leovan83 Posted November 19, 2011 Posted November 19, 2011 Great... I cleaned my guitar today, I've used Virtuoso products (cleaner and polish) since it was recommended to me by a lot of users on this forum. The guitar is a LP Custom in Silverburst. Anyway, I used the cleaner, and then, I used the polish. I left the polish on the guitar for a couple hours while I was retubing my amp. I thought it was a good idea, to let the wax "penetrate". When I cleaned it off, the guitar has little "specks" or "dots" ALL OVER THE PLACE!! Looks like my guitar has chickenpox!! FML! They are TINY, little dots, which can't be really felt with your fingers (some can be felt), they are in streaks, like, "lines" of little dots. What can I or should I do?? God, is nitro that delicate? Should I get a strat!!?? Check out the pics:
Malchik Posted November 19, 2011 Posted November 19, 2011 Very odd. It looks like the wax agent may have had a reaction with the finish. The only thing I can think of is it either loosened some softer varnish off, or those are bubbles were it physically ate into the varnish. The best thing to do with nitro finishes is to just use some Gibson or Martin spray cleaner to get some of the grease off. I never trusted waxes because they do more damage to finishes than to let the air touch the nitro. This is why I never buy black or white guitars. With naturals you don't need to clean them to look great.
GibSinCity Posted November 19, 2011 Posted November 19, 2011 I've never had any problems with Virtuoso products. They've always worked great for me. If there was a problem with the product, I'm sure we would have heard about it numerous times at this forum. As long as you follow the directions, there should be no problem. I think this was more of an issue with the amount of time that you let the product stay on the guitar to let the wax "penetrate". It's not a wax. It's a polish. Nowhere in the directions does it say to let it stay on the instrument for a couple of hours. You've got nothing to lose. Why not try the cleaner again to see if it helps remove the spots. That's what the cleaner does. Cleans into the(Nitro)finish. That's why you use it for deep cleans once in a while, and the Polish more often. The finish should be thick enough for another cleaning. Directions here: http://www.virtuosopolish.com/page5.php
duane v Posted November 19, 2011 Posted November 19, 2011 why would you leave wax or any cleaning agent on a finished surface for any period of time .... That would be like leaving an open can of soda pop on you wife's favorite piece of oak (without a coaster) and hope nothing will happen .... oops I wont even leave wax on my cars, and that's either metal, fiberglass or carbon fiber with paint
pippy Posted November 19, 2011 Posted November 19, 2011 Wow! Sorry to see that... Like the others have suggested, leaving the polish on for that length of time was, perhaps, unwise (but I'm sure you've realised that for yourself by now). All polishes are (Stating the Bloody Obvious), chemical compounds; as is the nitro finish on your LP. No offence intended, but the possibility of a chemical reaction taking place over that period of time should hardly have come as a complete surprise. You could always try again, this time leaving, I'd suggest, a bit less time between the application and buffing stages. Good luck and let us know how you get on. P.
CaptainNemo68 Posted November 19, 2011 Posted November 19, 2011 OMG...I sure hope you can buff that out pal
Bender 4 Life Posted November 19, 2011 Posted November 19, 2011 looks like the "wax" went into the woodgrain too deep... almost as bad as the swirls dug into it by a dirty cloth not a clue what would bring it out w/o possibly doing even more damage, but if you can straighten it out forget the chemicals and just clean it w/a clean all cotton cloth. treat the fretboard 1-2 times a yr and play it.
Angellus Posted November 19, 2011 Posted November 19, 2011 yes as said before dont leave it on the finish for so long, ok so lets remedy the issue grab some naptha fluid (Zippo lighter fluid) put it on a soft clean cloth and wipe over the effected area (not too hard but then not soft as we want to see if its the nitro thats bubbled or the its just dried polish) naptha removes EVERYTHING from a guitar finish both poly and nitro (just dont smoke when your doing it ) in my personal oppinion you have a 9/10 chance its just dried polish and the naptha will remove it very easily let us know how you get on
BillyGibson Posted November 19, 2011 Posted November 19, 2011 Looks like it penetrated. Bummer. Hope Angellus's suggestions works out.
badbluesplayer Posted November 19, 2011 Posted November 19, 2011 It could be polish residue. You might try the cleaner again. By the way, you should only use the cleaner when the guitar gets so dirty that the polish doesn't work. The cleaner is more aggressive and will wear the finish if you use it all the time. And don't let that polish sit on the finish for more than a few minutes before buffing it. If it takes any longer to dry, then you're using too much polish.
