yesterday before starting I put an eye hook on my work table to hold the nozzle of my air compressor,
and also popped the top off of a spent can of Zippo Lighter Fluid, the kind with the popup white nozzle, and refilled it from my Quart can of Naphtha. Way easier!
It's a learning experience.
Steve_Karl
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One more question.
I've heard it said many times that when you wet it down with Naphtha it's looking almost exactly like it will look after the final clear coats.
How accurate is that really?
What I'm wondering about is the very minor colour variations between the raw wood and small places where the old finish is still very slightly present which are just a tad darker.
It looks like in these places the amber dye may have gotten deeper into the wood.
I can get below them with a bit of sanding, but they aren't visible when wet with naphtha so should I be bothering to get them out?
I'm guessing one coat of Birchwood Casey Gun Stock Sealer is going to make them invisible but I don't know that for sure yet.
I *will* be doing at least 2 passes with sealer and chocolate grain filler ... so ... not sure about those slight variations in colour.
Pictures 'might' show what I'm talking about. I'll try to get a dry and then Naphtha wet A/B photos later today.
TY
I've heard it said many times that when you wet it down with Naphtha it's looking almost exactly like it will look after the final clear coats.
How accurate is that really?
What I'm wondering about is the very minor colour variations between the raw wood and small places where the old finish is still very slightly present which are just a tad darker.
It looks like in these places the amber dye may have gotten deeper into the wood.
I can get below them with a bit of sanding, but they aren't visible when wet with naphtha so should I be bothering to get them out?
I'm guessing one coat of Birchwood Casey Gun Stock Sealer is going to make them invisible but I don't know that for sure yet.
I *will* be doing at least 2 passes with sealer and chocolate grain filler ... so ... not sure about those slight variations in colour.
Pictures 'might' show what I'm talking about. I'll try to get a dry and then Naphtha wet A/B photos later today.
TY
Steve_Karl
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delete this redundant post
S
swarfrat
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Normally heat works on peeling paint off but I wonder if it'd soften it up for the solvent? (Obviously don't soak it in flammable liquid and hit it with an 800F heat gun. Boom! But the other way around might work.
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swarfrat said:
Ahhhh ... interesting!
I do have a heat gun that we purchased in 2002 to shrink wrap CDs.
What's the approach?
Can you describe the process? What to look for when it's ready for the putty knife?
Thank you!
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Cagey said:
"chatoyance" - word of the week award!@
Thanks!
S
swarfrat
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Maybe:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3zzzu6ybvo[/youtube]
Maybe not:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBnZfR7i-1U[/youtube]
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w3zzzu6ybvo[/youtube]
Maybe not:
[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EBnZfR7i-1U[/youtube]
Steve_Karl
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Thanks swarfrat!
Cagey
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First thing I thought of when watching that second video was the glue let go between body halves, then I see in the comments I'm not the only one who noticed. If you blow it up to full-screen, then it's obvious.
Heat guns are for sissies. Methylene Chloride. That's the way you do it. Better living through chemistry :laughing7:
Heat guns are for sissies. Methylene Chloride. That's the way you do it. Better living through chemistry :laughing7:
TonyFlyingSquirrel
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Naptha, & matches!
Removes the paint, and relics at the same time!!! :evil4:
Removes the paint, and relics at the same time!!! :evil4:
Cagey
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I haven't tried it, but only because I'm almost certain it would result in an uneven surface that would look like hell once finished. The scraper won't discriminate between finish and wood, and trying to level wood once it's been made uneven is tough to do without a good-sized surface planer or drum sander.
Some nice, flesh-eating cancer-causing lung-destroying stripper (KleanStrip, with methylene chloride) is the stuff to use, unless it's lacquer. Then, regular ol' unleaded lacquer thinner (acetone) will melt that stuff like water on sugar.
If there are any women in the house, there's likely some nail polish remover around somewhere. That's just perfumed acetone. A drop of that on the finish will tell you in a minute or so if it's poly by doing nothing at all to it. If it's anything else, after wiping you'll have a drop-sized spot without finish on it.
If it turns out to be poly, the KleanStrip solution is the best, but be sure to follow the recommendations about protecting yourself. I can be pretty avant-garde about warning labels, but not with that stuff. It really is wicked. On the plus side, it works like a charm.
Some nice, flesh-eating cancer-causing lung-destroying stripper (KleanStrip, with methylene chloride) is the stuff to use, unless it's lacquer. Then, regular ol' unleaded lacquer thinner (acetone) will melt that stuff like water on sugar.
If there are any women in the house, there's likely some nail polish remover around somewhere. That's just perfumed acetone. A drop of that on the finish will tell you in a minute or so if it's poly by doing nothing at all to it. If it's anything else, after wiping you'll have a drop-sized spot without finish on it.
If it turns out to be poly, the KleanStrip solution is the best, but be sure to follow the recommendations about protecting yourself. I can be pretty avant-garde about warning labels, but not with that stuff. It really is wicked. On the plus side, it works like a charm.
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Cagey said:
Well, I'm half a sissy today. That heat gun on low is perfect for the sides but I don't like it on the flat parts.
I just heat up a tiny section and with the side of the putty knife pull back towards me and it often comes off down to bare wood.
This one is a one piece so no glue joints.
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TonyFlyingSquirrel said:
Yea. I had considered that approach mid day yesterday. :evil4:
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Update: After about 20 hours I'm down to where it's sand paper only.
The heat gun has been awesome! Made the sides very easy.
Not all sand papers are created equal:
I originally bought a lot of TRI-M-ITE sand paper because of an LMI tutorial I read on finishing, back when I first joined this forum and was gearing up to do my first Warmoth build.
A few days ago I bough a pack of this 3M 220 grit Pro Grade (Purple)
https://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Pro-Grade-Precision-9-in-x-11-in-220-Grit-Fine-Advanced-Sanding-Sheets-4-Pack-26220PGP-4/205415923
and it's more aggressive than the TRI-M-ITE lasts longer and doesn't get clogged up nearly as fast.
It also feels like slightly thicker paper and seems to cut faster. It surely makes more sanding dust.
Maybe a better way to put it is that the TRI-M-ITE is for more delicate work.
Anyway I'll be using the 3M purple to get most of the work done and then going back to the TRI-M-ITE for a final pass before the first coat of sealer.
The heat gun has been awesome! Made the sides very easy.
Not all sand papers are created equal:
I originally bought a lot of TRI-M-ITE sand paper because of an LMI tutorial I read on finishing, back when I first joined this forum and was gearing up to do my first Warmoth build.
A few days ago I bough a pack of this 3M 220 grit Pro Grade (Purple)
https://www.homedepot.com/p/3M-Pro-Grade-Precision-9-in-x-11-in-220-Grit-Fine-Advanced-Sanding-Sheets-4-Pack-26220PGP-4/205415923
and it's more aggressive than the TRI-M-ITE lasts longer and doesn't get clogged up nearly as fast.
It also feels like slightly thicker paper and seems to cut faster. It surely makes more sanding dust.
Maybe a better way to put it is that the TRI-M-ITE is for more delicate work.
Anyway I'll be using the 3M purple to get most of the work done and then going back to the TRI-M-ITE for a final pass before the first coat of sealer.
S
swarfrat
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Anyone else ever been tempted to shave 1/128th inches off top and bottom with a planer? I'm sure it's been done.
