JV Strat Re-fin.
Unfortunately, the fact is that in the first few years of their life, very many Squier JV guitars were modified or altered in some way from their original factory spec, and I have received lots of emails from players who have obtained such instruments, and would like to return them to their former glory.
This page is for those of you who have such a project in mind.
Squier JV Pages contributor, Lenny Eloranta of Thunder Bay, Canada, has kindly offered to take us through his own Squier JV Strat Project, which is to restore it from it's sprayed over black finish back to it's original white; This unfortunately required a complete respray.
This is the guitar before any work was undertaken (also seen in Gallery 3).
Lenny explains the stages:
The method I use in this refinish job is done to my own liking and experience; Note that these steps are only for a solid color instrument, whereas if it were a sunburst or clear finish, different steps and materials would be used.
First disassemble the guitar and keep all parts in a safe and clean place. The most effective way to remove the finish is with an orbital sander, electric or air, but I prefer air because the speed is controlled much easier.
Above left: I find that an orbital sander does a much cleaner job than messy strippers or a heat gun.
Above right: With some #240 grit sand the edges by hand until all traces of the old finish are gone.
Above: With the same grit paper, sanding the horns will be very time consuming, remember not to cut through to the wood! The neck pocket is a bit easier to sand (note the masking tape in the neck pocket).
Most solid body guitars have a clear sealer below the paint, if at all possible it would be a good idea not to sand through the sealer to the wood. It is hard to tell if you have gone through the sealer because it is clear, if you do go through to the wood you will have to spot seal the areas. To spot seal means only to apply sealer to the exposed wood. Once machine sanding is done (all of the flat surfaces) it is time to hand sand the horns and outer edges, this can be very time consuming but is really worth it!
Above: The sealer is applied and then sanded with #400 grit wet and dry paper.
After sanding is done with #240 or #320 paper, it is time to apply the sealer. I use an automotive scratch filler, this is a grey colored product in a spray can and it has never let me down; you can apply a fairly heavy coat without fear of runs. Let the sealer dry for at least two hours. Now with some #400 grit wet/dry paper, it's time to sand the sealer. You will need a container for water to soak the paper in, and use a lubricant for the "wet or water" sanding. Another good idea is to use a spray bottle with water in it, don't forget to add a few drops of dish soap. Get the paper good and wet and keep it flat, if using 9"x11" sheets fold them in thirds, this makes the paper easier to handle. Begin by sanding the edges and horns then move to the flat areas. After sealer has been wet sanded it's time to paint! Use Methyl Hydrate(gas line antifreeze) to wipe the body down and remove any sanding residue.
Above top right: Here Lenny shows us the sealed and sanded guitar body ready for spraying.
Above left: After spraying the inside of the horns, a coat of paint is applied to the back of the body, and then the front.
On a strat body I use a coat hanger opened up to hang the body through the neck holes. Once the body is hung, Take a tack rag and give it one final wipe. Start by painting the inside of the horns first and move you're way to the back. Then put a coat on the back of the body, then the front. Wait about five minutes before adding second coat. The time between coats also depends on temperature, the warmer it is the faster the paint goes on, the colder it is the slower you paint. Once it is finished, let her dry for forty eight hours before polishing and reassembling.
The paint I used is an automotive laquer, purchased at a Canadian Tire auto parts store; the paint is called SHELL WHITE,or ANTIQUE WHITE.
Above: The guitar body is hung to dry for 48 hours.
Above: With the finish dried (but not ready for assembly yet!) Lenny couldn't resist a quick peek into the guitars future.
Above: Products for final finishing. The tube of Autosol (right), while an excellent metal polish, is also very good for ironing out fine scratches and sanding marks.
After a few days the paint (Laquer) will require a color sanding, and by a few days I mean about a week.
The color sanding will remove any "#66ADA9" peel overspray, or any other little foreign particles that might want to be near the wet paint before it dries! and this will also level off the last coat of paint and prepare it for polishing.
Color sanding is pretty well the same method of sanding as I did on the sealer, exept you use a lot finer paper (#600,#800,#1200) and I'm not removing a lot of paint on this step. Fortunately this guitar didn't require a color sand because the temp and conditions of the shop were at their best.
The day I painted, the finish went on like glass, and considering it was laquer, it dried to a very nice gloss. I did do some polishing with some 'AUTOSOL' compound, just like waxing a car, same method, except a little more Elbow grease! 'Autosol' can be purchased at any automotive parts stores. This stuff works great on laquer paints, it will buff out chips, fine scratches, sanding marks, etc... Apply an amount the size of a pencil eraser and lightly buff, (don't use a lot of pressure) until it starts to haze and look dry, then buff it to a high gloss..
Two pictures above: Behold! The finished guiitar, and looking just like it did when it was originally packed in to it's box at the factory, ready for shipping to Thunder Bay, Canada!
Here's a list of materials I used on my guitar:
>800 Grit Sandpaper
>1600 Grit Sandpaper
>2000 Grit Sandpaper
>Terry cloth, for polishing
> Autosol Multipurpose Metal Polish
>3M-Perfect-it 3 (Finishing Glaze)
Special thanks are to go to Gary and Hans from 'Dynamic Painting' here in Thunder Bay, and Jim Olson, for his garage and moral support!!
The 'Squier JV Pages' would like to thank Lenny Eloranta and all involved for helping to produce such an interesting page!
Click Here! To see the progress of another JV Stratocaster refin; This time it's a very early alder body domestic Fender model JV00533 owned by Zane.
