Another Ripper! And some more advice needed, please.

[Lightyear]

I'd never let somebody I didn't know prep a body for me to shoot.  That is truly the job that requires the most experience to do correctly IMO.  Amateurs almost invariably have no idea how level a surface has to be to get a ripple free mirror finish.  The most I would do is to let the customer disassemble and chemically strip it and charge an hourly rate for the rest of the prep work.

I say DIY, the finish will be as good as the mental and physical prep you put into it.  If you're using a solid color there's no need to strip the finish, it's basically auto body work.

Your point has some merit Carlo - sandpaper in the wrong hands can be a trainwreck.  Keep in mind though the rattle can paint will come off with just a quick coat of citrus stripper and the nitro will come off with lacquer thinner, steel wool and some elbow grease.  This is most likely an early maple Ripper so it will be less prone to sand unevenly - a stiff sanding block with a cork face and 220 paper as a starting point should yield a nice flat surface - no matter who does the painting. 

[PhilT]

Congrats, Phil!
After getting my black Ripper (an '80) I found a project natural one as well.
I used naptha to remove the hideous blue paint on the Smurf Ripper.

http://bassoutpost.com/index.php?topic=3092.0

Thanks Denis. How did your project turn out? The thread ended just as it was getting exciting.

If yours is the Smurf bass, don't know what mine would be - the Black Fingernail? (Only Carry On film fans will understand that.)

Can't decide what's on the neck. I think it's varnish, because it's peeling in places. Any suggestions for getting that off? (I don't have a good track record with maple necks - I wrecked the last one, which was only an SX thankfully).

[Denis]

Mostly what's happened since that thread ended was I've been stripping paint. Under the blue was white paint (I suspect an epoxy because it was tough as nails) and in some places red paint. The naptha takes a long time to do the job on all those but with a ScotchBrite kitchen scrubber it will work. The benefit is that it doesn't harm the original clear finish.

Yours looks like a darn nice project!

[PhilT]

I'm only slightly concerned that you've been stripping that paint for over a year.

[Denis]

I'm only slightly concerned that you've been stripping that paint for over a year.

Heh, I hear you. If it were my only project it would have been done by now. I need to unload some projects.

[PhilT]

Well, I made a start.

Turns out the black pickguard has a 1-ply tort pickguard underneath, which was sprayed black at the same time as the body. Doesn't look orginal and the paint has destroyed it anyway. Under the pickgard is natural finish. The pots I can read are 70-021, 1377344.

Peeled the bad varnish off the neck using a craft knife. That's coming up nice. Started on the back of the body with paint stripper. The black is awful stuff, but there's natural finish under it that the stripper seems to be leaving alone. I wonder if this was a victim of punk, looks like they just sprayed over everything.

[PhilT]

So, getting the paint off was easy enough, though messy. It's now gone from this



to this



Body is quite a bit darker than the neck. Time to take stock I think, for example how would it look polished up as it is now with a new tort guard?

[Lightyear]

Wow, that looks nice!  It looks to be alder.  Is the clear finish that was under the black rattle can in good shape?  If so you might be able to give her a scrub with some 0000 steel wool and mineral spirts and polish it up with auto compounds and polishes.

[PhilT]

Wow, that looks nice!  It looks to be alder.  Is the clear finish that was under the black rattle can in good shape?  If so you might be able to give her a scrub with some 0000 steel wool and mineral spirts and polish it up with auto compounds and polishes.

I assumed it was maple, based on the early shape, the serial number and the pot codes, which would make it 73-74. But none of the pictures I've seen of other natural Rippers have any visible grain, so if anyone can explain that I'd be interested. I think it would polish up ok, given that it's old and doesn't need to be perfect. Much less work than painting it.

[Lightyear]

In looking at your first pic I think it may be maple.  The grain is rather strong so it did look alderish.  You can give it the thumbnail test - just see if the wood gives at and edge when you press your thumnail into it - maple will not dent much while the alder will be more prone to dent.

[PhilT]

It's rock hard, can't make a mark in it.

[Highlander]

That is a beautiful piece of timber...

Minimal, Phil... minimal...

[PhilT]

That is a beautiful piece of timber...

Minimal, Phil... minimal...

Being congenitally lazy, I think I will do as little to it as possible.

[Highlander]

The Tone Tech fins are pretty good if your looking for sources...

[Denis]

That's coming along nicely! I'm with Lightyear and thing it's alder. Pretty slack of the previous owner to paint over the pg. Must have been painted by Earl Scheib: "Any car, any color, no ups, no extras!"