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Topic: Help! I messed up the finish and need advice |
Fred Kinbom
From:
Berlin, Germany, via Stockholm, Sweden.
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Posted 10 Dec 2006 10:17 am |
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Today I did something stupid! First of all - it's a cheap guitar, but also 70 years old.
I removed some tape from an old (matt-ish sunburst finished) Oahu student acoustic lap steel guitar. There were some sticky marks from the tape, so I took some of my wife's nailpolish remover to get it off... Well, this nailpolish remover was of the "nourishing" kind with vitamins  , and not completely clear. Now there are sort of "milky" marks on the finish that I can't get rid of! 
Any words of advice on what I can do to get rid of these marks would be much appreciated!
Many thanks!
Fred
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www.myspace.com/fredkinbom
www.youtube.com/oahusteel75
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Bill Hatcher
From:
Atlanta Ga. USA
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Posted 10 Dec 2006 11:41 am
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Next time use naptha or get some lighter fluid that is mostly naptha. Won't hurt the finish at all.
You used a modern chemical that breaks down the components of todays nail polish. No wonder it has damaged your 70 year old finish. Probably just did in the surface if you just wiped it on and off. You might wait a few weeks to see what happens when everything dries and then try some rubbing compound to see if you can buff the surface. The old finish might have been hard enough to fend off the chemicals for the brief time they were on it. |
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Dave Zielinski
From:
Pennsylvania, USA
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Posted 10 Dec 2006 12:24 pm
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nail polish and guitars NEVER MIX!!!! NAil polish remover is acetone, which will eat a lacquer finish....Hmmm how to fix this....
Well, if there still is some lacquer left, you could rub it out- this might require very fine sandgin- like starting with 320grit going to 800-1000. then using a polishing compound. meguires #7 is good stuff.
good luck. |
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Terry Farmer
From:
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 10 Dec 2006 12:28 pm
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| Yep, rubbing compound is your answer. If that doesn't restore the finish you'll have to refinish or live with it. I got some rubbing compound at the local woodworkers supply house for finishing a lacquer job. Three "grits" with the last one polishing it up like glass. Also, like the previous poster advised, wait about 30 days for the softened area of your finish to harden back up before you rub it out. Good luck. |
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Fred Kinbom
From:
Berlin, Germany, via Stockholm, Sweden.
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Posted 10 Dec 2006 1:26 pm
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Thanks very much gentlemen! I will go to a hardware store to see if they have the necessary rubbing compound.
The sanding bit sounds a bit "scary" - will the compound alone do the job, or will sanding be necessary too?
If it doesn't work out, it's no disaster on this $81 guitar, but I really like the guitar and I hate to mess up a piece of history in any way.
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www.myspace.com/fredkinbom
www.youtube.com/oahusteel75
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Robert Murphy
From:
West Virginia
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Posted 10 Dec 2006 2:08 pm
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| I used to do antique furniture refinishing and have run into this problem before. One way to release the trapped color is to reamalgamate the origional finish. If it's lacquer then lacquer thinner applied with a quick stroke on a soft lint free cloth will disolve the spot and you might be able to lightly whip it off or it may clear up by evaporation. Alternatly you could cover the spot with colored finish but you need to test this first. I have two Oahu acoustics. |
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Michael Johnstone
From:
Sylmar,Ca. USA
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Posted 10 Dec 2006 2:19 pm
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| Shoulda used a product called "Goo-Gone". Most effective and completely harmless. |
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Terry Farmer
From:
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 10 Dec 2006 5:04 pm
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| Fred, the compound alone should do the job. |
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Lynn Oliver
From:
Redmond, Washington USA * R.I.P.
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Posted 10 Dec 2006 5:33 pm
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Take a look at Drop Filling Lacquer on Frank Ford's site.
You should not even consider refinishing for something like this.
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Lynn Oliver
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Fred Kinbom
From:
Berlin, Germany, via Stockholm, Sweden.
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Posted 11 Dec 2006 8:04 am
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Thanks so much for the help folks!
