Westone Dana and other restorations
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Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
Well I got the body today, neck hasnt been shipped yet but is supposed to be late this week and is supposed to be pretty minty. Whomever had this guitar really botched it up! Looks like the original color was black, then painted blue, then painted a dark metallic grey. I didn't even bother taking any pics of it yet. I immediately took it into my shop and started sanding. Someone really screwed up a nice looking body. The paint is sooooo thick its taking a long time to sand to bare wood. I am hoping to get it down to wood and maybe just do a light stain on the wood then clear coat. Hopefully the wood will come out nice.
halo71- Westone Nut
- Number of posts : 77
Age : 53
Location : Augusta, GA.
Registration date : 2009-02-05
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
Paint-stripper for the initial layer(s) of paint may be quicker?? You gonna show us what you've got...
corsair- Senior Member
- Number of posts : 6321
Age : 64
Location : Mount Hunter, NSW, Australia
Registration date : 2008-04-08
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
corsair wrote:Paint-stripper for the initial layer(s) of paint may be quicker??...
Nah John, I reckon that Gary is doing the right thing, paint stripper just makes a horrible gooey mess and takes longer to do than just going full out from the outset with the sander!
Keep up the good work there Gary and let us all see the results. It would be nice to see some 'Before' and 'After' photos too.
Pauline :flower: :queen:
Guest- Guest
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
Dunno, bro - stripper and a bit of patience works a treat, particularly when the paint layers is as thick as Gary says it is; as does reading and following the instructions to the letter!!
You gonna show us or do have to come visit...
You gonna show us or do have to come visit...
corsair- Senior Member
- Number of posts : 6321
Age : 64
Location : Mount Hunter, NSW, Australia
Registration date : 2008-04-08
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
Paint strippper is OK and better than clouds of dust ... well thats my opinion. Plus, it depends how long you leave it on for.. If you want take off just a few layers of paint, only leave it on until the paint begins to get soft.
Hey ho, happy stripping !
Hey ho, happy stripping !
Steve777- Senior Member
- Number of posts : 356
Age : 66
Location : Coventry, UK
Registration date : 2008-10-14
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
I find that sanding usually is the best way to go. I've refinished a few old guitars and usually paint stripper wont touch the paint! The old polyester and nitrocellulose paints they used back in the day are very hard! I will take a few pics and post them up. I guess a before and after comparison would be nice to have.
halo71- Westone Nut
- Number of posts : 77
Age : 53
Location : Augusta, GA.
Registration date : 2009-02-05
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
You're dead right, halo - those finishes are very stubborn indeed! What you've gotta do is score the surface of the paint or finish with something sharp to let the stripper in to do it's thing!! But we each have our preferred methods which is what makes forums like this one so damn interesting; I stripped my strat with stripper and then sanded it and it worked out fine - pics when the body comes back from the artist....
corsair- Senior Member
- Number of posts : 6321
Age : 64
Location : Mount Hunter, NSW, Australia
Registration date : 2008-04-08
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
Yeah try that with a vintage Kramer....it dont work trust me! One short cut I did find out and works rather well on flat top bodies guitars is.....IF....you have a 12" plainer in your wood shop as I do. Running the body through it with the cutters set VERY shallow, you can take multiple passes on the body and take the paint to the bare wood rather quickly! Works for the top and bottom of the body. Then all you have left to sand is the sides, inside horns, belly cut and arm cut. This really cuts down on refinishing times! And works like a charm....trick is to take really shallow cuts. If the cutters go to deep into the surface you are screwed!Think we should have a refinishing section on the forum? People could post their tricks, experience, recommendations etc. But depending on what the model is and its worth I will not refinish a guitar and just leave it be. I mean, I wouldn't touch a vintage Kline, Nightswan Kramer with sandpaper!
halo71- Westone Nut
- Number of posts : 77
Age : 53
Location : Augusta, GA.
Registration date : 2009-02-05
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
halo71 wrote:Yeah try that with a vintage Kramer....it dont work trust me!I did it on a '58 Tele way back and it worked a treat; I'll bow to your much more up to date information, though!!
One short cut I did find out and works rather well on flat top bodies guitars is.....IF....you have a 12" plainer in your wood shop as I do.Yep, I have done the surfacing thing on flat tops with, as you say, the cutters sett to 15 thou for the first pass, 5 thou for subsequent passes!
Think we should have a refinishing section on the forum? People could post their tricks, experience, recommendationsetc. But depending on what the model is and its worth I will not refinish a guitar and just leave it be. I mean, I wouldn't touch a vintage Kline, Nightswan Kramer with sandpaper!Good idea!!
.. and that, ladies and gentlefolks, is very very good advice!!
corsair- Senior Member
- Number of posts : 6321
Age : 64
Location : Mount Hunter, NSW, Australia
Registration date : 2008-04-08
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
You refinished a '58 Tele????? dayum..... lolWell I am not sure the thickness or type of paint used on those old Tele's but with that dang polyester paint, it's hard and thick (that doesn't sound right does it? lol) and scoring or scratching the paint didn't work for me. I did find out on the first one I did that chipping the paint and carefully digging with a narrow putty knife I could chip it back pretty easily. But ya run the risk of denting the wood if you arent careful. And some I know use a propane torch/heat gun to remove the paint. But I dont care for the scorching of the wood that comes with that.
halo71- Westone Nut
- Number of posts : 77
Age : 53
Location : Augusta, GA.
