Trying to Understand Body Refinishes
I recently picked up an extremely cheap, unbranded Stratocaster type guitar. After buying, I thought it would be cool to see if I could refinish the body with a hydro dipped swirl, although I really have no idea what I’m doing.
I’ve watched several videos about this process, however I’m a little stuck figuring out how to start. I recognize I’m jumping way into the deep end here, and this will likely be an expensive process, but all help is greatly appreciated.
If anyone has good learning resources, please let me know!
On top of this, a couple concerns I have:
- I don’t have access to a super well ventilated area, nor do I own any respirators. If possible, I’d like to avoid using materials that require these (like nitrocellulose or spray paints).
- I don’t have access to a hand sander right now. Is it plausible to do this just sanding by hand, or should I just bite the bullet and buy a sander? I’d imagine this would require a ridiculous amount of time without one.
- I really don’t know the type of wood/finish this thing even has right now. It’s super light, so maybe something like basswood? A polyurethane finish? I have no idea how to tell what it is or how to properly handle this part.
Again, I recognize this is kind of a ridiculous thing to just jump into without experience. You all do amazing work so I was hoping you could help!
Thanks for your time!