Having trouble stripping finish

[bdecorsey]

I've got an old acoustic no-name archtop that i'm trying to refinish and its been kindof slow going.

I started by using a citrus-based chemical stripper to get rid of most of the old laquer. This worked pretty well but there was still a ton of finish left on the guitar. Sanding got the top and back and most of the neck clean, but the back of the headstock and the sides on the guitar still have a bunch of very ugly black staining. I'm getting to a point in sanding where I'm worried about changing the shape of the guitar.

Does anyone have any advice? I'll post some pics of the staining in just a minute.

[bdecorsey]

Heres the heel:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y89/JohnnySunshine/heelfront-sc.jpg

Heres the back of the headstock:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y89/JohnnySunshine/headstockback-sc.jpg

And here are a few pics of the sides:

http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y89/JohnnySunshine/waistright-sc.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y89/JohnnySunshine/waistleft-sc.jpg
http://i3.photobucket.com/albums/y89/JohnnySunshine/upperboutleft-sc.jpg

I'm talking about all the ugly black junk that seems to be embedded into the wood.

[guitarcapo]

hmmm.

Maybe use that gel stripper stuff from Home Depot?


full strength bleach?

You might also consider staining the back, sides and neck prior to finishing to make the discoloration less noticible. It would certainly hide the "ears" on your headstock better if you did that.

[bdecorsey]

Originally posted by guitarcapo
hmmm.

Maybe use that gel stripper stuff from Home Depot?


full strength bleach?

You might also consider staining the back, sides and neck prior to finishing to make the discoloration less noticible. It would certainly hide the "ears" on your headstock better if you did that.

How dark do you think i'd have to go for this to be effective?

[Bruce Bennett]

That stain is deep in the "endgrain" of the wood..

the truth is;
It's never going to come out.... better start thinking about re-finishing a darker color.


Sorry, I know thats not what you want to hear, but Better to tell you the truth and save you some serious regret when you sand through the Veneer on your guitar.

you can "try" bleaching it out with Formbys Bleaching kits or "leaching" it out with straight Acetone..

But Trust me, it's there to stay.

[bdecorsey]

Originally posted by Bruce Bennett
That stain is deep in the "endgrain" of the wood..

the truth is;
It's never going to come out.... better start thinking about re-finishing a darker color.


Sorry, I know thats not what you want to hear, but Better to tell you the truth and save you some serious regret when you sand through the Veneer on your guitar.

you can "try" bleaching it out with Formbys Bleaching kits or "leaching" it out with straight Acetone..

But Trust me, it's there to stay.

Yeah, i'm starting to come to terms with that. Thanks for the honesty. Is there a colour I can stain it, other than just painting it black? Would a dark wood stain cover it up?

[Ronsonic B]

Old thread, and maybe you've solved this already.

One idea might be to use a dark filler on the sides, back and neck. Look at the mahogany finishes that Gibson uses - all have a dark brown/black filler that's scraped off the surface of the wood leaving the low parts of the grain darker for emphasis. Something like that to make the staining less obvious.

You'll still want a stain or colored lacquer over it, but not as dark as you would need to hide it completely.

Ron

[guitarcapo]

Personally I would recommend staining it..but NOT so dark that you don't see the black spots. Then seal. Then use a dark filler. The black spots will blend in and just look like more filler.Even more so after you lay a finish over it all.