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StratoSphere
Double Platinum Member
Canada
2232 Posts |
 Posted - 12/09/2006 : 21:38:42
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well not really new. i totally redid my one. sanded it all down, repainted and refinished. was gonna swap the humbucker but decided to postpone that until after Xmas.
ill have photos very soon!
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bossarea
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
3652 Posts |
Posted - 12/09/2006 : 22:06:33
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| Cool, what brand and shape is it? |
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StratoSphere
Double Platinum Member
Canada
2232 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2006 : 00:01:39
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Jackson SL-1 lefty. the body was in pretty rough shape. i painted red stripes on it, but got tired of that. you can probably get a look at what it used to look like from one of my old links to my setup.
it is now PS-5 metallic teal colour. with a slight sparkle finish.
i did the headstock too.like i said i will have pics soon |
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tomwest
Silver Member
United Kingdom
436 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2006 : 00:10:01
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| The PS-5 colour is definitely one of the nicest Boss have done. Is it difficult to re-finish yourself? I've been thinking for a while about converting my old Squier Telecaster into a Telecaster Plus (also will swap neck). and I'm not so keen on the colour, so it would be cool to re-finish it, but I don't want the finish to end up like Brian Adams' face. |
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StratoSphere
Double Platinum Member
Canada
2232 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2006 : 00:39:44
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is it difficult? only some areas sort of
does it require devotion? hell yes
hell on the hands and fingers? HELL YES
is it totally worth it? HELL YES
ive been working on it for about 2 weeks everyday after work/weekends. almost every free second i had went into it.
i knew the steps involved, but i didnt know the involved steps were so involved.
HERES A QUICK RUNDOWN....
first i had to sand the whole thing down. and that was a bitch. sanded the old paint all off, and then sanded it right smooth. i couldnt get the chemical stripper to do a thing.
then came the filler
then came the sealer.
then came the primer. (4 coats)
then comes the paint (6 coats)
then comes the clear coat (6 coats)
then comes the wet sanding (by far the most annoying/maticulous/lengthy damn process). you have to be EXTEMELY careful or you will get a sand-through and then you will cry. from 400 grit to 2000 grit. some people use cutting compound instead of wet sanding.
then comes the Scratch/Swirl Remover
and finally comes the Car Wax.
then i did the headstock!!!
not to mention all the drying time and taping/wiring/assembly
like i said, i definately took the long, safe route, but still it is quite a lengthy process. i would only recomend it if you are absolutely sure you want to do it and if you are the kind of person that finishes things you start.
good luck tom.
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tomwest
Silver Member
United Kingdom
436 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2006 : 00:58:49
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WOW. I think I'll leave it for now then. I don't really have the time (exam re-sits next month) although my painting skills and patience are pretty damn good (I used to build Airfix models like it was going out of style, which sadly it did) however whenever I get on a project, If I only have two catastrophes it went well. I was re-soldering an LED in an effects pedal the other day, and I ended up with a nice, super-heated blob of solder on my forehead, don't know how, but I know it caned.
Anyway thanks for the advice StratoSphere, but I think I'll give it a miss, until summer at least (I get several months off)
The only thing that really worries me is the final stage, with the clear coating and the sanding (Professor Frink'esque ). The paint and sanding/filling seems pretty straightforward, although knowing me I'd end up with loads of skeeze and unattended toddlers attached to my finish. |
Edited by - tomwest on 12/10/2006 01:01:59 |
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StratoSphere
Double Platinum Member
Canada
2232 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2006 : 04:13:08
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bahaha. solder on the forehead. 
the clear coating is just as easy as the painting. its the wetsanding that is the test of truth.
ya its weird actually being done the project. i actually have time to PLAY the damn thing now.
i gotta get a digi camera |
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tomwest
Silver Member
United Kingdom
436 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2006 : 11:05:01
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With the wetsanding do you sand in progressively lighter grades of sandpaper, and spray clearcoats on as you go?
