de-glossing a poly finish

[AlohaJoe]

I haven't tried this, but I like the results he got. Has anybody here ever attempted to do anything like this?
http://www.mylespaul.com/forums/epi...-dulling-poly-finished-guitars-pic-heavy.html

 

[jp]

I've never tried or thought of that before, but he did a pretty good job, methinks.

 

[AlohaJoe]

I'm actually going for it... and it's working!

 

[jp]

I might try that with my T-100D, AJ. The T-100DP I looked at for Guild Beginner had also been "treated" similarly. I first learned about this from a metal head friend of mine. He did it without the palm sander, though. Simply take one of the ubiquitous green scrubby pads and go up and down the back of the neck--instant satin finish a la super strat.

 

[AlohaJoe]

Well, not quite instant. The scrubby pads aren't particularly abrasive, so I've been very carefully and gently using a 0000 grade steel wool and following up with the scrubby pads to buff, but it might depend on how much finish is there. Starting out with the scrub pads would probably work well on the neck if you're patient. I'd be interested to know how it goes!

 

[jp]

Well, not quite instant.

I see. So maybe the palm sander is the way to go. I have heard of people using steel wool and fine wet sanding too.

 

[AlohaJoe]

The palm sander might be a little too aggressive, unless you want to remove the finish. You can do that but you'll need to replace it with something else since you don't want bare wood on the neck (esp mahogany). If you want to keep the finish that's there and just smooth it out to a nice satin, I'd do a light touch with the steel wool (make sure it's 0000), but I'm working on poly which is pretty thick. If you've got nitro, it might be smart to use the scrubbies first and see what happens. You can always get more aggressive if you're not showing results, but once you go thru the finish you're committed to a much bigger job.

Oh and by the way, never take any advice from me... I'm just figuring this out as I go. Most of my woodworking/finishing experience is with furniture. :lol: