The guitar restore project was sidelined the past few weekends due to cool weather (and a blown water heater that I had to replace), but now it's all systems go.
Fair weather is important in order for me to do this work out in the garage. The chemical solution I need to strip the paint is temperature sensitive and has undesirable fumes. The sanding process is also, well, in one word, messy. Nonetheless, this past weekend was very productive and the guitar body is now stripped down and ready for wood filler.
The paint stripper did its job as you can see from the bubbled orange paint. I took a palm sander to smooth out any stubborn areas to avoid using additional chemicals. All this revealed the many burn marks that were carved into the wood from the disc grinder. It's hard to believe the wood was not completely ground away -- though in some places it did come close. I will need a smaller sander to get into the crook of the horns, but it will be a good investment for any future woodworking projects.
I love the shape of this guitar and I look forward to seeing it look healthy again.
