Removing A Guitar Paintjob [EASY TUTORIAL]

[@rthavi]

Thanks for this. I'm working on an old guitar and wanted to see someone go through this through all the grits and just acknowledge, to me, that I'm not crazy for being too diligent and not using chemicals and heat.

[@IPGuitars]

Oh you're definitely not crazy. Once I took my time and did it like this, I haven't looked back. If unsure and want to be "safe than sorry" then sanding is the way

[@Nic-tg2ei]

That's CRAZY! this is the exact guitar model I'm removing the finish from, in black!

[@IPGuitars]

Nice! :D what are the chances

[@Nic-tg2ei]

@@IPGuitars If it suddenly changed into the second guitar then that would be witchcraft.

[@johnnydswing]

Excellent video! I’m a big believer of sanding, the heat gun is nuts. 👏👏👏

[@quietstorm7826]

Glad I found this vid.. best method clearest explanation

[@IPGuitars]

Thanks for checking it out! :)

[@robertlambrecht6535]

So I just got home from Walmart with a sander and have started sanding the back of my telecaster and it's looking great so far 👍🏼

[@IPGuitars]

Awesome! Be sure to check back in, I wanna hear how it went and turned out!

[@robertlambrecht6535]

@@IPGuitars I sure will

[@giboney]

I’ve refinished several guitars and as far as the sealer coat goes, it’s been my experience, as long as you use a good primer and give it a few solid coats of primer you can leave the sealer coat. If you’re doing a transparent finish of some sort then yeah you may want to strip down to bare wood. I also usually chemical strip my projects then sand. Nice work stripping that body with a sander. I usually worry about leaving a flat edge somewhere from the sander.

[@IPGuitars]

Very good points right there! In my case here, I had to strip all the way to wood as this guitar got stained. Fully understand worrying about flat edges. I usually get around this by taking down the speed, or with a smaller sander (if possible), or a soft pad. However, hard to reach areas still require some hand sanding anyway, so I'll get to those at that stage. I did address refinishing from the point of view of a new paintjob more recently and pointed out what you said there: getting down to a good primer/sealer and you'll be pretty set.

[@deetee-uk]

Do you still need to key the surface before priming?

[@IPGuitars]

If you are applying primer to a already painted/coated surface, then yes. You would need to scuff sand the surface.

[@sekanoms]

what paint stripper do you use?

[@aaronjanusch6090]

What chemical stripper do you use?

[@andrewcasey7023]

This has been invaluable! Thank you so very much for this.

[@IPGuitars]

You're welcome! I'm so happy you found this helpful

[@BakaBrian]

This is an insanely useful tutorial, thank you very much! I just recently bought a beat up Ibanez RG to work on, and the thing has a crazy amount of dings all over (no chips though). Would starting at 80 grit still work find for getting the surface even?

[@IPGuitars]

I'm very glad this tutorial was helpful. 80 grit is really rough and will remove a lot of material, so it will certainly work, but you will need to sand with higher grits to remove the scratches left by the 80. In short, yes, it will work :D

[@commanderwilliamtriker7449]

Hello, were you able to fix the dings and damages on the Ibanez and if so how?

[@xxswamplordxx2079]

@@commanderwilliamtriker7449 I'm not the guy in the video, but the way most people fix dings & damages is by filling them with a product called bondo, then sand it flush & paint it.

[@IPGuitars]

Sorry that I missed this comment, I didn't get a notification for it. In this case I just sanded the entire thing and removed the dings in that way. However, depending on what kind of dings and what finish you have. For example, if there is a dent (from pressure, so that the grain is not "cut") and an oil finish, you can in most cases steam the dent out. So a wet paper towel and soldering iron over the dent. However with any bigger dent/scratch/damage and a lacquer/paint you might need to sand away or patch up with some form of spackle/wood filler and then color match the original paintjob and refinish the area. The latter is of course harder to do if you want a perfect fix, but excessive damage to the guitar and you could start considering a full refinish.

[@commanderwilliamtriker7449]

Awesome video, learned a lot from it. You answered a lot of my questions. Thanx.

[@Zartimus]

Great example of how to do it! Thanks!

[@DumbGeek777]

12:10 love that you left that in, most people completely cut out little jokes like that when they think theyre stupid but your reaction to your own joke made it 10x funnier!

[@IPGuitars]

Thanks xD yeah, I tend to leave quite a bit of my awkward dad jokes in.

[@DumbGeek777]

@@IPGuitars thats what makes it funny, personality is everything nowdays, im subbing :)

[@IPGuitars]

Thank you very much 😁

[@acme.videos]

You should wear a mask.

[@IPGuitars]

Completely agree, I should have and have pretty much since the video. Even with the shop-vac being superb at dust extraction, still a mask goes a long way.

[@TheWarriorSongProject]

I'd like to see somebody do this with a les paul where the neck doesnt come off.

[@IPGuitars]

I did a full refinish of a neck through bass this year and made videos on that. Essentially facing the same issues you would with a set-neck Les Paul :)

[@bcrater6400]

Excellent video. Very informative and well presented.

