I got a new mos today! 66 ventures check it out!

[Scotstandard]

and yes everything on both works great!

[Brian]

What kind of rubbing compound? would a chemical work?

Go to the auto parts store, there's about 100 different types of rubbing compound. It's a paste will little granules in it, it will feel grainy if you rub it between your fingers. When you sand the guitar it'll get scratches and become dull. The rubbing coumpound will make it shiney again.

If you want to get crazy you can go over it with a polishing compund as well (I'd wait to see how it looks after just the rubbing compound first)

But take your time and sand just enough to get the top layer of paint barely off. Then polish it by hand with the rubbing compound, be gentle too cause the compound will also take a little bit of the paint off.

[sleeperNY]

I believe what you want is made by 3M. It is called Micro Finishing Compound. It is white in color and comes a squirt bottle. Use only the softest cloth that you can find and when wiping to residue off turn it over often.

Jim

PS. To sand I would only use a 2000 grit sanding paper with warm water and a few drops of dish washing detergent in it. Wet the paper only enough to keep it wet and dry the guitar often. Doing it this way you will almost have a shine on it when the sanding is finished and you will not remove to much finish.

[Dennisthe Menace]

Scot,
I would probably start off with a mild compound, only because of the age of the finish on the guitar,
and if you do go with something too abrasive, once the damage is done, there's no turning back,
so whatever you decide to go with Scot, or anybody else on the Forum, "Let's Be Careful Out There".... ..........

[GattonFan]

True, DtM, I think after getting the old finish off, before I tried even rubbing compound, I'd try Scratch-X, or something a little less abrasive than rubbing compound. Easier to go to a little heavier grit than a lighter one- once the damage is done, hard to undo.

Dennis

[mosriteforever]

Hey all!
Just my 2 cents worth, but there is a great deal of difference between stripping a guitar for a refin, or trying to get a refin off if you are lucky enough to find an original finish underneath! The 1st thing I would do is try wet sanding under the neck plate or tailpiece where it won't show. I would spend a lot of time with 1500 paper and lube it with dishwashing luquid before I would even entertain going to 1000 or 800 grit. I would not use any chemicals or scraping unless all other options were exhausted. If someone used shellac, you could get it off with denatured alcohol, but that would be rare, and a stroke of good luck for you, as it would be easy and not screw up the nitrocellulose. At any rate, you don't know the thickness of the refin and need to guage what is needed in a place that will be covered up! Once you know what it will take, stick with the same method for the whole guitar or you will be hating life as you need to take off the refin at the same rate to avoid damage to the original finish. Once you see the original finish you need to expand your sanding and not touch where the original finish is, and try to sand the remaining finish using a feather touch and your eyes and common sense to coax the rest of the refin off. Never rush, you can take it off, but you cannot put it back on! I have found this to work well, but you need a few different grits of paper and most importantly, patience, to do this successfully. It is not hard, but it is time consuming. Once you get what you want, or almost, go to the 2000 grit to finish and then buff it with the 3M compound mentioned earlier. It should be in original condition by then. Beware of checking and chips, as they can go south on you rapidly! Only if it is absolutely necessary, you can overspray with clear Nitrocellulose to hold the original finish together at anytime during this process, but only if you have to, and preferably when you have the old finish almost or totally off. You have to let it cure a time before continuing wetsanding, but as the original finish has most likely already yellowed with age, you don't need to worry about matching the aging, and as it is lightly sprayed, it won't take much more sanding. Just make sure to build it up enough to hold it together under the amount of sanding necessary. This will also help in the final buffing, as unprotected chips can grow bigger if the original finish is badly checked, and loose. An original finish is almost always worth saving and will enhance the value and look of your guitar even if you have to overspray with more clear nitrocellulouse. I hope I have not been to wordy, and that this helps someone. You can do it with a little patience.

Mosriteforever!!!!