How To Strip

Walter Jones · From: Athens, Ohio USA

Now that I have your attention here is the situation. I just acquired a T-8 Fender Stringmaster with 24 1/2 inch scale. It is a guitar that I am going to disassemble and strip off all the paint. I am looking for something that will take off the original finish and go to the bare wood. I am using some type of orange stuff and it takes the other paint layers off fine but isn't cutting the original paint. Just wondering what any of you may be using.

We used to have a guy close by that did the acid diptank but he is gone now. This guitar is going to get a complete rebuild, it won't be collector quality but it will be a player for sure. Some would say, Well you can start a fire with the wood, its pretty rough but we will see how it turns out.

Ron Victoria · From: New Jersey, USA

If you like the Fender look there's a place in Texas that sells the cellulose sprays like the original colors. Then clear coat. My point is, if you want to go this route, leave the base finish. If you are going stain/natural, someone else will have to make a suggestion. The dipping tanks were great.

Ron

AJ Azure · From: Massachusetts, USA * R.I.P.

Howard? lol

Bill Hatcher · From: Atlanta Ga. USA

You going to sand it too?

Frank Parish · From: Nashville,Tn. USA

You could ruin the value of that guitar. Unless it's been destroyed, I'd not touch it.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

I have refinished several Stringmasters. I got a foam stripper from WalMart that came in a pressurized spray can. Usually you can only take off one coat of paint at a time so it may take several applications but eventually you will get down to bare wood. After you get to bare wood some rubbing with steel wool works good to clean off the remaining gunk. The place to get ALL the stuff you need to do an excellent refinishing job is http://store.yahoo.com/reranchstore/
Erv

[This message was edited by Erv Niehaus on 13 October 2005 at 02:27 PM.]

George Manno · From: chicago

Leave it alone!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Walter Jones · From: Athens, Ohio USA

I should have been more specific, for those of you that are saying leave it alone I would normally agree. However this guitar has been on the choppin block with some type of changer installed in the top neck. Holes have been drilled in the end and some kind of threaded bolts/screws were installed as stops for the fingers of the changer.

I think it can be returned to a playable condition and with the repairs needed it will have to be a painted finish. I just spent a couple of hours in the garage and it will probably be a winter job. I need to take some pictures before I go much farther, thanks to all.

Mike D · From: Phx, Az

I'll join the 'Vintage Posse' here and also say let it alone. Yes, make it play right, clean the electronics, etc. but enjoy it's originality and patina and preserve it for it's future owners.

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Half-assed bottleneck and lap slide player. Full-assed Builder of resonator instruments.

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

The last Stringmaster I bought was a quad. It had been spray painted blue, not once, but twice! There is NO way I would want to be seen in public sitting behind that ugle piece of wood and wire. So it was refinished.

I bought a new triple neck in 1954 and, like a fool, I sold it when I got my first Sho~Bud. The fellow I sold it to played at it for several years and then passed away. I had a chance to buy it back from his widow, and I did. I think he must have used a claw hammer for a bar because it was all gouged up and it also had several cigarette burns on it. Ugh! There is NO way I would play it in that condition. So this guitar was also refinished. This guitar wound up looking better than when I sold it to the fellow 35 years ago.

I also have George Washington's hatchet that he used to chop down the cherry tree you've all heard about. However, the handle has been replaced 6 times and the head 3 times.

Erv

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

*

[This message was edited by Gene Jones on 15 October 2005 at 01:52 PM.]

Todd Weger · From: Safety Harbor, FLAUSA

I have what looks like coiled up pieces of old, rusted bailing twine, but what are supposed to be the original strings from my 1960 Stringmaster (least, that's what I was told). They're unusable for anything (including bailing twine), but hey -- they're original!

Any here know what they're worth?

Erv Niehaus · From: Litchfield, MN, USA

$.02

Bill Creller · From: Saginaw, Michigan, USA (deceased)

If you have to fill in a bunch of holes to fix the thing to play good, you could always paint it black. I have seen a number of black stringmasters, but don't know if they were factory finishes.

Rick Collins · From: Claremont , CA USA

Take it off, take it off, take it all off:

The most value that guitar will ever have is when you feel really good about playing it.

Mr. Clean

If you want to play it clean, it must be played on a Fender'

Todd Weger · From: Safety Harbor, FLAUSA

What Rick said.

David L. Donald · From: Koh Samui Island, Thailand

Shoes before socks.

"But leave your hat on."

John Bechtel · From: Nashville, Tennessee, R.I.P.

When it doesn’t l©©k good, I don’t care if it’s original or not! To me, if it’s Original, but; not near mint, it’s value is only what someone else is willing to pay when selling, but; if I like it’s l©©ks, it’s value to me is greater! The most important factor to me is: do I like the l©©ks of it? _ _ _ _ I’ve recently owned (2) Fender T-8 Customs that I had refinished and to me they both l©©ked great! (not to mention their superior~sound!) If it takes refinishing to make you happy, go for it, although I think the job will be a little more difficult with the Stringmaster than the Dual~Pro or T-8 Custom.

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“Big John” Bechtel
’04 SD–10 Black Derby w/3 & 5 & Pad
’65 Re-Issue Fender Twin–Reverb Custom™ 15” Eminence
web site

Walter Jones · From: Athens, Ohio USA

Just an update, I started out with a product called Stripeeze, It works but have found a much better method. I was talking with a friend and he does furniture, loaned me his Wagner heat gun. I used it to strip one body, then went and bought my own. A putty knife and a good pocket knife are doing wonders and much quicker and cleaner. Gets right down to the wood on the first pass, just takes a little practice to watch the paint and then scrape it off. Its starting to look like a guitar again instead of a piece of crap.

One more night in the garage will probably have all the paint off, then its time to start repairing the wood that was cut and drilled out.

Walter Jones · From: Athens, Ohio USA

While working in the garage tonight removing paint I started on the cavity for the tuning pans. The heat gun works very well, during some of the removal I saw some writing on the wood. I then took my time and got the paint off and down to the wood. 3-56 is written in the bottom of the cavity, is this a good date for the era of stringmasters? I don't know when production started or stopped. The back neck appears to have been a natural finish and a light stain at some time but its hard to tell, it has some many coats of paint on it , it was wrinkled up like an old prune. Anyway the project is progressing and its fun to work on, I still think it will come out as a very respectable player.

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