[@IPGuitars]

Thank you, I'm glad you enjoyed it :)

[@jazzman1954]

Thanks for this intelligent video. I know I'm nuts but I'd leave it natural. I like joints and blemishes.

[@Wesleyd8]

Great vid, I’m getting an orbital sander for this exact project -- do you have some kind of soft pad attachment? If so what kind? I’ll look for a similar one. Thanks!

[@IPGuitars]

Cool! And no, this one didn't have a soft pad on it. At this point in sanding (removing paint) a soft pad really isn't all that useful as you need to make sure you're getting fully even surfaces on the flatter areas. However, if you are working with a carved top of sorts a soft pad might not be a bad idea. Haven't had a chance to use one in years, so can't really pinpoint a specific one unfortunately. Have fun!

[@Wesleyd8]

@@IPGuitars awesome thank you for the reply!

[@MarkAnthony5150]

Gr8 video m8. Much appreciated 🙏 very talented detailed look forward to more. ✌

[@buschovski1]

this is great man. Thank you so much

[@fufc1231]

Got to u from reddit First vid i open has periphery guitars and coffee in it Im subbed for life lol

[@IPGuitars]

Hahah, well thank you! :D

[@juanokita4401]

I love your PPE😊

[@TKD187]

Nice video I'm going to do the same thing to my acoustic but I just want the wood finish I'm going to sand it down to the wood and then use some tongue finish oil. I painted it black and the more I look at it it just looks terrible and every guitar I've ever played that didn't have a gloss finish just sounds more crisp to me and to be honest my guitar is not a good guitar so I'm trying to do everything I can to make it sound better. Anyways thanks for the advice nice video

[@IPGuitars]

Sounds like a plan. Lemme know how it goes! And if you run into any questions, feel free to ask :)

[@bloodshot9224]

Any tips on getting off the sealer coat on a flame top veneer

[@IPGuitars]

The same process applies, but caaaarefully. I wouldn't go lower than 120 grit when dealing with a veneer. Alternatively a really sharp scraper is a great tool for the job.

[@geovani60624]

I spend the entire day trying to remove the varnish from my guitar using only 220 sandpaper, I removed the paint yesterday with a heatgun, the paint got removed quite cleanly, you just need to have a very dull paint scraper, let the heat do the trick

[@IPGuitars]

220 is a very high grit to be trying to remove paint, so I can imagine that it was taking forever. I used to use the heatgun method too, but seeing as there is always the risk of scorching some of the wood underneath, I have since opted of sanding. Of course if you're applying a solid color on top, then it doesn't matter all that much if the wood get some scorch marks :)

[@geovani60624]

@@IPGuitars yeah but the varnish was way too thick, even using lower grit it is still taking a while, while I was removing the paint I made some quite deep scratches that I thought I was going to need to cover with some resin but no, it's all going away with the varnish (yeah I'm pretty sure it's a solid half a milimeter or more)

[@IPGuitars]

Sounds about right :D it's a painstaking process for sure. Not exactly "fun" by any stretch of the imagination.

[@zendahlin]

@@IPGuitars i wish i had read this before i got the heatgun out...

[@pandorski35000]

is there any acoustic benefit of all that ? i'm thinking of going the same process on my 1981 Greco strat that already sounds wonderfull, i can't imagine without the 0.5 mm poly finish

[@IPGuitars]

Absolutely, if there is a thick poly coat. It does inhibit the natural resonance of the wood. Imagine that a natural material like wood, that moves and changes, gets completely covered with a thick shell over it. Admittedly, this topic is widely debated over, but I've found the difference to be quite clear.

[@pandorski35000]

@@IPGuitars thanks, that's why i prefered to ask you te question directly as you did it, and can witness first hand of the evolution of the sound, for better or worse, so apparently better here

[@hillbillygeorg]

Great video,thank you!

[@Obertassie]

Thank you for the great tutorial, sir. I was looking for such a thorough explanation. But I have a couple of questions. I am currently working on my old trusty Yamaha Pacifica giving it oil finish. I have started to remove old lacquer with a P100 grit, sanding by hand. Could you please advise the correct sequence? Sanding 100 (or 80, but I have already started with 100). Then 120, 240, 320. At this point what should I do? Steel wool or rising the grain with water? Which grits should I use after watering? Sanding with 400 and 600 grit is done after watering? I’m a bit confused here. Many thanks in advance.

[@IPGuitars]

First off, thanks for checking out the video! Glad you found it helpful. Are you going to be doing a natural oil finish? If so, then 320/400 is plenty to sand up to. Then what I usually do is apply the first layer of oil with 1200/1500 wet & dry sandpaper. It gets you to a nice sheen quicker as well. I actually have a few follow-up videos to this one (under the Homebrew playlist) with different options to go for where I discuss the steps taken for a natural oil finish, a stain, and also a paint/clear coat.

[@Obertassie]

@@IPGuitars Thanks for a prompt reply! I’m going to apply Tru-oil gunstock to the body and tru-oil and wax to the neck. Should I do watering in that case?

