removing factory finish

[fred d]

:whistling: what's the best way to remove factory finish on and Johnson:(

[MikeEdgerton]

Here (http://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/search.php?query=neck+finish&exactname=0&starteronly=0&forumchoice%5B%5D=45&prefixchoice%5B%5D=&childforums=1&titleonly=1&searchdate=0&beforeafter=after&do=process) are several threads on removing the neck finish. You should be able to get some ideas from them.

[sunburst]

Physical removal (scraping, sanding) is your best bet, but I'd need a darned good reason for removing the finish to put the amount of work into it that it would take.

[Bill Snyder]

It is a hard finish to remove. My first mandolin was a Johnson and I considered refinishing it more for practice than anything. I got so far as to de-gloss the back and decided that the finish on it was tougher than I wanted to fool with removing.

[Big Joe]

Dynamite or a Jack Hammer are a good place to start :) .

[Pheasant Plucker]

I sanded the finish off of my Johnson. It was a ghastly purple color! I used a random-orbiting sander with 250 grit paper, and found a lovely mahogany veneer under the offending stuff. If this is the first time using a power sander start on the back!! Be careful of burn through, it can be tricky.