Best sandpaper for removing guitar body paint?
Best sandpaper for removing guitar body paint?
I have an old Charvel Fusion Deluxe from the early 90's and I wanna remove the paint from the body. I'm wondering what grade of sandpaper would be best. I don't wanna just guess and go too heavy in case I do some damage. It's one of the higher-end Charvels from that period and I wanna give it a total makeover. It's been in storage for almost 10 years now and I just got it back yesterday.
Stripping a guitar body by hand is a job! Jesus. I don't have a power sander and don't wish to buy one just to do this one job. I started on it tonight after removing all the hardware and electronics. The payoff will be sweet though when it's done.
I've decided to go with Tung oil for the finish and got all the supplies today.
I just stripped the back of the body on one of my guitars and am currently working on the neck of another (I have refinished a few of my guitar necks). I prefer to start off with a razor blade to get the clear coat off, its faster and easier than sandpaper. Once you have gotten rid of the clear coat and are starting to thin down the paint I would change to 200 grit sandpaper. After that, clean it up with 400 grit. If you are going to be putting on a natural finish (I really like polyurethane satin) or are working on the neck I would also polish it with 600/1000 grit to get it really perfect and remove any remaining swirl marks.
Hope that helps.