[@IPGuitars]

Ah great! If you wanna look over the oiling tutorial, I use the exact same steps with Truoil. But essentially, yes. Raising the grain helps you get to a more superior finish. Also, no point going all the way up to like 400 grit if you're wetting and raising the grain. Good to do the very final bit with 400 then. Technically, you could skip raising the grain as well if you're keeping it natural as you could just as well wet sand while putting on the first oil layer. However, I have noticed a better end product with wetting and raising the grain.

[@ILLRICARDO]

I wish I had a large enough area to paint the guitars, as I purchase second hand guitars and try to restore them, but I've hit a wall with a few, as I cannot spray the primer and paint

[@IPGuitars]

For years now, I have done all my spraying on balconies😅 all you really need to make sure is to protect an area so you don't spray something you shouldn't and have a relatively dust-free area where you can hang it up to dry. You'll see me do this in the other videos of this series :) Hell, 10 years back I sprayed everything in my parents garden. Where there is a will, there is a way ;)

[@zemlidrakona2915]

I just spent like 18 hours sanding off the old paint by hand. I think I'll spring for sander, LOL!

[@IPGuitars]

Ooof, but yes I feel you, I came to the very swift conclusion of doing the same after trying to by hand. What a nightmare!

[@zemlidrakona2915]

​ On the other hand, It's a old Yugoslavian hollowbody electric. It somehow seems appropriate to slave away by hand over it 🤣

[@nunooliveira4257]

What do you mean when you say the grain raises from the moisture? Is it just that the moisture accentuates the irregularities of the wood?

[@IPGuitars]

Raising the grain is when the fibers in the wood (for lack of a better way of putting it) "stand up". Essentially, the moisture makes grain of the wood on the surface expand ever so little and in doing so "raises". Kind of like if the hair on your arm stands up, that's what is happening to the wood when the moisture dries off, leaving behind a course surface that you then want to sand back until it is smooth :)

[@nunooliveira4257]

@@IPGuitars Excellent. Thanks very much for your answer. I’ve been a guitarist for a long time, but only now am I considering to work on my own instruments. So I’m a newbie regarding this stuff. I was very surprised when I saw you applying water onto the wood, cause as far as I know, wood doesn’t like water at all. But it seems that in this context, and if done in a controlled manner, that technique turns a disadvantage into an advantage.

[@IPGuitars]

Cool, welcome to the world of luthiery! :) And yeah, in general what is meant by the "wood not likinh water" thing is that you don't leave it in water or completely drench it. In this case, you're just adding a little bit of moisture to the surface. Everything in moderation :) the same applies again to clear coat finishes and paints when you wet sand and use water there as well, it's not enough to cause any damage.

[@simonecamplani2430]

Nice start, particularly nice because its a thing im currently doing, studiyng a violin maker I dont have Sanders but I will try somehow

[@arnaldomontes5616]

I'm new to building my own guitar but wondering why you don't use a heat gun as most tutorials I've seen do?

[@IPGuitars]

Great question that gets asked a lot :) Precision and consistency. The heatgun method has multiple points that I don't like: fumes (nasty stuff even with proper ventilation and safety gear), risk of scorching the wood, if using a paint scrape to remove finish you MIGHT accidentaly damage the wood, inconsistent results that you would still need to sand down, and depending on the wood and finish, you might get something melting into the grain which can be a royal pain to work with if you're going to try and stain/oil afterwards. Meanwhile with sanding, while it might take longer at first, I get more control over what I am doing. By moving up the grits you can get a great base to work your finish into without possible sealers/resins seeped into the grain from heating. No one likes sanding sure, but when the results are actually easily attainable if you just follow the process, you'll find a hard time doing any real damage.

[@arnaldomontes5616]

Appreciate the speedy reply and input. I live in CA so weather won’t be an issue sanding outdoors. Great tutorial by the way. Looking forward to seeing more once I’m ready. Have a great thanksgiving!!

[@IPGuitars]

Have fun making some dust! If you run into any questions, you can always come to my channel's comment sections and I'm more than happy to help.

[@chefhetfield]

Can we please talk about how beautiful the grade of this wood is that he sanded down I have an old LTD Dave Mustain V that I wanted to refinish and I’m hoping that the wood looks that nice cause I just put a nice finish over that wood and call it a fucking day gorgeous

[@IPGuitars]

The 6-string in this video was okay, I'll give you that. But the 8-string was literally made of scrap wood, wood putty, and had a MDF top and back. Not exactly good grade, HOWEVER I do like how it turned out with the knots and little flamey part :) That's the thing, you never know what you'll find underneath with factory painted stuff, but you can usually make it work in any case :)

[@Imnotthevillian77]

Could you use sandpaper to add a little relicing to a guitar?

[@IPGuitars]

Yes, definitely. And I have done that too with pretty good success

[@rabbieg123]

Can this method be used to remove a polyurethane high gloss coating? I want to remove the glossy blue finish from a Godin LGXT

[@IPGuitars]

Absolutely, the guitar in this video had the same finish on it :)

[@Harbinger_of_nurgle]

If I wanted to hand sand the finish off of an electric guitar, which grain would be best to use?

[@IPGuitars]

If you are removing the entire finish you could even start with 80 or 100 grit. Keep in mind that you should not add too much pressure while sanding. Especially the lower the grit the deeper the scratches will be if you apply too much pressure to the paper. But once you get all the really rough stuff out of the way, it's just a matter of removing scratches from each grit prior. So moving up 80/100-120-180-240-320 (-400) :)

[@cassavaguitar]

Good job...

