NAKED T=40 PICTURES!

I finally started the process of stripping down my '78 T-40.  I was going against advice not to mess with the "mojo"or originality of the very worn finish.  In fact, there virtually WAS no finish on the front, and the back was badly checked.

Imagine my surprise when I removed the pickguard only to find RAW WOOD underneath!  Upon further examination, there was NO FINISH under the bridge, either!  The final telling point was when I removed the non-stock thumbrest which was mounted on the bass side of the pickguard.  This, too had raw wood underneath.

Thanks to Frank N. Peavey on this board, I found out that at no time did Peavey leave these sections unfinished, so I now know that my T-40 has been stripped and refinished in the past.  And not too well, if they assembled the bridge and pickguard BEFORE putting the clearcoat on!

So I now relieved to know that I am not messing up by removing an original finish.  As a service to others, I'm posting pictures of what my T-40 body looks like without all the hardware.  If yours looks anything like this, it's not original either!

Here's another:

And another.....




If anyone wants to see other pictures of the T-40 stripped down (pickups, back of control plate, pots, switches, etc.), PM me or send me an email, and I'll be happy to post some up!

Hi Mike,
Would like to see more photos especially of the wiring.
Thanks, Brad, new member.

Hey Brad-

I have a couple of shots of the back side of the control plate.  I don't know if they're exactly what you're looking for, so I'll post all I have.

Thanks Mike these will be useful. Have you made any further progress
on the body I'd like to see those too.

Regards, Brad.

Hey, Brad-

Well, I haven't made a whole lot of progress.  I did, however, strip the body down to good virgin ash with successive grits of sandpaper.  I'm at 220 now, and will probably hit it lightly one more time with 320 grit, then move on.

My quandry is whether to use a light honey stain (to match the neck tint) FIRST, and then hit the grain with a slightly darker grain filler, or to use the FILLER first, and then stain?  Calls for more online study, I guess!

Anyway, here's a few pics of the body sanded down (I'm so glad most of the "finish" was gone....I didn't have to use any chemical strippers!).

Great photos Mike. You might want to work on the stains at the bottom edge of body, they will definitely show up
later. My experience (restoring antique furniture) has shown that you should fill the grain with your dark stain
first (make sure it is thoroughly dried) then sand off with a 600 grit then apply your lighter stain. The finer the
grit used will help improve the final sprayed smooth finish. Last step should be to polish with Rottenstone
powder & mineral oil on a felt polishing block, it will look incredible, unless you are using a satin finish then that
won't be necessary. If that is the case you could use hand rubbed Tung oil,good stuff.
Keep us updated on your progress.
Brad.

Hi Brad-

I'd love to go with a knockout high gloss finish, but it wouldn't be original on a "natural" body, so I'm probably going with a "matte" finish.  Thanks for confirming the correct sequence of grain filler vs. stain!  I was pretty sure that was the direction I was going.

I think I accidentally got some "E-cigarette" oil on the bottom of the body when I was handling it to take pictures.  The bottom edges were completely sanded smooth and uniform, , so those discolored areas showing up are new.  I guess I'll have to see if mineral spirits will lift the "oil" out, or sand a little more.

Have you any experience using "hand rubbed" polyurethane?  I have refinished furniture in the past (mostly garage sale stuff...a few antiques), but I am not confident that my brush technique is good enough to get the results I want on a guitar body.  It seems to me that several really thin coats hand applied by rubbing would look better than a thicker brush coating.  My other option is to farm the job out to an automotive paint guy, to have it sprayed with a semi gloss finish.

Whattya think?  Can I get a "pro"-quality finish with hand-rubbed Poly?

Thanks for any further info!

Mike Selvey
Nacogdoches, TX

Hi Mike,
Yes you can use hand rubbed poly satin hand rubbed, the key is the way you
finish off with very fine steel wool or other rubbing compounds.
Do you have a serious wood work store nearby ? They can be a great resource
for products & tips, like advice on water based aniline stains & finishes,
assuming of course someone there is of reasonable intelligence !
Let me know how you get on.
Brad.

Hi Brad-

I decided to go another direction.  With only two more days of "warm weather" predicted for the area (East Texas), I needed to move quickly to get two coats on.  After an inventory, I found that I had a fairly fresh can of Minwax "Fast Drying" Clear Satin.  I pulled out one of my old Langnickel Flats (a professional signpainting brush) that had sable hairs that are 3/4 wide, by about 1-1/2 long.  I figured that I could get a smooth, almost "hairless" surface by loading up the brush, but placing a very thin coat with single strokes across the whole of the guitar body.

My first coat is on and dried overnight.  I will dress the surface with steel wool, then apply one more coat and hope for the best.

Mike in East Texas

Hi Mike,
That should work, but you will thank your self later if you do 3 or 4 thin coats,
especially around the edges which always wear thin first.
Can't wait to see it.
Good luck, Brad.