Sanding

[IBNZ_RG]

Is it s good idea to use a power sander? Could it do damage? because it been the biggest pain to get the finish off my RG, cause i want a nice natural finish. I am also afraid using a power sander could snap of my headstock. any advice for getting this finish off faster???

[GuitarBizarre]

Can you use them? Yes.

Should you use them? Depends on the level of skill you have working with wood and powertools in general. If you powersand and try to go TOO fast, you'll end up burning the wood with the heat from friction. Its also extremely easy when powersanding, to accidentally change contours.

Also, if you want a nice natural finish, PLEASE bear in mind you WILL nead to refinish the wood somehow, whether with tung oil, clearcoat, or whatever. Leaving the wood bare will damage it as your sweat seeps into the grain, and as moisture from the wood escapes into the air the body will dry out and maybe even start to shrink and crack. Likewise, if you live in a very humid climate, the wood might start to take in moisture, in which case your nice, natural finish, will quickly turn a sickly shade of green, as mould and stuff start to grow in the wood.

[IBNZ_RG]

thx for the advice! i'll keep it in mind!

[nickcoumbe]

I have used both belt and orbital sanders for refinishing. As stated above, be careful.

It will be quicker to use a sander to remove the finish, but you will need to hand sand a lot to get rid of the sanding marks. It is possible though.

[stratoskier]

My 2-cents:

Orbital or palm sander = OK on flat-topped RG's and similar, but pretty risky on highly countoured shapes like JS or carve tops. If you are experienced, you know how to use them and when to stop. If you're not accustomed to using power sanders, you can screw things up fast, especially when all the dust obscures what's happening on the wood. So be cautious!

Bert

[Trfsrfr]

Best advice - Go buy some Zipstrip, a small putty knife and some plastic gloves. I just got done removing the finish on my Jackson and brought it all the way to bare natural wood. It looks fantastic. I did spend the better part of an afternoon sanding off the grey primer coat underneath by hand, and with 100 grit sandpaper, but it would have taken 4 times as long if I tried to sand the painted finish off. And the acrylic dust would have been toxic.

If your going to use a sander, use a orbital palm like stratoskier recommended. Depending on what the guitar is made of, you can really screw up exactly what your trying to get to, and want to show. The natural wood. I found that my Jackson is made of Alder. Then I found that Alder is a very soft wood (not cool - I accidentally goudged the face of it).

Get some Zipstrip and put in some elbow grease, the results will be what you are after.