[@musicproductionvideos5019]

Hi, I just sanded a couple body contours onto a cheap T-style guitar I have. It's mahogany. What can I use just to coat the wood quickly? I don't care about looks... just want to get rid of the feeling of the raw bare wood when I play it now. Thanks!

[@IPGuitars]

If you just want something quick for a finish, then a couple of layers of oil will work pretty well. Also easy enough to remove/add if you at some stage want to look into more finishing.

[@ittech7967]

Hi, Great video. What are the chances of finding any decent wood ( for a clear coat ) on a black colored Indonesian "Squire", Tele or a "First Act" Tele? Thank you

[@IPGuitars]

Thanks, glad you enjoyed the video! Oddly enough, you might be surprised. Indonesian guitars have come a long way in recent years. HOWEVER more than likely they will be made up of multiple pieces (3 or more). Honestly, once you remove the paint it depends on what look you're going for, if you don't mind seeing a few different pieces of wood then you're all well and good.

[@mikeshanermusic]

I sanded down my black Squier and tung oiled it, and I think it looks awesome and sounds better than it did. Very glad I did it.👍

[@ryanschmidt8906]

Random question (and I don’t know if you will see this) but if I decide to sand down in the my neck pocket of my guitar (I have an old squire strat project with a bit of paint in the pocket) do I need to worry about neck fitment when I get the neck back on? How do I go about this? (There is not a lot of paint there, but I would still prefer what paint is in there to be out)

[@IPGuitars]

Good question! You certainly can remove the paint inside the pocket, but just go about it carefully enough not to remove too much material. I would suggest taking measurements beforehand. See how the neck fits, whether it would need a shim to start with, if the action and adjustment of the saddles is alright and then go from there. At the very worst, you might just need a shim once you're done (which already is common practice amongst Strats). And I gather that this is a bolt-on, so even more so while of course a tight neck fit is ideal, having it loosen up from refinishing isn't the end of the world :) my personal strat copy has some wiggle in the pocket-fit and has served me well for many years with no issue.

[@dukenukembubblegum7311]

Use a heat gun

[@BoazWainscott]

What about clear coat/finish? Should I just leave it or finish it

[@IPGuitars]

Definitely yeah apply some sort of finish after sanding. Oil, varnish, lacquer. Something to protect the wood :) teeeeeechnically yes, you could leave it unfinished, but I would question why? If you need any tutorials on how to do finishing at home, the Homebrew video series covers stains, oils, paint, and clear coats.

[@bernardm3066]

Hi. I want to remove the finish from just the headstock of a guitar. Could I do it with some sandpaper of various grades? Would it be better to do wet sanding?

[@IPGuitars]

Great question and it really depends what kind of refinish you are going for. If you need to strip the paint off completely, then you can go through the grits, but starting at like 100 or so, because otherwise it will take forever.. so for example something like: 100, 120, 180, 240, 320. You can always go above this if you want to. Again, very much depends on the finish you are going to do. However, if you are looking to just repaint the headstock, you could get away with just scuffing the surface. You could either go down to 240 and bringing it up from there OR wet sanding with 400 or 600 and then painting. I have a newer 3-part video series on this sort of refinishing if that's more what you are looking for: kzbin.info/www/bejne/nIjFh3uXqdKYebc

[@DosSchmos]

do you need no-load sandpaper to do this or can it be done with regular sandpaper?

[@IPGuitars]

You can do this with regular sandpaper :) as far as I know, I've been using regular sandpaper to do this for about 10 years

[@cleangoblin2021]

I successfully sanded mine by hand thank you. I wasted 5 hours with the wrong brands or type of sand paper. Ive tried different brands in different grits like 3m's 80, 180, 240, 320. All of them got destroyed and clogged up. The next day i was tired and desperate and got a 180, Wonderwork(some china paper) silicon carbide. Freaking hell* 20 mins of work, ive completely stripped the guitar. Use a sanding block

[@Jsoberlak]

Was this guitar poly or nitro finish I’m thinking of sanding a squire strat and am just wondering if the poly is too tough to sand through.

[@IPGuitars]

This was poly and slapped on real thick at that.

[@sinnersdwarf7138]

got a guitar that's been painted over in white with the original colour being some sort of blue finish, what's the best method for removing the white paint while keeping the original paint?

[@IPGuitars]

Honestly, I would first sand on the back to find out how thick the new paint is and then either scrape it off or sand it off very carefully. It's going to be a time-consuming effort, but it really depends on how the guitar was refinished in the first place. If you'd be sanding with a sander, I would not start with anything too coarse in this case. Maybe even 120 or 180 grit. If the new paint is on very thin, you might be able to get away with just sanding by hand as well. They key is not overdoing it.

[@wanderingfirbolg6738]

Any tips on removing epoxy finish from a guitar?

[@IPGuitars]

Honestly, I would use the same process. It sucks, but by far the most consistent way to remove finish.

[@wanderingfirbolg6738]

@@IPGuitars Thanks, mate! Will do!

