Dulling Poly Finished Guitars PIC HEAVY!!

[RMC1]

Hey Christmas,how are you mate ?,long time no see.The only thing that`s stock on that Guitar is the Wood.Everything else has gone.The Poker Chip i have Aged/Coloured myself.The Rings are those elusive "English Creams".I think i have another Poker Chip back Home,i`ll ask Maria to take a look,you can have it if you want it mate.She`s been shipping loads of free stuff out to a lot of People lately,i`m having a huge clearout.I`ve told her to send stuff out to people in the UK,and to you Guys over the Pond.Matt,i`m going to post a step by step Guide,like i did with dulling the Poly.Ive only just got a whole pile of Photo`s from Maria,i`ll post some more of the Guitar.

[yllsacky]

im sooo gonna do it whit my cherry burst it's gonna be sweeet

[LEFTY LES]

Hey RMC1. Man thanks a lot for this great thread. I dont have a sander like your but i may have a buddy who does. I feel that I can tackle this job and am looking forward to it. I just have a couple of questions. I know what sander I need and I know the "look" of the attachments but can you let me know what EXACT attachments you used? What are the names and grades you used? Thanks again man and by the way, you have by far the best looking epi on the forum thanks to your great work bro!!!

[JoelmBenge]

Ditto. I have a smaller Black and Decker "mouse" sander like yours. But haven't seen those pads. Are they BnD pads or did you cut them out yourself?

I bought some Scotch Brite pads (green scratchy ones) and dulled up my neck a little, but there are little hairlines scratches, so I wouldn't want to do that with the top of my guitar. I'm thinking that gray one you started with it the way to go.

[RMC1]

@Lefty,best Epi,hm,maybe,but i was lucky enough to get one that had an actual Maple Top,not an Alder with Veneer,i know for a fact it is Maple because i sanded it down and re finished it, it`s a very early 80`s,made to what was then Unsung/Fujigen,they had at that time,Plants in Japan and Korea.It originally belonged to a Guy that i grew up with,then served with in the Forces,he got slotted,and i got his Guitar,which is why i didn`t mind spending money on it,the Wood/Fit/Finish is on a Par with my Elitist.I havn`t been able to get on MLP all Day,i`ll get you the links to the correct surface for the Sander now

[RMC1]

Ok,here`s what i used First

Tools and Parts Direct : Black & Decker X32204 Mouse Wire Wool Sheets (3) Coarse

Then this

http://www.toolsandpartsdirect.co.uk...5&SECTION_ID=2

You could use this to Polish,but i did mine by Hand

http://www.toolsandpartsdirect.co.uk...6&SECTION_ID=2

[JoelmBenge]

Originally Posted by RMC1

Ok,here`s what i used First

Tools and Parts Direct : Black & Decker X32204 Mouse Wire Wool Sheets (3) Coarse

Then this

Tools and Parts Direct : Black & Decker X32209 Mouse Wire Wool Sheets (3) Fine

You could use this to Polish,but i did mine by Hand

Tools and Parts Direct : Black & Decker X32467 Mouse Polishing Kit

Awesome! Cheers!

Off to the hardware store....Later....It's too COLD outside!

[RMC1]

If you need to know anything else,just give me a shout

[Sore Fingers]

has anyone done this with a vintage sunburst, i can't picture how the black would look dulled, i love what you've done to yours but wondered if the effect is better on certain finishes ?

[RMC1]

I did a Vintage Sunburst for a Friend of mine,at the same time as i did the Cherry,it came out the same.The secret to this method is patience,you can`t do it in an Hour,if you take your time,it will work out just fine

Edit - I see you`re in Manchester,i`m just over the Pennines,near Barnsley (when i`m home),if you can wait until May,when i get Home,i could do it for you

[Sore Fingers]

seriously ?! i'm in no rush at all, i'll keep an eye on here around then and may well take you up on that,

i'm not the best at diy and wouldn't want to hurt my baby ;-) lol

[RMC1]

Yeah seriously,it`s no problem,the only catch is that you might have to sit around and give my stuff a play whilst i deal with your Guitar .I`m going to offer to age Hardware for anyone that`s interested too,but obviously that will not be until i get Home.

[wantsa58]

Damn I still haven't got around to doing this.. You did a great job on it though.

