I don’t usually do specific threads about refins but I thought this was worth a nosy. A looooooong time ago (sorry Steven) this Chapman was dropped off with me to get a new paint finish.
https://i.imgur.com/bHUPwRn.jpg
The customer is local so obviously I wanted to do the job but I won’t lie, it’s one that I’ll not be doing again. The finish on these models is beyond thick. As per usual on Far Eastern mass manufactured guitars they use a sealer to avoid having to grain fill. And boy oh boy… it was THICK. Not only that but it was also adhered to the wood so strongly that it took several sessions (split over months) to get it all off. I mean, it was REALLY on there. But I guess when they sprayed the finish they didn’t plan on some guy in Northern Ireland trying to remove it, right?
I took a few shots part way through..
https://i.imgur.com/tQP1Lcw.jpg
The picture of the back shows a milky/semi opaque look to the mahogany, this is the sealer. And it was a good few mm thick. Luckily the owner wasn’t bothered about keeping the veneer on show on the front of the body as it is paper thin. It was never going to survive this part intact. Somehow I managed to get all the sealer off and proceeded to make the surface good and ready for paint (skipping to the white primer phase)
https://i.imgur.com/yN1rxEQ.jpg
Once I saw the white go on I was so relieved. I had missed a few small imperfections from the stripping but these were quickly sorted. And so onto the colour coat.
https://i.imgur.com/J6AFfmg.jpgIt really takes some clear and sunlight to show it off nicely so once I had built up a little gloss it was outside to see how it pops.
https://i.imgur.com/8I65Kvv.jpg
Regardless of how the camera is picking up the colour it’s actually a deep dark metallic green. This is a few of the pics I took with a different setting on my iPhone which shows, more or less, the true colour -
https://i.imgur.com/GCK5mYu.jpghttps://i.imgur.com/RSKvbBO.jpgIm not quite done yet, still a little clear to go then a flat and polish. I’ll hopefully be able to update this in a few weeks.
Comments
I striped my old JHS Vintage Junior and it was in the end just brute force and wearing it off with heavy grade paper. That base coat stuff they use could stand a nuclear blast.
Cool coloiur
*An Official Foo-Approved guitarist since Sept 2023.
You've done an ace job on that and it's a curiously fantastic colour!
Unfortunately I later found out it was a really early demo graphic and now worth a considerable amount.
The finish was definitely worthy of withstanding a direct hit from a comet. Initially I thought I had taken it down far enough but the sealer was part that totally destroyed me. The majority was removed using a head gun and fresh scraper. However, I started at 80 grit on my Makita to remove the left over bits that wouldn’t budge. Complete nightmare but I guess companies don’t think about potential refins when they’re finishing their guitars.
For the colour, I started with a LPB and ocean turquoise mix and tinted it from there. It’s a stunning metallic colour and I hope to get some better pics once it’s assembled.
I didn’t weigh it prior to stripping unfortunately but I’ll weigh it once I’m finished with it. I reckon a lot of weight has come off the box but I also think the guitar will still be 9lbs + when assembled. @Cheesyfeet no that wasn’t an option tbh, better starting with a clean wood finish to build the paint on.
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
https://i.imgur.com/ASMX6bE.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/JohtFWV.jpg
https://i.imgur.com/HEtFA2i.jpg
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
https://i.imgur.com/FbrnGmD.jpg
Check out that old finish shadow line on the neck. And that’s with the new finish on. I’ve never seen a guitar with that much sealer on it before.
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars
• Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@Goldeneraguitars