[@IPGuitars]

No problem, lemme know if you have any questions along the way and I'll be sure to answer!

[@JustStrummin]

You said you tried a few different ways to remove paint/lacquer, but you didn't mention that you tried to use acetone to remove the paint/lacquer. Do you have any experience removing paint/lacquer from a guitar using acetone? If not, was there a reason why you haven't tried using acetone to remove paint/lacquer? I watched another tech's video and he used acetone to remove paint and lacquer from a guitar, and he prefers it over sanding. Reason I'd like to know is I bought a guitar that has lacquer applied to the faceplate of the headstock to hide the brand's builder. I want to remove the lacquer safely, and I plan on using acetone because I don't want to scratch the inlay of the builder's name. Do you have any thoughts?

[@IPGuitars]

Great questions! I personally have not tried acetone, but have been present when someone else has. It was quickly deemed "not worth it". In their case it was just messy and didn't remove the finish like they wished, which meant sanding anyway. Though I would imagine that acetone could possibly work with nitrocellulose finishes. I think that for what you are planning on doing it would at the very least be worthwhile to try. It is a small area and if things go well, you'll get it done without extra fuss. BUT NOTE: make sure that the builder's name is in fact, inlaid. If it turns out to be painted or a decal, that will be wiped away along with everything else.

[@JustStrummin]

Thank you for your prompt reply. To your point, if I used sandpaper to remove the lacquer, then I *MAY* be able to remove the lacquer down to the nitrocellulose finish, thereby possibly preventing the removal of the brand name if the logo is painted or a decal versus an inlay. Correct?

[@guitarfreak521]

Thank you!

[@CheetosMUFUKKA]

Periphery mug. Nice.

[@jeffgonner5043]

What sander is that? Looks like a nice one for this job. thks

[@IPGuitars]

Can’t remember the exact model, but that’s a Festool Random Orbital Sander and yes, it is veeery nice.

[@hadrosaurus]

nice video. could i use a palm sander instead of an orbital sander?

[@IPGuitars]

Absolutely! It's what I used when I first started doing refinishing :) The same principle still applies

[@hadrosaurus]

@@IPGuitars great, thanks! redoing a squier bronco - going to throw an old mudbucker into it

[@IPGuitars]

Sounds awesome! Lemme know how it goes

[@jaydinbreen8476]

Hey broski, thanks for the help, I need a little help though, I sanded my guitar to 80 on most of the body already but I'm having trouble getting my sander inside the horns(it's a p bass), is it alright to use a solution to get that or do I have to do it by hand? Also what would I use as a solution? Thanks for the help

[@IPGuitars]

Yeap, the cutaways are always a pain. Use what you can :) of course anything that works for you and is the easiest solution. You can then go and sand that down as you go through the grits, but getting the old finish off you'll just have to use what works best for you. As for what to use as solvent, I don't actually know. But a quick Google search for "paint remover" will get you results on what you have in local stores near you.

[@jaydinbreen8476]

@@IPGuitars alright, thanks for the help, looks like I might have to hand sand this thing lol

[@HM13.]

Now I'm stucked. Even with 80grit I can't remove all the lacquer/sealant. Only the poly finishing I managed to remove. And how about the inner curve parts of the pointy areas (side of the neck area)?

[@IPGuitars]

80 grit is more than enough to remove A LOT of material, so you should be able to remove the lot. It does take a while, but remember to be careful with such low grit paper, it can take away quite a lot if you let it. For the scoops and carves, you do need to just do it by hand if you don't happen to have a bobbin sander at hand. It will take a while and it will suck, but I would recommend moving to higher grits sooner on scoops. If you scratch the end grain with 80 grit or a similar low grit, then you'll have to spend even more time getting rid of the scratches

[@cydriicvhelk204]

Nice Thanks!

[@rheachiquito1951]

Do you know a good way to prevent scratches?

[@IPGuitars]

Really depends on the finish, but a car polish like Autoglym does help a little with protecting lacquered surfaces. But honestly, guitars are tools of the trade that get scratches from use. It's going to be nearly impossible to prevent them from coming up.

[@rheachiquito1951]

@@IPGuitars awesome! That puts my worries to rest thanks

[@josku5]

TUSKA 🤘😎

[@miniwy01wyatt70]

Ive been sanding with 60 grit for an hour with an orbital sander and havent gotten to any bare wood, what am i doing wrong

[@IPGuitars]

It really should not be taking you that long🤔 very strange. And you are sure that you haven't gotten to the wood yet? (The water trick?) 60 grit is really rough and should hog away material pretty quick, you need to be careful not to get to the point where you take away too much and have to deal with big scratches in the wood.

[@deetee-uk]

DId you use sandpaper or wet and dry?

[@IPGuitars]

Just regular sandpaper and moved up the grits.

[@brianphillips9152]

Are you concerned about taking off wood with the orbital and 80 grit? I am contemplating this technique for lacquer removal on drums and am concerned about sanding through the outer ply by accident. Thank you.

[@IPGuitars]

I mean, you do want to get to bare wood. Once you get past whatever paint and sealer is on there, you can of course switch to a higher grit if that is something that you are more comfortable with :) Personally, I could tell if I was taking off too much. Butyeah, with drums I do see your point with the plys. You could start with 100 or even 120, but it will just take you longer. Then again, "better safe than sorry" is always a good rule of thumb if you're not used to a wood working technique quite yet.

[@brianphillips9152]

@@IPGuitars Thank you!

[@sunnys3325]

Hey man so do you suggest sanding is safer and better for getting poly finish off an old Strat. I was going to heat gun it until I found your vid and channel. SUBBED!

[@IPGuitars]

Sanding is definitely the way to go, BUT depends on what you're going to be applying after stripping. Because a heatgun will be handy to make the bulk off and then sanding the rest, but you might run into scorch marks which are an absolute nightmare to get out. Like if you're applying paint, then a scorch mark isn't the end of the world, but with an oil or stain, that's a different matter.

[@sunnys3325]

@@IPGuitars hey brother thanks for such a quick replay. I love your channel and I wish you success. Yeah I'm just wanting to repaint with sonic blue nitro and relic it so I'm not looking for the BEST paint job in the end. My main fear is messing up the shape of the body by sanding but thats where the CARE goes into it I guess. That resin type undercoating that Fenders have is thick AF so I'm also not looking forward to that either.

[@IPGuitars]

Oh yeah, I've done a few Fender paintjobs, and boy is that a thick coat on there. Butyeah, you won't really change the body shape with sanding, it won't take away THAT much material if you don't go too coarse with your sandpaper. Have fun! :)

[@tjspurgin1155]

Sunny did you notice the face of your strat body was flatter and didn't have the roundover that the back of the body did? My mim strat worked great for a fabric top it was so flat after the poly sealer was stripped.

[@IPGuitars]

I did notice yeah :) Big difference once finish gets removed.

[@TheRobb11]

Great content! My guitar seems to have a thick layer of wax. Is sanding the best way to remove it? I am going to keep the natural finish. Cheers

[@IPGuitars]

Wax will quickly clog up your sandpaper. Either a scraper or (depending on the finish) paint thinner of sorts might work. I personally hate using thinners, but if you don't then by all means. You of course CAN sand it all away and is the easiest (aside from a good scraper), but you might just need to switch paper a few times over :)

[@TheRobb11]

@@IPGuitars Thanks man, I'll try to remove it with the scraper and see how it goes.

[@IPGuitars]

Awesome. And then once you've gotten the bulk off, then sand off the rest :)

[@TheRobb11]

@@IPGuitars Will do, thanks again

[@tjspurgin1155]

Use wax and grease remover. It's a mild solvent. Depending on what type of wax it is especially if it has silicone in it, not removing it all and sanding it will grind it into the wood and you will be fighting fish eyes in your paint job.

[@XPhantomLord]

Mate, isnt' it dangerous to sand with 80 grit? I was planning to restore my old ibanez rg, but I was thinking of using 320. It will take forever, I guess, but will it work?

[@IPGuitars]

It isn't dangerous at all :) only in a case of sanding veneer, would I suggest starting a little higher up. But even then, removing paint/poly/nitro I wouldn't start with anything higher than 120. HOWEVER, this very much depends on what you are planning to do. If you are just going to paint over on top, you don't necessarily need to strip the entire guitar. You could get away with just scuff sanding. In any case, proper sanding technique and moving through grits is the best way to go :) and will also make sure that a) you don't do any damage, b) you'll end up with a good looking finish, and c) it won't take you forever.

[@XPhantomLord]

@@IPGuitars unfortunately, I have to strip it down to remove chips and dents in the paint. Guitar is very old, and the finish is damn thick.

[@IPGuitars]

@@XPhantomLord Ah, then definitely 80-100 grit will be your go-to to remove that. Start there, but once you hit bare wood, get the entire surface uniform. Then move to 120 and the rest of the grits up to 320. If you're going to start any higher than 80/100, it is going to take forever and you will waste a lot of sandpaper. Granted, if you're doing the neck, be careful with that and possibly start with 120 on the neck.

[@XPhantomLord]

@@IPGuitars thanks man, I really appreciate. It's an old Japanese rg 550, but I really love it.

[@IPGuitars]

@@XPhantomLord Oh those are superb! I can understand why you want to breathe some new life into it :) Have fun! If you run into any question along the way, feel free to pop by the comment section and I'll help out to answer questions you might have.

[@Jason-du6zt]

ill follow your tutorial dude thank you so much

[@IPGuitars]

No problem :) I'm here to help!

[@brandonsmith3254]

how much sandpaper did you go through?

[@IPGuitars]

On an orbital sander, going through grits, about 1-1.5 per grit. Really depends on the quality of the sandpaper and what sort of finish you sand.

[@redlinedeath]

Is this the same process on a flame Burst ibanez szr?

[@redlinedeath]

Carved top

[@IPGuitars]

Yes, exact same process :) BUT if the top is a flame maple veneer you need to be careful not to sand through that

[@redlinedeath]

Thanks! I'll take it very easy!

[@LockedOnHorseshoePod]

Do I have To Use a Heat Gun or will that ruin the guitar ?

