Sandblasting the finish off?

[Weaselcoon]

You can call me stupid if you want.

Ive been thinking about this project for a while. I was in my dads machine shop...looked over saw the blaster....and thought Hmmmmm, maybe.:idea:

Would this work to take down the finish on my old Squier? Or would it completely F up the wood?

Ive read about the sanding, heatgun and these other methods. All proven methods it seems. Here is the thing though, Im lazy and my time can be limited as well.

I know it may not be ideal, but how terrible of an idea is it?

 

[Mister B]

Sandblasting can remove some of the softer material between the grain lines, depending on the timber. I've seen it done on at least one guitar and it actually looks quite good if you like the extreme relic look (it looked as if it had been found on a beach).

 

[Weaselcoon]

edit..nevermind

 

[Keyser Soze]

Forget the sandblaster.

Mr. Heatgun is your friend.

 

[Vizcaster]

My first reaction is it simply isn't necessary. Depending on the finish the heatgun is the first choice (if it's nitro you could wipe it off with a rag and some acetone). I'm not sure you can get any faster than this; sanding of any kind is slower and messier than softening the finish and scraping it off.

Messr. B already pointed out that blasting is going to cause a texture in the wood that you probably didn't intend.

I'd also be cautious that the delivery system (air supply, spray head, etc.) and the media (sand or abrasive particles) is likely to contaminate the wood with oil or silicone which will make it a bear to refinish the wood.

 

[Weaselcoon]

OK. So the blasting was great for the top coat of spray paint on this thing. Saw real quick that it wasnt good for the factory finish.

Heat gun and scraper did work pretty well to get it down to the thick plasticy undercoat.

Now Im working (carefully) with a sander. So far so good. Turns out there is some pretty nice wood under there.

 

[flyingbanana]

Pics.

 

[Weaselcoon]

Pics.

I didnt document the process, but Ill post some end result pics sooner than later.

Im in the reassembly phase now.

I went with a pecan stain and a satin polyurethane over that. Looks pretty good. Especially since its my first project.