Edit: I've just been on Harmony Central, are you PartyPooper? If so, is your HM-2 MIJ? |
Edited by - tomwest on 12/10/2006 11:09:10 |
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StratoSphere
Double Platinum Member
Canada
2232 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2006 : 15:11:01
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yup im PartyPooper. heh heh
as for the wetsanding, you start with a heavier grit (400 or 600) and sand until all the shine is gone. then you move up to 1000 unitl the scratches from 600 grit are gone.then to 1500 and finally 2000. the wierd part that you have to get into your head is that you are sanding off your shiny clear coat finish. after 600 grit, your guitar looks like crap because its all dull and foggy. but as you make it to about 1500 grit, you can see the progress. it starts to get reflective.
you only spray your clearcoats after painting. you never spray during wetsanding unless there is a sand through. in which case you will have to either leave it or spray color followed by clearcoat.
2 of the HM-2s are MIJ and 1 is MIT. the 2 MIJs are first issues. but ive never seen another MIT HM-2. i dont know which one is rarer. |
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tomwest
Silver Member
United Kingdom
436 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2006 : 17:06:28
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I may juite fancy the hM3-2 MIJ, I HAVE A MIT, AND I LIKE IT BUT BOSSAREA SAID YTHE MIJ'S HAVE MOR GAIN? SORRY I''M FDRIUK OPOSTING AGAIN, I RELALY SHOU.LDNGI9TR |
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bossarea
Forum Admin
United Kingdom
3652 Posts |
Posted - 12/10/2006 : 23:11:00
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Well my MIJ HM-2 had more gain than your MIT HM-2 but then again yours had some fault with it so maybe that's why the gain was lower.
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pawnshop_trash
Gold Member
USA
603 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2006 : 05:44:00
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about (guitar) refinishing, I've done it twice but never again. here's a few don'ts I've learned about refinishing:
- don't use shot peening or grit blasting to remove old paint (because it will remove too much wood with the paint); don't use steel wool unless you're positive that you can completely remove all traces of it before your pickups are reattached to the body
- chemical peelers are both slow and tedious and also incredibly harmful to anything that breathes, so don't ever use it indoors
- don't forget to clean your spray area before you start shooting paint, but remember no matter how clean your spray area is, dust and very small hairs will find their way into the painted surface, which can be heartbreaking on light-colored finishes
- stay away from water based grain fillers and primers if you plan to do a clear or natural refin with real lacquer
- if you have a body with a bolt-on neck, make a surrogate neck/"paint stick" handle like Fender used to do (still does?)
- finally, DO take every advantage of natural holes in your guitar's body for handles (long screws into the holes made for strap buttons, or the aforementioned "paint stick") and for methods that allow you to shoot both sides and let the body dry (e.g., nails in the pickguard holes, to allow it to rest on the nail heads as it dries
in addition, I'd like to second StratoSphere's assessment -- refinishing a guitar is a long, slow process, and requires a sh!tload of patience to do it right.
finally, tomwest, your last post was truly inspirational, but you left us all hanging in suspense. I mean, what exactly were you drinking?  |
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tomwest
Silver Member
United Kingdom
436 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2006 : 17:19:54
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quote:
Originally posted by pawnshop_trash
finally, tomwest, your last post was truly inspirational, but you left us all hanging in suspense. I mean, what exactly were you drinking?
Prfft don't ask, I started on Stella at about 11 O'Clock yesterday morning, and ended up drinking 3 more bottles of Cava. Needless to say I felt like shit this morning. There's a video of me dancing to Summer babe by Pavement |
Edited by - tomwest on 12/11/2006 23:53:57 |
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Dingus
Silver Member
USA
472 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2006 : 21:23:43
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| Winter Version? |
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tomwest
Silver Member
United Kingdom
436 Posts |
Posted - 12/11/2006 : 22:00:50
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| The very same, it's one of my favourite Pavement songs, Slanted and Enchanted is such a great album. |
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starr36
Platinum Member
Canada
1172 Posts |
Posted - 12/14/2006 : 05:08:40
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i would never try to refinish a guitar back to factory or try to fake a factory finish. like all u say, it is terribly time consuming and nearly impossible to do unless you do it for a living.
if your axe is dinged up too much, just use it is a canvas and go with it. that's kinda what was done to hedrix's guitar. noone will ever criticize it for not having the right shine in the lacquer etc, but you will get admiring ladies going 'cool guitar, man'. |
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My New Guitar
