I was cleaning my 62 Vintage RI the other day and stupidly had covered the worktop surface with a red cotton cover.

When I finished the clean, I noticed that some of the red ink had transferred to the white finish of the Strat. I tried to remove it by rubbing it off with a damp cloth, but it looks like it's penetrated into the nitro finish...

The guitar is Olympic white, so it's very noticeable..

Is there any way to remove it?

Hi trem arm: nasty - I presume the guitar is fairly new, so the lacquer is probably still quite soft? That red is obviously a dye and may have a tendancy to continue spreading within the white lacquer it has "infected". So you shouldn't wait around: deal with it quickly.

On a '62 RI your body will be finished in nitrocellulose. I'm not a particular fan of nitro - but it does have the advantage of being easier to deal with for these kinds of issues.

As formulated here it is essentially an automotive finish, so you can treat it like a light scratch or other issue on car bodywork. I'd start out by trying a gentle automotive cutting polish - that's a polish with a very mild abrasive in it for rubbing out blemishes from car paint.

Do I remember right, tremolo, are you in the UK? If so, a brand called T-Cut is an excellent one to look for - at Halfords or a similar outlet. North America has other brands.

Rub at your guitar very gently, as if you were polishing glass or silver. With nitro, the polish is very slightly softening the lacquer, removing the top few microns of it and then leaving the rest to harden again. That means take even more care of your finish than usual for a while, because you have made it softer.

Gently gently, is the key. See how that goes and come back to us if it don't do the trick.

Cheers - C

Thanks Ceri

Yes, I am in the UK so will check T-Cut at Halfords...

Will let you know how I get on...

Thanks again

Only thing that's bothering me is whether you have a clearcoat over that white or not. If the red dye has penetrated to the white colorcoat you will have to rub through the clear to get to it. Which in itself will be problematic.

It then might not look right so potentially we are then thinking about spraying another clearcoat. It's a problem that might escalate in a tiresome way.

You seem like a nice guy, tremolo. If you can't solve this problem easily I'd be very happy to help if I can. (No charge, just to be clear on that.) I'm regularly to be found in both South London and South Devon. Let me know if you want assistance.

There's nothing here we can't put right, one way or another.

Cheers - C

Ceri, this might be a problem that can't easily be put right.

red dyes are notorious. Gibson changed their formula a few times. There are a lot of examples of red overspray being left on bindings, because of its difficulty in removal.

If the red has settled into the clear coat there's a shot, but depending how thin the finish is, it could have reached the colour coat, or it may be next to impossible to go deep enough to expunge the red without risking damage to the colourcoat.

Now another thing to consider is reds are among the least colourfast of tints. it might be possible to fade it out with sunlight, of coarse there is always a catch, and that catch would be potential yellowing of the clear coat.

also some modern red dyes are extremely colourfast. Might want to throw the cloth up on the fence, and see how it reacts.

given the pitfalls involved in fixing red contamination, I would imagine removing some and then respraying the clearcoat would be the most likely solution, but I wouldn't rule out potential for a complete respray.

Hopefully the red is just in the surface of the clearcoats.

_________________
I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Hi Twelvebar: yep, I'm sure what you say is spot on.

Thoughts along those lines passed through my mind, which is why in my second post I made the foolhardy offer of help if TA finds he can't just rub it out.

We'll smother that stain in shellac and respray if we have to. Or strip it to the bone and start over! (You reading this, tremolo arm? Are you starting to shake nervously...?)

But let's not jump to the worst conclusion - if there's a clearcoat it may have saved the day.

I'd love to see pics...

Cheers - C

You're right. i have this habit of working out worst case scenarios in my head. One advantage is they almost never actually happen, so i am always happy to do less work.

_________________
I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

Well now, you know that's sheer superstition.

I've been working on the theory that if I can walk to the shops and back without stepping on any cracks in the paving I won't have to put my spray gun where my mouth is for Mr TA.

But if it works out that way we'll do a thread with plenty of white paint and bottles of strong ale to share with everyone!

- C

Hello Tremolo Arm,

I'm a '62 hotrod owner, olympic white nitro no clearcoat.
I've pick up a nasty smudg or a few{from a felt tip marker}
and wiped them away with a non-abrasive bathroom cleaner.
I'd not try this with any other color but I felt safe with white.

As Nikininja once put it "I wish it were urethane"

Hope things get clear.

Cheers.

maybe another alternative is to keep rubbing it with that cloth, and then posting it in that 'Pink Guitars' thread?

_________________
I'm not an expert, but I play one on the internet.

I'm really lovin my black strat about now.I'd also go for lightly trying to remove a little of the top finish there and see what happens.Can't believe it would get into the color coat that fast but then anything can happen. Mike

_________________
The blues ain't nothin but a good man feelin bad.

Ah man you just gotta RUB it in.

Trem Arm its worth a jaunt from Windsor to Peckham to have Ceri sort this problem out. The guy's integrity is 2nd to non in my not insubstantial experience.

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No no and no

[/quote]
You're right. i have this habit of working out worst case scenarios in my head. One advantage is they almost never actually happen, so i am always happy to do less work.[/quote]

Always remember: Optimists may live longer - but pessimists are usually right!

Hey Ceri

I may take you up on your offer after all (but only if you allow me to buy you a bottle of your favourite beverage)...

And being recommended by NikiNinja must be the highest of praizes..

How do I find your telephone number so I can get in touch?

Hi trem arm: rubbing the finish not working, huh?

For contact info, I just created an account at palebluestrat@googlemail.com . Send me an email with "from tremolo arm" in the title and I'll get back to you. Then I'll dump the account before the spam rolls in!

Cheers - C