Registration date : 2009-02-05
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
halo71 wrote:You refinished a '58 Tele????? dayum..... lolYeah, I did... in 1978, when you couldn't give the bloody things away!!
Well I am not sure the thickness or type of paint used on those old Tele's but with that dang polyester paint, it's hard and thick (that doesn't sound right does it? lol) and scoring or scratching the paint didn't work for me.Yep, it was that really thick poly type aged cream and needed severe action with a Stanley knife to get the stripper working...
I did find out on the first one I did that chipping the paint and carefully digging with a narrow putty knife I could chip it back pretty easily. But ya run the risk of denting the wood if you arent careful.Yeah; on the blade of the Stanley knife I wound about 30 turns of thick sticky tape around the blade about 3mm from the tip to stop just taht, Worked fine...
And some I know use a propane torch/heat gun to remove the paint. But I dont care for the scorching of the wood that comes with that.
You and me both!!
This is the beast in question hanging on my nephew;
..it was gonna change the world, man!!
corsair- Senior Member
- Number of posts : 6321
Age : 64
Location : Mount Hunter, NSW, Australia
Registration date : 2008-04-08
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
Cool pic! I am guessing you dont have either of those axes anymore ehh?
halo71- Westone Nut
- Number of posts : 77
Age : 53
Location : Augusta, GA.
Registration date : 2009-02-05
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
Oh, god, no!! The Tele went when I bought my Vantage VA900 - never regretted it either!! - and the 2380 came and went very quickly; it was a pig to play, very weak p'ups and as heavy as an LP without the grunt. The pic I think is about 1979 and I bought the VA in 1980 in Melbourne, Australia...
corsair- Senior Member
- Number of posts : 6321
Age : 64
Location : Mount Hunter, NSW, Australia
Registration date : 2008-04-08
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
HOY, you two,
Can we stick to the topic please????
Pauline :flower: :queen:
Can we stick to the topic please????
Pauline :flower: :queen:
Guest- Guest
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
OK, ...... bossy boots!!
Actually I was wondering when the wrath of the moderator would drop on us; we've given given a fair amount of leeway, thanks chook!!
Actually I was wondering when the wrath of the moderator would drop on us; we've given given a fair amount of leeway, thanks chook!!
corsair- Senior Member
- Number of posts : 6321
Age : 64
Location : Mount Hunter, NSW, Australia
Registration date : 2008-04-08
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
Should I start a new thread titled "halo and corsairs rambling thread"? lol .....geeezzzz tough crowd here. lol
halo71- Westone Nut
- Number of posts : 77
Age : 53
Location : Augusta, GA.
Registration date : 2009-02-05
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
halo71 wrote:Should I start a new thread titled "halo and corsairs rambling thread"? lol .....geeezzzz tough crowd here. lol
Ooh what a good idea! (NOT!) I'll get Neil to sort you out a whole new forum all to yourselves, shall I?
AND, don't think I hadn't noticed you two sneaking another rambling session into the 'Introductions' forum either! Tut, tut!
BEHAVE yourselves or I shall be forced to make you both go and stand in the corner with your heads hung in shame!
Pauline :flower: :queen:
Guest- Guest
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
So you are basically putting the brakes on open discussions on guitar refinishing. I gotch now, mam.....
halo71- Westone Nut
- Number of posts : 77
Age : 53
Location : Augusta, GA.
Registration date : 2009-02-05
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
We shall take our meanderings to the Technical forum where no-one will notice us.... the points on refinishing, or at least removing a finish are valid ones though, Polly - maybe they could be whacked in there?
corsair- Senior Member
- Number of posts : 6321
Age : 64
Location : Mount Hunter, NSW, Australia
Registration date : 2008-04-08
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
halo71 wrote:So you are basically putting the brakes on open discussions on guitar refinishing. I gotch now, mam.....
No, not in the slightest. Come on guys, I'm not that much of a dragon really!
In fact, I more than anybody, welcome any discussion regarding restoration/refinishing but in this instance you were both slightly hi-jacking other threads and going a little bit off topic.
Johns' suggestion for moving it to the Technical forum is a good one and if you would like me to, I will move the relevent parts of your discussion there under a new thread so that you can continue with it to your hearts' content!
Pauline :flower: :queen:
Guest- Guest
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
Good on ya, lass; that'd be mighty!!
corsair- Senior Member
- Number of posts : 6321
Age : 64
Location : Mount Hunter, NSW, Australia
Registration date : 2008-04-08
halo71- Westone Nut
- Number of posts : 77
Age : 53
Location : Augusta, GA.
Registration date : 2009-02-05
Re: Westone Dana and other restorations
Well I'd started working on sanding the body down. THen got side tracked putting together a Ibanez mutt and painting a HM strat for a friend of mine. And I have a Vandenberg body to cut out of mahogany as well. I promise I will take pictures asap.
halo71- Westone Nut
- Number of posts : 77
Age : 53
Location : Augusta, GA.
Registration date : 2009-02-05
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