[@IPGuitars]

I haven't used a heat gun in about 9 years I don't think. It won't ruin the guitar, tons of people use that method, but you do need to be careful about the fumes as well as accidentally burning the wood in spots (that will be hell to sand away).

[@LockedOnHorseshoePod]

@@IPGuitars ok thank you

[@bobamysdad]

Yep - older and wiser!

[@elkoshfrancisco2003]

what grit i need to use?

[@IPGuitars]

It is best to work up through the grits. An 80 grit sandpaper will surely remove everything pretty quick, but is very coarse. To bring the guitar back up to a good surface you'll need to go through 120-180-240-320 and futher if you deem necessary, but 320 is absolutely the minimum grit I would recommend before starting any finishing.

[@marcovortexbohler]

Thank you so much

[@krustdogg131]

How do you sand around bindings

[@IPGuitars]

Carefully. Sanding plastic binding especially as it can start to melt from friction if sanded too much. Then before applying the new finish, I scrape the binding clean with a scraper and scalpel blade.

[@mantelmann13]

Ok dude. I bought an orbital sander, used 80 grit paper and after 40 minutes of sanding (I read how to use a sander. No pressure etc) the paint is still on the guitar. Only 3 spots where you can see the wood shining through. Man, I'm angry.

[@Karmadimension]

I see a periphery coffee cup and you get a subscriber.

[@IPGuitars]

A fair deal if there ever was one :D thanks!

[@Jfray464]

Is this a poly or nitro finish?

[@IPGuitars]

This was poly

[@truecamera4757]

What is the sandpaper grit?

[@IPGuitars]

Depending on how coarse I want to start with, in this case 80 grit (so very coarse), I incrementaly move up the grits to get a good finish. 80 grit to remove the paint, then 100, 120, 180, 240, and finally 320 to get to the final sanded finish. This way I remove scratches left from previous grits :)

[@truecamera4757]

@@IPGuitars why so many?

[@IPGuitars]

@@truecamera4757 It sounds like a lot, BUT in order to get a good finish and scratch-free surface, moving through the grits is the easiest and most efficient option. While yes, you techincally can do so with less grits, but trying to remove (for instance) 80 grit scratches with 180 grit paper, will be challenging to say the least. It will most certainly take you so much longer, and you might not even get all the scratches out. By moving through the grits, you are ensuring that the surface is being smoothed out evenly. And yes, you could also remove paint with a higher grit, but it will take you longer, because the finer paper will clog up and/or wear down quicker, thus needing to change papers more often. And going all the way up to 320 (or 400 even) ensures that any finish applies afterwards will give you a consistent look all over :) Good sanding is an extremely important part of guitar building, that quite often gets overlooked as the important phase it is. Do your sanding well, and trust me, it will be worth it :)

[@darvinreed2314]

You can remove some finishes with heat gun

[@IPGuitars]

Definitely can, but as I have mentioned, I prefer the accuracy I can get with sanding :) With the heat gun, you can scorch the wood pretty easily, the fumes are horrendous, and in general I have just found it to be quite a hassle. At worst I got some sealer coat that essentially melted into the wood and was a royal pain to try and remove after that. With sanding, you have a lot more control over everything, which while it takes longer, is my go-to option.

[@jamesdrummond1804]

How do you recognize sealer coat?

[@IPGuitars]

There's a few indentifiers, but essentially it is completely smooth and doesn't really resemble a wood's color or texture. But the easiest way to test if you're not sure is to apply water. Either spray a little water or use a damp cloth. The sealer coat won't change in feel or look, but bare wood will become very coarse (and will darken) as the grain raises from the moisture.

[@jamesdrummond1804]

@@IPGuitars thanks man👍

[@IPGuitars]

No problem :)

[@darthshaggy9970]

@@jamesdrummond1804 easy, the sealer coat feel totally smooth and the scratches looks totally white, the wood feels rusty and grainy, like a toast

[@IPGuitars]

Exactly so 👍

[@someone_else303]

What did he put in his coffee?

[@IPGuitars]

Steps required for one IP Guitars workshop coffee: 3 measures of pre-ground coffee of choice 4 measures of cold water Prepare through Moccamaster Add milk according to taste No sugar Unintentional sawdust optional Stir Caffinate🤌🏼

[@someone_else303]

@@IPGuitarsMilk?

[@jonpencuci]

hi,how much speed level?

[@IPGuitars]

With the body you can go pretty fast, I had 5-6 on this. But with the neck I'll drop that to 1-2.

[@jonpencuci]

owh ok...thank you so much

[@gm7836]

Wear a mask when sanding paints and lacquers!

[@IPGuitars]

Absolutely agree with this. I really should have done so and have done pretty much ever since this video

[@kleber3601]

Macaulay Culkin now plays the guitar Nice...

[@IPGuitars]

Ahahah, that's a new one :D

[@Tea-Rex]

Can you just oil up the wood and not add a finish at this point?

[@IPGuitars]

Then the oil would be the finish :) Or in other words: yes you can. But with oil (or stain for that matter) you need to be very sure to get the entire guitar to bare wood or the finish won't stick to those parts that still have residue of the previous finish.

[@Tea-Rex]

​@@IPGuitarsThank you.

