Problem with soundboard finish

[Ron Daves]

This is my fifth build. I have had minor problems with the finish on all of them, but this one has me on the ropes. I tried wipe-on poly, which was not satisfactory and I stripped the soundboard. I then went to a woodcraft specialty store and was advised to apply a vinyl sanding sealer first. I tested this sealer on a scrap and it looked like it worked just fine, but when I applied it to the top it didn’t spread well and when it dried there were lots of ripples and bumps that I missed until I applied the first coat of lacquer. So, here I am, looking for advice on how to strip this finish. Sandpaper isn’t the answer. What do I do?

[Barry Daniels]

A sharp scraper and then cleaning up with sandpaper works for me. Paint stripper will also work but you may want to skip this if you have plastic bindings or purflings.

[Clay Schaeffer]

If the coatings are solvent based I would use lacquer thinner to strip the finish, but keep it off the bindings. If waterbourne I would use stripper (again keeping it off the bindings) and then neutralize the surface and very lightly sand it. Keeping the stripping agents away from the bindings (edge of the top) helps reduce the possibility of the strippers dripping down the side. I also tape paper around the sides to reduce this possibility.
Personally I would skip the sanding sealer on the soundboard, and just "self seal" with the lacquer (assuming it is spruce or WRC).