How hard is it to remove the paint from a MIM Strat?
 

I want a natural finished one, like Bonnie Raitt's, and want to do it myself, but don't want to have to break out a hammer and chisel. Will commercial paint removers take the paint off?

Most use a heat gun and scrape it off. Either way, chemical or heat gun, take precautions to protect your lungs. Well ventilated. Preferably outdoors.

Not that difficult I did this on a couple back in the early 70 (before natural became a factory option) as above just about any chemical paint remover and heat gun /hair dryer works pretty well, then scrape and with a little additional sanding you are good to go.... and the advice about ventilated is spot on.

Look up a product called 'aircraft remover' and make sure you are up to date on your health insurance.

Take care when scraping the finish because you can damage the wood. Also the finish will crack into tiny tiny pieces so wear a mask to be sure not to inhale them

Getting the paint off is quick easy.

Preparing the surface and applying a clear finish is much more difficult. There's also the possibility that the body wood is not very attractive.

Hmmm. Hadn't thought of that. :rolleyes:

I 2nd Roger - Ive seen this done where it did not turn out well. The bodies were intended to be coated at the plant so you could find filler or badly mismatched pieces glued up. Doesn't matter a bit if there is a thick coating.

How about buying an aftermarket body that is unfinished and take it from there. You start clean, save yourself the chemical exposure and frustration - and get what you want in the end.

Along the way you can install a bridge, hardware you want and shop for a nice set of pickups that suit you.

Yah it will be a parts caster but one of a kind - yours.

Guitar Fetish has a natural ash strat body with a clear finish for $60, but I don't know if your MIM hardware and neck will easily fit...

You could probably put together a parts Strat from scratch for about the price of a new MIM Fender, from the Guitar Fetish catalog, and their pre-wired pickguards and Kwikplug pickups make it almost a no-brainer - I'd sooner go this route...