Cleaning spray on my guitar...

[hhcave]

Basically, someone managed to spray a bit of cleaning fluid (to clean desks etc) on my Les Paul and now there are all these dots... I tried using Dunlop 65 polish and it doesn't come off - anyone have any ideas to try and get it off?

Really want to  :shock:  the person who did it!

[Daniel G]

Try some lemon oil, then the 65.

[ailean]

Is it a residue or damage to the finish?

If it's residue try using lighter fluid, if the finish is damaged try something like the Fender Haze and mist remover.

[hhcave]

Its residue - i'll try some lighter fluid over the weekend,

Thanks!

[WezV]

lighter fluid is good and will get most gunk off quite well

if the finish is actually marked underneath you may need to buff it out a bit with some t-cut or buffing compound

[hhcave]

Hmmm im pretty sure its just residue that has dried and is hard to take off... If it has damaged the finish...well... i'm taking it in for a setup in a month or so, so if it's not too much i can get it sorted out with the luthier...

God, the finish looks like the sparkly Ibanez RG 1570 finish right now!

[hhcave]

Okay; as far is stupid ideas go this is probably the worst thing i have ever done guitar wise...

I thought deodorant would  be similar to lighting fluid in that it would help clean the finish on the guitar but i was wrong. It has left a dull finish that i can't seem to sort out with polish.  

Is it possible to have it restored to its original condition without a complete refinish by a luthier? I'm NOT trying anything myself as i've screwed it up too much.

Jonathan from Feline - are you based in the South East and able to take care of this? What would you quote for this kind of job (roughly)? Also, i'm looking to get the neck refinished as well so roughly what would that come to? (It may be better to go to you rather than my local luthier price wise)

Thanks...


I feel like such a  :x

[FELINEGUITARS]

You may find that carefully using T-cut or Mer (car polish) will remov these two problems.
- available from Halfords etc
If the Les paul is a Gibson you have to be careful with solvents
Lighter fuel (naptha) - the sort that you use in a zippo lighter is generally ok
T cut if used properly is also fine

As for cost of us doing it - would have to see the guitar to appraise how much time it might take and we charge fairly at £40 per hour

We are in Croydon (South London/Surrey) but not too far off the M25 (via the M23/A23/A235) if you are driving.

[Philly Q]

T-Cut is terrific stuff, I'm sure it'll sort you out.  Great for shining up dull finishes, and for removing light scratches and unpleasant residues.

Not suitable as an all-purpose guitar polish though, it'll wear through the finish eventually if you use it often enough.

[hhcave]

Mmmm well the most convenient thing for me to try is Zippo lighter fluid - that will be fine for a Gibson Les Paul will it? (and will sort out both problems?

As for the T-cut - will it do a better job? Also, which T-cut product do you mean? I did a quick ebay search and found there were loads of different types

[Philly Q]

T-Cut Original is what you want, in the red bottle:

http://www.carplan.co.uk/index.cfm?category=58

I don't know about the Zippo fluid, but from what Jonathan said it should be OK.  

But lighter fluid and T-Cut are doing two different things - the lighter fluid is a solvent, to dissolve or loosten the stains so they can, hopefully, be wiped off.  The T-Cut is a mild abrasive suspended in a liquid, so it actually removes a very fine layer of the finish as you polish.

[hhcave]

...So you sure the T-cut won't dull the finish?

[WezV]

t-cut is designed to restore dull finishes back to shiny - - not make them dull

the only way that happens is if you leave it covered in t-cut and out in the sun... buff it all off!!!

I suppose me and ailean should have said zippo light fluid at the start.... not the aerosol's!!!

[Roobubba]

I suppose me and ailean should have should zippo light fluid at the start.... not the aerosol's!!!

Nearly fell off my chair at this :D

Roo

[Philly Q]

t-cut is designed to restore dull finishes back to shiny - - not make them dull

the only way that happens is if you leave it covered in t-cut and out in the sun... buff it all off!!!

Yeah, it most definitely won't dull the finish, but as Wez says you need to be sure of removing all the residue.  A soft cloth to rub it on (you don't need to use much) and another clean cloth to wipe off any residue and bring out the shine.

I used to use aerosol furniture polish to get rid of the T-Cut residue, but I read somewhere that it's important to make sure the polish is silicone-free, as silicone leaves its own residue which (I think) causes problems with refinishes or finish repairs.

It might also be desirable to use wax-free polish, but I can't remember if that's right or not.

I'm rambling....  Wez, help me out??  :?