Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum

Forum Ringside => Tech => Topic started by: Philly Q on February 27, 2013, 06:56:58 PM

Title: A little bit of touching up (....no, nothing to do with Lord Rennard)
Post by: Philly Q on February 27, 2013, 06:56:58 PM

I know that all guitarists who are real men, Manowar style, are filled with joy at the prospect of picking up "battle scars" on their trusty "axes"......

Personally I find it a bit annoying, especially when it's one ding on an otherwise pristine guitar, or when it's a chip in a prominent place like the corner of the headstock.  I like to patch it up if I can.

I have used superglue for finish repairs in the past; it can give good results but is tough to work with because it's so very runny, fast-drying and sets very, very hard.  Not easy to level once it's set, and very difficult to fix when you screw things up.  There must be something a bit easier to work with.

So, can anyone recommend a good clear lacquer for touching up chips and scratches?  I'm thinking poly mainly, I already know a couple of places which sell nitro lacquer.

Title: Re: A little bit of touching up (....no, nothing to do with Lord Rennard)
Post by: gwEm on February 28, 2013, 11:56:02 AM

Yeah, I would also be interested in that. What can be done with dents where the finish has shattered in a particular spot, but remains firmly on the guitar - can the varnish be "melted" to remove the many tiny cracks?

Title: Re: A little bit of touching up (....no, nothing to do with Lord Rennard)
Post by: Philly Q on February 28, 2013, 03:41:38 PM

Quote from: gwEm on February 28, 2013, 11:56:02 AM

Yeah, I would also be interested in that. What can be done with dents where the finish has shattered in a particular spot, but remains firmly on the guitar - can the varnish be "melted" to remove the many tiny cracks?

Could be wrong here, but I believe it can be done with nitro - I'm pretty sure I read in a Dan Erlewine book that a nitro touch-up "melts in" with the surrounding finish.

With polyester, polyurethane or whatever I think you'd probably have to remove the cracked bit and any loose paint, then re-paint the clean area.

Title: Re: A little bit of touching up (....no, nothing to do with Lord Rennard)
Post by: Afghan Dave on February 28, 2013, 06:01:13 PM

I think Philly's right about the nitro melting.

With poly I've read of a homespun take on superglue method. Scratch some paint from the trem cavity - crush into coloured powder - drop into spot - drip of thin glue on top = patch fix.

I've never done it.  :?

Title: Re: A little bit of touching up (....no, nothing to do with Lord Rennard)
Post by: WezV on February 28, 2013, 07:23:05 PM

nitro will remelt into old finishes so its great for touching up.   other finishes dont so you tend to get witness lines between the different materials.

you can do good fills with epoxy (decent finishing epoxy like west systems, not araldite) but hard to hide completely so often needs a coat or two of the appropriate lacquer over the top

http://www.stewmac.com/tsarchive/ts0011.html (http://www.stewmac.com/tsarchive/ts0011.html)
http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Quickies/HotEpoxyFill/hotepoxyfill.html (http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Quickies/HotEpoxyFill/hotepoxyfill.html)
http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Technique/Glue/ColorEpoxy/colorepoxy.html (http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Technique/Glue/ColorEpoxy/colorepoxy.html)

and a good nitro fill technique
http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Technique/Finish/Lacquer/DropFill/dropfill.html (http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Technique/Finish/Lacquer/DropFill/dropfill.html)

Title: Re: A little bit of touching up (....no, nothing to do with Lord Rennard)
Post by: Philly Q on March 02, 2013, 09:52:17 AM

Belated thanks for those links, Wez.  I'd never considered the epoxy option before.