[Christmas]

Originally Posted by RMC1

Hey Christmas,how are you mate ?,long time no see.The only thing that`s stock on that Guitar is the Wood.Everything else has gone.The Poker Chip i have Aged/Coloured myself.The Rings are those elusive "English Creams".I think i have another Poker Chip back Home,i`ll ask Maria to take a look,you can have it if you want it mate.She`s been shipping loads of free stuff out to a lot of People lately,i`m having a huge clearout.I`ve told her to send stuff out to people in the UK,and to you Guys over the Pond.Matt,i`m going to post a step by step Guide,like i did with dulling the Poly.Ive only just got a whole pile of Photo`s from Maria,i`ll post some more of the Guitar.

Hey man! I used Allparts pu rings, which I like except that they're a little too "creamy." Yours look more white, but it could just be the lighting, y'know? Thanks for the thought on the poker chip!

As for aging my hardware, all I did was clean each part up good and gave them a quick dip in a 50/50 mix of Etchant solution and good ol' H2O. Then washed each part off in water immediately afterwards. Worked real nice.

[LEFTY LES]

Awesome man, thank you

[baccaruda]

Did you have any difficulties treating the inside of the cutaway? I notice that it wasn't highlighted in any of your pics and I can't imagine the sander would have fit in there. Thanks for sharing your techniques; the plasticky look is sort of annoying IMO.

My guitar is an '06 Epiphone LP standard, black/white "tuxedo" style. I just traded an Epi SG Goth for it that I just couldn't enjoy due to the neck dive.
Anyway, the LP has a few minor chips in the black finish and I am interested in using black nail polish to make them less noticeable. (Is nail polish only good to use with nitro finish guitars?)

I'm not planning to dull the finish right away (I might change my mind as it's apart for cleaning and restringing and .. i like to take stuff apart ) but I'm curious as to when the best time to use the nail polish (or something else?) would be.. before or between the steps in this dulling process?



the finish isn't as gross as it looks in that pic; there's dust and fingerprints all over it and those are pretty much the worst of any chips n' scratches.

[UncleTed]

I wonder how this would look on my GoldTop?

[matthornet]

hey RMC1, gonna post up the step by step on how to age the hardwares soon?

[RMC1]

Yes,but i can`t do it yet,kinda difficult to find time at the moment.But i`ve asked Maria to mail me the Pictures on how to do it.So as soon as she get`s those to me,i`ll get it posted.About the question of will it work on a Goldtop,easy answer,yes!.You`re only taking down the Poly,it will not affect the Gold Finish in any way.I`m confident enough to pretty much guarantee that.

[TWANG]

I like this thread.. very well done.
I like that look, also very good.
I'm going to have to try this on either my natural sheraton.. which has enough bling going for it already in the hardware and appointements.
Or on my lp studio, sunburst, which has that very thick look exacerbated by the colors.

You should, if I may say so, do a webpage.. with detailed explanation..
and put up a link.

this thick finish thing is a common complaint and your method seems to be the perfect solution.

+1 on you bud!

TWANG

[Eric052492]

How do you think that would look on a white epi custom? I hate the finish it has.. As soon as i start playing it, it looks nasty with smudges and dirt.. I'd love to smooth out the whole body and neck

[TWANG]

I want to know how the inside of the cutaway was done, too.

TWANG

[djwilbanks]

My mouse sander fit very well into the cutaway without the attachment that comes with it, but I did put the attachment on just so I could get up next to the fretboard and get the cutaway even better.

Here is the mouse with the attachment that comes with it and I used for the cutaway, neck heel, around the bushings, etc.



if this pic doesn't work, go here, its the third pic from the top:

Brian Dering - Me and my 1973 Dodge Charger SE - Aluminum Intake Manifold Polishing

[TWANG]

ah cool
thanks
TWANG

[roadsong66]

Great job!

I love these types of threads. Someday I will muster the courage to attempt what you achieved masterfully.

[TWANG]

50.00.. I'm looking for a cheaper unit. *L*

TWANG

[djwilbanks]

http://cgi.ebay.com/Black-and-Decker-Mouse-Detail-Sander-Polisher-New_W0QQitemZ270348642898QQcmdZViewItemQQptZSander s_Sandblasters?hash=item270348642898&_trksid=p3286 .c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C3 9%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

[LEFTY LES]

It think Im going for it DJ. !!!!!

[djwilbanks]

Just remember when you begin, take a deep breath and realize some punk 24 year old and a Royal Marine did it first. So if you fall somewhere between those two you'll be fine.

[TWANG]

well that's tempting. I see I have time to check at my local ACE for price. but I think I'll get that one in the end.
thanks dj!
TWANG