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Post subject: scratch on satin finish?
Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 4:35 pm
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Hi, I've got a pretty big scratch on the front of my guitar going horizontally across it, lining up with the bridge.

Regardless of location, it's a bout 3" long and I was wondering what you guys' would recommend to do to take care of it? It doesn't appear to be deep or have even passed the surface, but what would be the best way to try to remove it or dumb down its appearance? Thanks.


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Posted: Mon Jun 30, 2008 5:45 pm
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Go to www.stewmac.com and they can help you on anything regarding repairs


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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 6:10 am
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Hmm, that’s a tricky one. The solution depends on whether you have a nitro or a poly lacquer. Either way, that satin finish is going to make things pretty difficult.

If it’s a very light, thin scratch, the answer is to polish up using automotive T-cut, or even a really gentle silver metal polish.

Assuming the scratch is a deep one, but not right through to the wood, then you are going to need to fill the clear coat. You must be sure what you lacquer is. If nitro, then you need to soften it slightly first, by just tickling a tiny amount of acetone into the scratch with the sharp tip of a small artist’s brush. Then apply liquid nitro with a brush, but dab it in, don’t use a brush stroke, because that will pull out the existing lacquer, now softened.

If you have a poly finish then you need to do the same thing but using #30 thick super glue (from Stewart MacDonald). Use a cocktail stick to draw the glue into the crack – it will destroy a paintbrush.

With either finish, leave for a day to harden.

Cut strips of wet-and-dry paper half an inch wide and about four inches long and soak them. On this job, start fine and get finer. Begin with, say, 800-grit and progress up to 1200-grit. There’s a technique to this: place the tip of a finger over the surface and with the other hand draw that strip of wet-and-dry under it with a steady motion, using the finger to control the pressure. Don’t just rub-rub-rub – you’ll be through the clear coat in no time! When your surface is beautifully smooth you move on to silver metal polish: take your time and go gently.

This is where your satin finish is going to make things hard. I must admit I have never done this repair on satin: on high gloss you just buff until your repair disappears into a mirror finish. With satin, you are going to have to judge the exact moment to stop, and take vast care to match your repair to the surrounding surface. I won’t kid you: it is going to be challenging. If you go too far and get a shiny finish then I guess you could take it back again very gently with grade 0000 wire wool (readily available from any hardware store). Good luck!

…Or you could just decide to live with the scratch: call it a well-earned battle scar.

Cheers - C


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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 7:22 am
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Somehow I think fender guitars look better if they have some scratch....It will be perfect if they have aged parts


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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 4:36 pm
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Yeah, leave the scratch. Think of it as the first line in your guitars visual story.

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Posted: Tue Jul 01, 2008 7:58 pm
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Naaaah.

Get rid of the scratch and that dull old satin finish at the same time.

Polish it out!


Yeah, baby!

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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 8:02 am
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orvilleowner wrote:
Naaaah.

Get rid of the scratch and that dull old satin finish at the same time.

Polish it out!

Yeah, baby!


Yeah, baby! Shaggadelic!!


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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:08 pm
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I've got a highway one, so it's the nitrocellulose satin finish.

The color is 3-tone sunburst, and I have a scratch running parallel with the bridge but you can only see it at the right angle with the right lighting, so it's not even that big of a deal. If I am able to remove it or dull its appearance almost completely, I would. If not, I can leave it, this Highway One is a hoss anyway; why does it need to be pretty? It's just that I have only had this guitar for a few months and I was changing out the pickguard and I think I scratched it...pretty dumb "battle scar" if you ask me, lol.

Someone told me that the more I rub the finish with a treated cloth, the harder the lacquer will become, yet I don't know if there will be any adverse effects? I like the dull appearance and don't care for the shiny appearance of poly lacquers (another reason I opted for the Highway one..) Any tips on taking care of a satin/nitrocellulose finish?


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Posted: Wed Jul 02, 2008 1:36 pm
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Yeah, when you said satin finish I guessed it was probably a Highway One.

Sounds like the scratch is light, which is good, because it means you don't need to hassle around filling it, like I was describing.

So from here it’s up to you. Almost any rubbing/buffing you do is going to add shine to the surface. Nitro can be mirror finished, too, remember. I sympathise with your irritation at that scratch, so what about this? Take a little silver metal polish (literally polish for shining up silver spoons without taking off thin plating, so it has a very gentle cut to it – available from hardware stores). Go at it very carefully, wiping off frequently to see how it looks. If the guitar is new-ish, then the nitro will still be a little soft, and that scratch may heal up a little under the mechanical action of the rubbing.

Now if you do it enough to make a difference to the scratch you are likely going to put a shine on that area of the surface too. So at that point, use the 0000 wire wool, extremely lightly, to dull up the top coat again. Go easy-easy-easy all the way, a bit of polishing, a bit of wire wooling, so’s you can stop at any point if you don’t like the way it’s going.

I’d be glad to hear how you get on, if you go for it, cos as I said, I’ve never done this on satin before. We’re discovering this repair together.

Far as general care of nitro goes, (Saint) Dan Erlewine recommends Martin formula guitar polish. But he also says that any cleaner can permeate through nitro to the wood beneath, and cautions us to use chemicals very sparingly. He highly recommends a simple dry cloth, warm breathe and elbow grease for maintaining the instrument, most of the time. Martin polish perhaps as often as once in six months.

Good luck, fella!

- C


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