Do you think this rubbing compound would do?
quote:
FARECLA
THE PROFESSIONALS CHOICE
G10 Extra Fine Grade Liquid Compound
500ml
Retails at £9.20 plus £2.50 postage ($24 - probably expensive by US standards, but so is everything over here I guess)
(Brad - for some strange reason I couldn't link to this eBay item. Strange.)
I don't have a car, so I'm not used to buying things like this.
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www.myspace.com/fredkinbom
www.youtube.com/oahusteel75
[This message was edited by Fred Kinbom on 11 December 2006 at 08:06 AM.] [This message was edited by Fred Kinbom on 11 December 2006 at 08:07 AM.] [This message was edited by Fred Kinbom on 11 December 2006 at 08:08 AM.] [This message was edited by Fred Kinbom on 11 December 2006 at 08:09 AM.] [This message was edited by Fred Kinbom on 11 December 2006 at 08:11 AM.] [This message was edited by Fred Kinbom on 11 December 2006 at 08:12 AM.] [This message was edited by Fred Kinbom on 11 December 2006 at 08:15 AM.] |
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Fred Kinbom
From:
Berlin, Germany, via Stockholm, Sweden.
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Posted 11 Dec 2006 8:19 am
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One more thing: Once I've given it some time, and bought the compound, exactly how do I proceed? (Application, type of cloth, wiping it off, etc.)
Pardon my ignorance and question-bombardment, but I've done enough damage to this poor guitar!
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www.myspace.com/fredkinbom
www.youtube.com/oahusteel75
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Fred Shannon
From:
Rocking "S" Ranch, Comancheria, Texas, R.I.P.
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Posted 11 Dec 2006 8:45 am
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Fred, shoot an email to Jim Sliff. I think he's pretty well up on things like this.
Sorry forgot to post his e addie:
jim_sliff@rocketmail.com
Phred
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"From Truth, Justice is Born"--Quanah Parker-1904
[This message was edited by Fred Shannon on 11 December 2006 at 08:48 AM.] |
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Terry Farmer
From:
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 11 Dec 2006 9:59 am
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| Just apply the compound with a soft cotton cloth. Diapers work great. Rub, rub, rub, rub,.......... the compound comes off by itself. You can use a buffing wheel on a drill or something but it's not necessary and probably not advisable without prior experience. Hand rub till you are tired of it and then rub some more. You'll become well aquainted with your old friend. |
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Ron
From:
Hermiston, Oregon
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Posted 12 Dec 2006 9:59 am
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The white or milky color is trapped moisture in the finish. If you break the surface with rubbing compound or the lacquer thinner and do a fast wipe with a lint free rag like a old tee shirt, the finish will soften and let the moisture come out. It is like spraying lacquer on a day it is raining. The lacquer has asotene in it and that absorbs moisture from the air and will be stuck in the finish and the way to remove it is spray on another coat and it will leave. Remember leaving a glass of water on your nice table and having a ring of white left. The old fix is to use some touthpaste and rub it in and the white will leave. Hope this helps.
Ron |
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Fred Kinbom
From:
Berlin, Germany, via Stockholm, Sweden.
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Terry Farmer
From:
Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
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Posted 15 Dec 2006 2:36 pm
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| Right on Ron and Fred! Never underestimate grandma's remedies! |
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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Posted 15 Dec 2006 3:55 pm
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That's a common problem on old cheap guitars that were finished with shellac. Shellac isn't waterproof, and as others have stated, that's why glasses left those "white rings" on old furniture. Shellac is thinned with alcohol, and you can sometimes "reflow" an old finish by applying some alcohol with a lint-free rag. Don't use "rubbing alcohol", however, as it's impure (contains too much water), and will make the entire finish cloudy. Get your alcohol from a paint-supply store, or a liquor store that sells high-proof (190 or better) grain alcohol (which some furniture restorers prefer...for some odd reason? ).
Another olde-tyme remedy for this problem is cigarette ashes mixed with a little petroleum jelly (Vaseline). It actually makes a pretty good polishing paste! |
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Marc Weller
From:
Upland, Ca. 91784
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Posted 17 Dec 2006 9:33 am
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Where does one purchase nitrocellulose lacquer in non aerosol form?
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Donny Hinson
From:
Glen Burnie, Md. U.S.A.
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