[@simonecamplani2430]

Could I write you in private? I am running im a difficult point cause I shoud remove the lacquer without deletimg the headstock logo

[@IPGuitars]

Simone Camplani Of course you can write in private :) I’ll try and help out the best I can. -T

[@dougalmorton8618]

I have exactly the same question. Is there any advice on not removing the headstock logo as you sand? Thanks :)

[@IPGuitars]

Depends on a few things. How much refinishing are you looking to do? If you need to apply stain or repaint the headstock, then you basically either have to just sand away everything without touching the logo and then using a scraper blade of sorts to remove finish around the logo. Or paint over and scrape the logo clean (or mask up just the logo before paint). I've personally always opted to just sand away everything then paint back the logo. Unfortunately it's a tedious process nonetheless :/ in the most recent video series I did on refinishing, I just sanded away everything, but left the headstock as is. Painted everything else. Sometimes that's a viable option too

[@dougalmorton8618]

@@IPGuitars Thanks so much for answering my question. I was hoping to apply just a stain, so I think the sandpaper and scraper blade is my favourite option of those you suggested. Is there any tool for this job you would recommend? Is it as simple as just using a razorblade? To be honest, I'm not very fussed about keeping the logo as it's my personal guitar. If all fails I'll just remove it completely, maybe trying to paint it back afterwards but maybe it will look fine without.

[@IPGuitars]

It will be a bit annoying, but yeah as simple as a razor blade or a scalpel. A scalpel/xacto knife will be easier to control though.

[@bluesbubba7429]

Could have used a heat gun and spent a third of the time. But maybe since it's contoured that might be the right way to go.

[@IPGuitars]

I mean sure, but I have specifically mentioned why I didn't use one :) - fumes, the workshop I rented time at didn't allow heatguns and also, I didn't wanna deal with fumes - risk of scorching the wood, which I wouldn't be able to sand away well enough to get the transparent stain finish I was looking to do - have used one many times before, but do not like the process, usually have to do a lot of sanding anyway to remove any melted residue (again, very much depends on poly vs. nitro for example) - And yeah, contours could be an issue, but honestly didn't think of it until you said it😅

[@bluesbubba7429]

@@IPGuitars Yeah, I get where you are coming from. I set my smoke alarm two times.

[@rogdow5497]

Has anyone tried a chemical stripper? Trying to cut back on sanding. There is plenty to sand without removing paint. Ive sanded past my limit in this life. Masks become hot and dust is a bummer. Chemical removal anyone?

[@IPGuitars]

Chemical paint stripper is fairly common. I just prefer not to use it myself. But completely understand not wanting to sand away everything. Hardly know anyone who would actually like sanding. There are a lot of solvent-based solutions for stripping paint out there and worth looking into if you want to go down that route. But key words: WELL VENTILATED AREA.

[@glenben92]

who else thought that messenger ping came from their left? haha

[@zendahlin]

I ruined a guitar using a stupidly using a heat gun. Fortunately I just burned the back. I used a rotary sander on the rest and it took it off in no time. Be warned - tons of heat gun videos out there making it look easy - sanding is the way to go

[@IPGuitars]

Exactly why I made the move from the heatgun to the sander. So quick to do lots of damage with a heatgun, sanding gives so much more control over the work :)

[@stevenclarke5606]

It also makes sense to use face mask and eye protection.

[@IPGuitars]

100% this. No matter how good extraction you have, PPE is definitely good to have on you. Yes. I do realise my own actions in that regard were lacking, but don't repeat my mistakes.

[@stevenclarke5606]

@@IPGuitars obviously it’s a personal choice we are adult’s , but in today’s claim society it’s best to recommend the use.

[@IPGuitars]

Yeah, but I would definitely recommend it. The possible side effects or long term damage from not using protective gear really are not worth the risk either. My lungs are shot to hell already, and it took me too long to take it properly seriously.

[@tedtriestech8864]

You will spend a lot less time and have a lot less dust if you start with a heat gun and a scraper

[@IPGuitars]

Which is the way I used to do this. However a heatgun can at worst scorch the wood a little, which in turn is a pain to get out :D While sanding takes longer, the end result is far more uniform :)

[@peterjohnjoseph]

Heat gun and a scraper. Will save hours of your life and the feeling in your fingers.

[@IPGuitars]

This was the method I used prior to this. With the heatgun and scraper you can very easily scorch the wood on accident or in the case of some cheaper brand guitars, pulling out grain or a chunk of something with a scraper. Happened to me once, not fun to fix. While the heatgun method DEFINITELY takes far less time, I prefer the control I have with sanding :)

[@oziniguez7688]

You kinda sounds like James hetfield

[@IPGuitars]

I'll take that as a compliment :D

[@m.loughlin1915]

Here's a novel idea: Instead of wasting weeks or even months of time, effort, and frustration on repainting and refinishing a guitar because you don't like the color, I prefer to expend my time and energy practicing and learning new things to become a better player. I know, I know. Ridiculous idea.

[@IPGuitars]

Or spending the time and energy in order to become a better maker and learning a new skill :) I know, also ridiculous. Just different schools. You might want to concentrate on becoming a better player, which is great. But no need to put down those who want to learn a different skill.