The Guitar Refinishing and Restoration Forum

Cody Paul · Joined: 30 Mar 2010 Posts: 61

Posted this on the mylespaul forum but also wanted to post it here. Just didn't know how to post pictures. Think I've finally got it worked out. So here goes.

Bought a DC to refinish for a first time project. Since I really don't have a clue what I'm doing I thought" of course I should post it so everyone can learn from watching me."

Ok ok fine, hopefully everyone will put in their two cents worth and I may actually learn something. Everyone be patient with me.

Here are some before pics.

[img]http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=731373277#!/photo.php?pid=5481202&id=731373277
[/img]

[img]http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=731373277#!/photo.php?pid=5481203&id=731373277&fbid=421223443277
[/img]

Cody Paul · Joined: 30 Mar 2010 Posts: 61

OK that didn't work.

So how do you post pics?

Dan Nork · Joined: 16 Jul 2008 Posts: 335 Location: MN

Photobucket seems to be the easiest way to post stuff. It's free, I think I have 1000s of photos in several accounts and they don't pester you to join the way flickr does. It's really easy to post the pix up here once you have them in your accout over at the bucket, too.
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"There's nothing worse than a mediocre guitar player with a shiny guitar" (DBT)

86runner · Joined: 05 May 2010 Posts: 227 Location: Nashville, TN

In facebook, go to the fullsize pic, right click on the picture, go down to properties, then copy the address and insert it just like you did after the [Img] etc. Don't just copy the address bar at the top when the pic is on the screen. Cheers Wink

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Grab yo git-fiddle.

power chord hack · Joined: 31 Dec 2005 Posts: 5005 Location: fixing the gate.

Please don't link to FB.
Not everyone has a FB account & therefore won't be able to see the pics.
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Go tell the women that we're leaving.

atubbs · Joined: 23 Jan 2010 Posts: 447 Location: Mississippi

Here ya go...

Looks like an awesome project! I'm jealous! Very Happy

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Hey, Watch this!

Cody Paul · Joined: 30 Mar 2010 Posts: 61

Cody Paul · Joined: 30 Mar 2010 Posts: 61

atubbs cool how'd you do that? Must have been trying at the same time, took me three times and did previews first, but think I've got it. Third times the charm. I'll post some tomorrow night and see if I can catch up here. Right now it's bedtime. Kids want to go to six flags tomorrow so better get some rest.

atubbs · Joined: 23 Jan 2010 Posts: 447 Location: Mississippi

86runner posted how to post the images from facebook a bit earlier...

Click on the image on facebook that you want to post, and then right click, and then select properties at the bottom. It will then give you an Http address. Copy the entire address and then its time for Reranch.

Start a post or reply then click the "IMG" button. After clicking that button, paste your HTTP address for your pic, and then you will have to click your "IMG" button again to make it work.

Repeat for every photo you want us to see (the more the better Very Happy

) and then submit and you're done!

Hope that helps!
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Hey, Watch this!

~frank · Joined: 25 Apr 2007 Posts: 4616 Location: Houston

Cody Paul · Joined: 30 Mar 2010 Posts: 61

Ok decided to go with photobnucket for now, easier to post. So here are the photos from the ebay auction. I paid more than I should have but fell in love with it. Initially planned to completely strip it and maybe put a gold top on it. All black hardware with a gold top sounded interesting. The black top looks much better in person though so decided to keep it. (If I don't completely mess it up. ) Like the flame.

Cody Paul · Joined: 30 Mar 2010 Posts: 61

And this is what it looked like when I got it. As taken by my cell phone, best camera I have at the moment, sorry. I was wondering what to do about the headstock, just a bit of a problem there. Extra holes in the top. Has a battery box in the back, going to be lazy and leave that, not sure how to fix that big hole anyway. Don't have a use for it, not planning on active pickups. The more I think about it the more I confuse myself though. P-94 neck burstbucker bridge, Burstbucker in the neck, burstbucker 3 in the bridge, all kinds of possibilities. Wonder what they'd sound like. Want something different but has to sound good. Mostly into blues. Lots of time to pick yet. The fretboard looks NICE though.

Cody Paul · Joined: 30 Mar 2010 Posts: 61

Wow, pics are coming out WAY bigger than they should.

Ok, still catching you up to where I am now.

Loved the feel of the neck, but not the way it looked. So, strip the whole thing and have a natural look on the back. Time to start making mistakes.
What to use to strip it? Hoping it was nitrocellulose I started with a lacquer thinner. Tried a small area to see if it would work. Lessons learned:

1. ALWAYS mask things off first. Just a small spot, no need to mask anything right? Well should have taken into account the fact that I'm a klutz. Would have been fine but I spilled the thinner. BOY does it work. Melted right through, ran down the side and onto the top.

2. Thinner does NOT like plastic. The battery box on the back is now melted closed and will not open. Wasn't planning on using it but didn't want it ruined either.

3. When they say well ventilated area, they mean a WELL VENTILATED AREA. Was inside and not worried, only going to use a few drops to see how it worked. It's strong and spilling it definitely stank up the whole house. Gee but I'm popular with the wife and kids now.

What I uesd.

before

after

Oops

Can't see it real well in this pic but the finish on the top looks a bit melted.

Cody Paul · Joined: 30 Mar 2010 Posts: 61

Bought some FrogTape at Walmart to try for masking. It's a painters tape with "paint block" to "seal tape edges." But it's supposed to react with latex paint and "instantly gels to form a microbarrier that seals the edge of the tape." Problem is I'm stripping with lacquer thinner not painting. So, I was wondering how well it would work.

I placed a piece of tape on the back and soaked it fairly well with the thinner. I rubbed right up against one edge just to see how close I could get with the stripping pad. Actually rubbed right over it several times without the edge deforming much. When I took the tape off a it looked like some of the thinner may have bled through. At first I thought it was some of the adhesive from the tape left when I took it off. It wouldn't come off though so I'm assuming it was bleed through. Course it may have already looked this way to. Just didn't pay that close attention until I took it off and everything else was different as well. Since I soaked it and ran over it with the stripping pad it seems fairly decent. Just don't do that around the fretboard, binding, anything I don't want damaged... Should be ok.

Cody Paul · Joined: 30 Mar 2010 Posts: 61

Ok back to stripping. THE GUITAR! Geez, even the wife doesn't want to see the other...

Instructions were to get the stripping pad wet with thinner and then scrub. That really doesn't work well. The pads too pourous to hold anything. So off to Home Depot to see what I can see. Got some Klean Strip and tried it. Its a bottom up stripper. Instructions say to leave it on 15 minutes then scrap it off. Sort of works. What comes off comes off in strips but leaves a lot behind even with repeated applications. Leaving it on too long maybe?

Stripper on the sides.

Gee don't that look pretty.

YUCK

The sides ARE harder to get to.