Removing over paint on headstock? Paint pros...

[Hamer Dave]

I've an '80 Hamer where some knucklehead painted over the headstock with some type of flat black paint. What you suggest in the process of removing? I lightly sanded with some 500 grit I had quickly available, and started to see the logo, and immediately stopped. I know I should use the least abrasive approach first, and work toward the next abrasive, until I can see a result. I have some rotten stone, and pumice stone powders I thought of trying. I've heard of using toothpaste, as a light abrasive. Tried straight water to see if that would disolve, but looks like I'll need a bit more bite to remove this. I appreciate your advice. Thanks.

Dave

[Hamer Dave]

Ok, I'm impatient. I went ahead using a bit of pumice stone FF, and mostly water, and my finger nail was gently getting the knucklehead paint over the headstock off. I did a quick rotten stone with some light oil. A quick polishing/buffing might finish it up?

Should I touch it up, or leave it alone? I would think I'd do a drop fill, and level it, and polish? Or I may just leave it.

What would your approach have been? I'm content how it came out, accomplishing what I had hoped, and not having done this type of job before. What would they have originally done at the factory? Clear seal coat, and black paint, logo, clear coat? If I drop fill, thinking would be wise to first use a clear to seal the wood, avoiding any bleed, keeping the wood pure. Not that it's already been violated to a degree. Thought the pumice seemed to strip a lot of the previous touch up paint out of those chipped areas surprisingly well.

[velorush]

^^ Is that before/after? I've no answer, but that is nothing short of amazing!

[Stike]

I think your best bet for fixing those chips would be to use black nail polish. Hamer used lacquer on the old ones and nail polish is more or less lacquer. It might take a little while to get the fills built up (and they will shrink back) but once they are you should be able to safely wet sand the headstock face with some 800 grit and a few passes of some rattle can clear gloss lacquer wouldn't hurt at all either.

[BCR Greg]

What Stike said.

[murkat]

looks good Dave!

I am for the aged look.

[Hamer Dave]

I think your best bet for fixing those chips would be to use black nail polish. Hamer used lacquer on the old ones and nail polish is more or less lacquer. It might take a little while to get the fills built up (and they will shrink back) but once they are you should be able to safely wet sand the headstock face with some 800 grit and a few passes of some rattle can clear gloss lacquer wouldn't hurt at all either.

@stike & BCR Greg- Cool. I've done this approach on other guitars, and know it takes time waiting for the buildup/shrinkage. Walgreens has a nice selection. Maybe I'll do that since the nice flame top of this is in pretty sweet shape, though the backside is another story, but I'm ok with that since it's not normally visible, and for what it is.

@velorush- Yes, before and after. Actually you couldn't see any of the logo originally. My before shot is after lightly sanding to see if the logo was still there. I was lucky to find it, and stopped immediately to use what I thought to be a gentler approach getting to it.

@murkat- Thanks! I hear you on the aged thing. But since the body is much prettier, I may go ahead and clean the head up a bit. That way I won't need the bag over the head, when I play her. Lol!

[gorch]

Do you want to polish it to new as a whole or keep it little aged?

Actually, I never watched the head while I'm playing. At least, I did not notice so far.

[Hamer Dave]

@gorch- I may clean it up with some drop fills. I certainly wouldn't attempt to make it (look) new. Just a decent looking, 32 year old guitar.

I'm gonna sleep on it for a while. Maybe the chips add mojo. Lol!

The overpaint is pretty much non-evident, so it looks sooooooooo much better as it stands.

[zenmindbeginner]

Jesus Christ, get a friggin' paint pen... nail polish? Yikes.

[Hamer Dave]

Jesus Christ, get a friggin' paint pen... nail polish? Yikes.

It gives us a good excuse to go shopping in cosmetics...