Lennart Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 I´m setting up an LP Special, transparent amber. I wiped it clean with alcohol, which it did´t like... Is it really painted with shellack? In the factory? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 Yikes. Is it a Gibby or an EPI? Hopefully, it ain't ruined. About all I can offer is that on some older Gibby's, the finish can hold a lot of oxygen and get foggy if you use the wrong polish or cleaner. Gibby's are nitro laquer (oil based) and Epi's are polyurethane. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 . Welcome. As Stein wrote - and I hope your finish is <edit> not <edit oops - thanks Stein> totaled. Clean nitro finishes with naptha aka lighter fluid (make sure no solvent additives) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted August 17, 2011 Share Posted August 17, 2011 He meant 'not" totaled... Word of extreme caution-TEST A SMALL AREA FIRST! really small, and let it dry well before doing the whole thing. Thats how you got this problem in the first place! It can easily get from bad to worst in a hurry if you keep trying one thing after another. Don't loose hope, and don't panic. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rogerb Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 BigKahune is right, use naphtha to clean the guitar but I recommend following up with Gibson pump polish. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennart Posted August 18, 2011 Author Share Posted August 18, 2011 It´s a Gibson. I didn´t think this could be a problem. I´ve cleaned guitars for years with alcohol. I didn´t notice what happened first. After a while I changed the angle to the light and... I didn´t know of this problem with nitro laquer and alcohol. Somebody suggested to polish it with fine polishing paste. Is that a good idea? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted August 18, 2011 Share Posted August 18, 2011 . Without a pic, I'm not sure what the damage is, but you could try the Virtuoso cleaner - http://www.virtuosopolish.com/ - can be found at most guitar retailers. I use the Virtuoso Cleaner for "deep" cleaning - removes forearm haze and brings the shine back to nitro finishes. The polish is great too. <no affiliation> Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stein Posted August 19, 2011 Share Posted August 19, 2011 It´s a Gibson. I didn´t think this could be a problem. I´ve cleaned guitars for years with alcohol. I didn´t notice what happened first. After a while I changed the angle to the light and... I didn´t know of this problem with nitro laquer and alcohol. Somebody suggested to polish it with fine polishing paste. Is that a good idea? Actually, alcohol is an excellent cleaner on a lot of finishes, like enamels. LOL..BUT NOT ALL!. Gibson finishes are actually quite porous, so they can soak up a lot of things, and the "hazing" you are seeing could be that. I would try the naphtha, I haven't ever used it, but I say it because a lot of people say it works and is safe, and so does Gibson. Also, lemon oil works great for problem cloudy finishes, and I have used it a lot. I would follow anything up with the Gibson polish. I have used it, and it works on all guitars. Some older Gibsons will cloud up using other polishes, even Martin polish. Again though, can't stress enough to do only a SMALL area and let it dry first, because when something DOESN'T work (especially when you already have a problem) it can get outta control and cause you real problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lennart Posted August 23, 2011 Author Share Posted August 23, 2011 A have a bottle of Turtle Wax polish for cars. I tried it and now the guitar is like new. And happines is here again. Thanks guys! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigKahune Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 . Well alright. Glad to read you recovered your finish. Here's another tip on nitro finishes. As you already have found, nitro is very reactive - especially with rubber, some foams, soft plastic, dyes (leach into the finish and can stain the color under the nitro), some cleaning solvents. Guitar stands can cause problems with rubber or foam nitro reactions. So if you buy a stand, make sure it is nitro safe before setting your guitar on it. You can always cover the foam/rubber parts with undyed (white) cotton cloth. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NoFrills Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 Never tried using lighter fluid but I'll give it a shot on my Studio, once it comes back from the Luthier who's had it for over a week, just to clean the fretboard and replace the machine heads. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff-7 Posted August 23, 2011 Share Posted August 23, 2011 . Well alright. Glad to read you recovered your finish. Here's another tip on nitro finishes. As you already have found, nitro is very reactive - especially with rubber, some foams, soft plastic, dyes (leach into the finish and can stain the color under the nitro), some cleaning solvents. Guitar stands can cause problems with rubber or foam nitro reactions. So if you buy a stand, make sure it is nitro safe before setting your guitar on it. You can always cover the foam/rubber parts with undyed (white) cotton cloth. Good tips as always from BK. I will go further to add that even if a stand claims to be nitro safe I would still wrap contact points with undyed cotton, seen too many people upset that the "nitro safe" products still reacted with the finish. Never tried using lighter fluid but I'll give it a shot on my Studio, once it comes back from the Luthier who's had it for over a week, just to clean the fretboard and replace the machine heads. Naptha works great, I use it to clean guitars frequently (even fretboards, be sure to use something like fret doctor after as naptha dries a board quickly). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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