Stripped MiJ strat - any idea of this surface?

slyd

Stripped the finish off this MiJ squier strat, expecting to find natural wood thereunder, but found this almost slate-like surface. Anyone have any idea what it is? It produces a white powder when sanded, and is +- a half mill thick. ☹

My client wanted a natural wood finish, but this puts paid to that idea, I think?? ???
Thoughts, views, comments, feelings, ideas, ...........

Tonedef

Could be something akin to dental epoxy plaster?

slyd

What are your thoughts on sanding this off???! ?

Tonedef

slyd wrote What are your thoughts on sanding this off???! ?

My only thought is that I'm glad it's someone else and not me!

I have no experience or answers with this stuff, but if it's as hard as you say it is, it may very well have a structural/tonal function. Seeing as the wood-grain finish idea is murtu, there's no point in dicking with it any further.

slyd

Tonedef wrote it may very well have a structural/tonal function.

Yeah, them's were my thoughts too . . . bummer ! :'(

Tonedef

Correct me if I'm wrong, that is still a wooden body?

If so, then DO IT. Your customer won't complain/notice imo

AlanRatcliffe

That's an epoxy primer/sealer. Just sand off. The guitar will end up warmer sounding, but a lot more resonant.

The mineral streaks in the basswood will blend in if you tint the clear finish a bit (and the darker the tint, the more they will blend). You can try bleach, but in my experience, that doesn't work well with mineral streaks.

slyd

Cool guys ! ?

Thanks so much for the educated input. I'll fill you in on the result. 8)

tonerider

I worked on a guitar with a similar coating a number of years ago and wondered about it too. Then I posed the question on an US guitar forum and was told that these bodies are cut from a much larger board with a CNC machine. The larger boards are munufactured for general use, including cabinet making, furniture and kitchen counters, if you get the idea.

It was probably too expensive to remove the protective coating before lacquering so they just sprayed over it.

My 10cents worth ?

slyd

Well, I've started sanding . . . boy it's definitely an epoxy! It's as hard as a hardass!
About 5% done . . phew* .

jeremy-Budgen

+1 on alans suggestion, it may be a polyester filer primer, that when harden with a reaction liquid goes off like rock and is very hard to sand through, i use it on table tops in a clear form that goes on thick and only takes a few coats but boy it is very hard.