Black spray paint

[Rick3]

Hi! This is my first post although I have been an "observer" for a little over a year. #I purchased a 1921 Gibson A with the aluminum saddle. #The mandolin has great tone but there is one thing I would like to change. #A previous owner has spray painted the back of it black. #I know it's nothing but a cosmetic issue but I would like to remove it anyway. #Does anyone know of a way this can be done? #I have tried using 0000 steel wool but I'm not making much progress. #Any ideas?

Thanks!
Rick

[Stephanie Reiser]

#A previous owner has spray painted the back of it black. #I know it's nothing but a cosmetic issue but I would like to remove it anyway. #Does anyone know of a way this can be done? #I have tried using 0000 steel wool but I'm not making much progress. #Any ideas?
Wow! How can someone do something like that. Or, more to the point, why? Are you sure it's spray paint? If that's the case it is oil-based, more than likely.
You will have to go the whole gamut, and I would start with a paint-stripper. Try various thinners. If all else fails, try sandpaper wet sanding. Don't use an aggressive grit at all. Try 320, or 220. You don't want to remove any more wood than neccessary.
Good luck!

[Mando Medic]

Rick, over the years I have had to remove finishes from many instruments; some that the owners wanted to keep the original finshes underneath the current finishes intact as much as possible... My approach has been to use a Lacquer Thinner that was not as hot as others and a rag... By putting a dab of lacquer thinner on a rag wrapped around one or two of your fingers, I gently rub a small area of the finish untill I begin to see the parent finish underneath... The key here is to only do a very small area at a time and do not rub hard; gently and a small circle about the size of a quarter. As soon as you "BEGIN" to see the parent finish, stop! Move to another area away from the spot you just tackled, leaving a space of about a quarter between the area you just worked.... As the finish begins to harden again from the thinner attack, you can then go back and do the areas in between the cleaned spots.... At that point I use various grades of wet and dry micro abrasives to restore the original finish... It's a slow process, but It almost always works for me depending on the finish on the surface.... There may be a point, depending on the surface finish, where you cut bait and fish, so to speak; or just completely refinish... Good luck and keep us posted.. Kenc