And Bad Words Were Said

Vaughn McMillan

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As some of you might remember from this thread, I've been in the process of refinishing an electric guitar. Unhappy with the first attempt, I sanded it back and have been re-applying the finish in my spare time here in LA. (I'm back in LA for a few weeks to handle some house stuff.) Things were going well...I got the primer and glitter paint coats down, and was well into my third can of spray lacquer clear coat, when I did something dumb. :doh:

Since I don't really have a good spot to spray something this size in my garage/shop, I've been hanging it at the from edge of the overhead door opening with a coat hanger wire from the axle-like part of the garage door where the coiled spring goes. Last night as I was getting ready to go to dinner with the wife, I hit the door close button, then immediately remembered I had the guitar body hanging. Before I could hit the button to stop the door, the body came crashing down onto the concrete floor. I'm sure I said a few things that cannot be repeated here. (And I'm not sure why I was saying some of that stuff, especially talking about the guitar's mother and all.) :D

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Anyway, it looks like it's time to strip it all off again and try one more time to get this thing finished. I did manage to glue the broken piece back onto place, but some of the chipped areas go down to bare wood, and about the only way to get a smooth finish will be to take it all back to the wood and start again. (And the factory red paint job is very thick...I'm thinking a heat gun may be the ticket for stripping it.) If I had the time and materials, I'd consider just making a new hardwood body and finishing it clear, but I have neither the time or the wood to do that right now. :rolleyes:
 
Sorry man. I probably would have blown a gasket. It appears you have offended the spirits of the red guitar. They must be appeased before you can proceed and as punishment, demand you do your toenails in purple with a glitter top coat so you can feel their pain!!
 
Rather than take it all back down to bare wood and try to come back up, I'd suggest that you use bondo body filler to make a repair. If sanded in properly you will never know it happened. I've made lots of repairs over the years with bondo expecially on painted stuff. It don't work well on stain grade. I've drilled a few doors for hinges on the wrong side and have made invisible repairs on doors in only a few minutes. It only takes a few minutes to apply and sand, then if you don't like what you see go about it in your own way.
 
Darren and Jim, I think I'll give the Bondo idea a shot. I'm pretty sure I've got some on the shelf here that should still be good.

Vaughn if you send it to me with a materials fee i will do you a Black Diamond paint job that will be awesome under stage lights. Or deep purple .....

Man, that's a tempting offer. (And very appreciated, too.) I know you'd do it up right. But I'm afraid that by the time I include shipping and paint costs, I'll have more into the finish on this guitar than I paid for the guitar itself. I got in on eBay for about $200, and I've already put close to $100 into the two failed paint jobs. I'll think about it some more, but at this point I think I'll decline your very generous offer. :thumb:
 
Go for it, Vaughn. You have enough to do and goodness only knows what Dave will come up with. But I know it would be awesome and memorable.
 
I think that you were enjoying so much the paint job that you wanted to have another go at it ;).

Jokes apart, those things happen, the best we can do is learn from them. They happen to teach us, but some of us are slow learners ( specially me)
 
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