Squier Strat Refinish Quandary

Drone_Monster

Hi Guys!

I wonder if anyone can help.

I recently bought an old Squier Affinity strat from a friend. The idea was to have a cheap guitar to tinker with, and that i can knock around without worrying too much but still have it more or less gig worthy.

The only money I'm putting into it is on hardware, which I'll one day transplant to a better guitar. So far I've replaced the nut (Tusq XL) and a nice mint green Fender scratch plate.

My problem is that I want to refinish it in Olympic White without spending too much on the actual body.

(It was a HIDEOUS purple that I've managed to remove with a heat-gun and scraper.... yes, a heat gun. worked brilliantly for the most part.)

I've managed to remove all the purple, except a for few smudges, but the clear undercoat is intact, except for a few minor area where I scraped too deep.

I know nothing about painting and refinishing except that it requires a lot of prep.

Is there any way to cover up the gaps in the undercoat? Do I need some compatible primer? And will a cheap spray job with Sprayon Lacquer Spray be any good?

Otherwise what is the proper procedure?

PLEASE advise! ?

This is what it looked like:

This is what I want! ?

Gearhead

One way would be to take it to a panel beater, they'll do fine for a justifyable price.
If you want to do it yourself, look around on the web; there is a lot of info available already. Bottom line is that it is not that easy working with rattle cans, whereas a compressor, gun, booth and turntable might be outside of your budget.

Drone_Monster

Thanks Gearhead!

That's helpful.
Would I need to do any prep before taking it into panel beater? Sand off the undercoat, patch up the deep scrapes, sand the undercoat smooth?

Gearhead

Sure, the more you do yourself, the less you pay. Make sure the filler you use is epoxy based so it adheres to the wood properly. No need for cheap filler that comes off. I would try to fill first and sand everything after that, so you don't sand half the guitar twice. Obviously sometimes you can not escape having to sand first.

It also makes sense to help the sprayers by making a handle with hook that screws on where your neck normally sits. If the hook covers the whole neck pocket with just a millimeter to spare, you will not have to sand down the bottom again after spraying.

Nicholas-L

I actually just stepped into the garage about an hour ago to go dig out my guitar respray project ?

I though ended up sanding through the undercoat and the sealer... so I have a long way to go still.
Busy replacing the sand sealer coating so that the paint don't suck into the grain ( happened to me the last time I tried to respray the same guitar -_- ).
So I'm feeling the pain of the prep work.

flatfourfan

don't write off rattle cans, I did my headstock in 3-4 layers of rattle can and then 5ish coats of clear laquer. Buy decent rattle though...........Rustoleum is a damn fine product, plus if you go to auto paint centre, they can mix you any colour in a can........

Drone_Monster

Gearhead wrote: Sure, the more you do yourself, the less you pay. Make sure the filler you use is epoxy based so it adheres to the wood properly.

Thanks a lot!

Just to be clear tho, I haven't scraped through the undercoat, I just took a few layers off in a few spots. Should I be using epoxy filler on to of the undercoat to fill in these sections or do I need to use a primer? if so, what product should i use? (Like I said, total paint noob!)

Thanks everyone.

I think once I've wrapped my head around how to repait the existing undercoat I'll take it to a panel beater. I don't really have a space to be spraying right now but I'm keen to try it one day.

I'm itching to get it done! This body has been sitting on my desk for weeks now. The guitar plays really well for an Affinity. A cheap fluke, I guess.

Drone_Monster

I just realised I've been talking about the undercoat when what I meant was the sealer. Once I've filled the gaps with epoxy would I need to put on a primer or would the panel beater be able to do that? just thought I'd check before I head out to the hardware store.

Anyone?

AlanRatcliffe

Yes, the sprayer will do what is necessary. Primer isn't usually used on a guitar body - the sealer doubles as the primer.

Drone_Monster

Thanks Alan!

It's all pretty clear now!

Will patch up the sealer with epoxy then take it in! Woo hoo!

flatfourfan

Just a quick add on as I sent a guitar in for paint this morning. They wanted R1500 for prep, prime and paint/ polish, my guy used to charge under R500 a guit, but he reckons that the amount of work going into one is the same as a cars bumper/ panel and he's adjusted his price accordingly.