***** Guitar Project Jigs, Tools & Techniques Online Resources Archives OLF Video Page Library of plans MP3 Library Inlay Class
Offical Luthiers Forum





And our community proudly sponsored by:

RC Tonewoods | Stewart MacDonald | LuthiersForum
TasmanianTonewoods | OLF | OLF MERCH
Luthier Suppliers | Pacific Coast Woods | ELEVATE
OLF X | Tasmanian Acoustic Tonewood | Luthiers Forum Store!
Luthiers Forum | OLF Facebook | AVAIL SPACE
OLF | Alaska Specialty Woods | A.Hix Tonewood
Duke of Pearl | Birkonium CNC | Space




Official Luthiers Forum!

Owned and operated by Lance Kragenbrink
It is currently Tue Nov 26, 2024 11:47 am


Board index » Luthiers Forum Rooms » Guitar Building Forum

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Forum rules


Be nice, no cussin and enjoy!




Post new topic Reply to topic  Page 1 of 1
  [ 7 posts ] 
  Print view Previous topic | Next topic 
Author Message
Erik Hauri
 Post subject: Stripping wax
PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 7:59 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2008 12:31 pm
Posts: 510
Location: Gaithersburg MD
First name: Erik
Last Name: Hauri
State: Maryland
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
OK....I need to strip the wax off an oil-finished bass guitar, so that I can refinish it (gloss conversion varnish). What's the best way to do this?

_________________
The member formerly known as erikbojerik....
Top
 Profile  
 
WaddyThomson
 Post subject: Re: Stripping wax
PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 9:34 am 
Offline
Contributing Member
Contributing Member
User avatar

Joined: Mon Mar 19, 2007 7:05 am
Posts: 9191
Location: United States
First name: Waddy
Last Name: Thomson
City: Charlotte
State: NC
Focus: Build
Status: Semi-pro
Won't Mineral Spirits dissolve wax?

_________________
Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars
Top
 Profile  
 
Daniel M
 Post subject: Re: Stripping wax
PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 12:10 pm 
Offline
Koa
Koa

Joined: Wed Sep 28, 2005 2:58 am
Posts: 552
Location: Canada
I don't know this for sure but... Might it not be a good idea to scrape off most of the finish before hitting it with a solvent? Seems to me like solvent is going to melt the wax & drive it deeper into the wood / pores. What kind of wax are we talking about?
Oil finishes that harden (like Watco) are a good base for many finishes. Waterborne & oil based.
If the instrument has had a silicone wax applied, you've got your work cut out for you.
Top
 Profile  
 
Dave Fifield
 Post subject: Re: Stripping wax
PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 1:36 pm 
Offline
Koa
Koa
User avatar

Joined: Wed Jan 23, 2008 8:05 pm
Posts: 1567
Location: San Jose, CA
First name: Dave
Last Name: Fifield
City: San Jose
State: CA
Zip/Postal Code: 95124
Country: USA
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
Yes, mineral spirits will disolve paste wax nicely. A rag dampened with mineral spirits will wipe paste wax (furniture wax) off easily.
It won't touch silicone wax though....

Scraping (carefully) works too!

Dave F.

_________________
Cambrian Guitars

"There goes Mister Tic-Tac out the back with some bric-brac from the knick-knack rack"
Top
 Profile  
 
Erik Hauri
 Post subject: Re: Stripping wax
PostPosted: Mon May 12, 2008 6:05 pm 
Offline
Koa
Koa
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2008 12:31 pm
Posts: 510
Location: Gaithersburg MD
First name: Erik
Last Name: Hauri
State: Maryland
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
No idea if it's paste or silicone....right now, it's just "wax".

I'll try mineral spirits first, then scraping.

_________________
The member formerly known as erikbojerik....
Top
 Profile  
 
Mitch Cain
 Post subject: Re: Stripping wax
PostPosted: Tue May 13, 2008 8:09 am 
Offline
Cocobolo
Cocobolo
User avatar

Joined: Thu Jan 24, 2008 7:59 am
Posts: 314
Location: Southwick,MA
City: Southwick, MA
A good bath in mineral spirits first, then a complete wipedown with naptha - if the surface is looking good at that point and you are just going to re-topcoat it, do yourself a favor and put down a barrier coat of Sealcoat shellac first. That way if there is anything on there that you don't know about, you are somewhat insulated from it.

_________________
Mitch
Top
 Profile  
 
Erik Hauri
 Post subject: Re: Stripping wax
PostPosted: Tue May 13, 2008 8:31 am 
Offline
Koa
Koa
User avatar

Joined: Sat Jan 26, 2008 12:31 pm
Posts: 510
Location: Gaithersburg MD
First name: Erik
Last Name: Hauri
State: Maryland
Focus: Build
Status: Amateur
I'll be shooting pre-cat conversion varnish over it. So after stripping the wax, I am probably going to sand/scrape through the underlying oil finish and down to bare wood. I'm not so much worried about the oil, I'm more concerned about removing any wax residue before moving to the CV, and sanding/scraping to wood seems the most reliable way to remove ALL the wax.

_________________
The member formerly known as erikbojerik....
Top
 Profile  
 
Display posts from previous:  Sort by  
Post new topic Reply to topic  Page 1 of 1
  [ 7 posts ] 

Board index » Luthiers Forum Rooms » Guitar Building Forum

All times are UTC - 5 hours


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: J De Rocher and 67 guests

You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum

Jump to:  
Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group
phpBB customization services by 2by2host.com