BigKahune Posted November 19, 2011 Posted November 19, 2011 . Sorry to read about you unfortunate experience. Good advice above. I hope you can get it cleared up. Let us know how it goes. .
JellyWheat Posted November 19, 2011 Posted November 19, 2011 I'm in the same camp as Angellus and badbluesplayer. I think the naptha will dissolve the solids and you'll be back in business. As others have said, leaving anything on nitro for too long is a risky deal. My $0.02/FWIW J/W :)
leovan83 Posted November 19, 2011 Author Posted November 19, 2011 I will try the naphta. I can't seem to find Ronsonol here, so will Zippo branded lighter fluid work?
anaconda Posted November 19, 2011 Posted November 19, 2011 Just looks like stains/ like dried water stains. use the cleaner again it just might take it off
leovan83 Posted November 19, 2011 Author Posted November 19, 2011 Hmm, I just double checked the pics again, and if you look at the toggle switch cover, you can see a few of those dots as well, so it might just be the wax, hopefully. I will get some naphta soon and try and get it out.
JellyWheat Posted November 19, 2011 Posted November 19, 2011 The brand of naphtha does not matter. I also agree that a soft cloth moistened with the same cleaner may dissolve the unwanted residue. J/W
charlie brown Posted November 20, 2011 Posted November 20, 2011 Just looks like stains/ like dried water stains. use the cleaner again it just might take it off I agree...those "spots" or "trails" look exactly like what we get, around here, if we leave water on our cars, or even kitchen/bathroom tile and fixtures, because of the hard water. Try the cleaner, again, first. If that works, or some other solution suggested above, then leave the polish on, for only the amount of time it takes to "haze"(dry), then immediately rub it off, to that fine gloss. Good Luck!! CB
rainbowdemon427 Posted November 20, 2011 Posted November 20, 2011 We're talking a seriously expensive guitar here, so why on earth don't you simply contact Virtuoso, ask them their opinion and what to do to correct the problem instead of relying on any old wive's remedies?
Angellus Posted November 20, 2011 Posted November 20, 2011 We're talking a seriously expensive guitar here, so why on earth don't you simply contact Virtuoso, ask them their opinion and what to do to correct the problem instead of relying on any old wive's remedies? ha old wives tales from experienced owners some of which repair and build guitars....... yes any brand of naptha will work
damian Posted November 20, 2011 Posted November 20, 2011 ha old wives tales from experienced owners some of which repair and build guitars....... yes any brand of naptha will work This............^^^^^^^^^ Yes..............I own quite a few guitars; I haven't used wax or polish on any of them in 30 years.......They look just fine..... I will say that, at this stage I'd like to polish a couple of them, but............
BigKahune Posted November 20, 2011 Posted November 20, 2011 We're talking a seriously expensive guitar here, so why on earth don't you simply contact Virtuoso, ask them their opinion and what to do to correct the problem instead of relying on any old wive's remedies? Old wives remedies? . Naptha has been used for cleaning wooden instruments by guitar-techs/luthiers for decades. More like old luthier's knowledge. But a fair point by Rainbowdemon - if the naptha doesn't work, contacting Virtuoso is a valid suggestion. .
JellyWheat Posted November 20, 2011 Posted November 20, 2011 Old wives remedies? Naptha has been used for cleaning wooden instruments by guitar-techs/luthiers for decades. More like old luthier's knowledge. But a fair point by Rainbowdemon - if the naptha doesn't work, contacting Virtuoso is a valid suggestion. . J/W :blink:
LarryUK Posted November 20, 2011 Posted November 20, 2011 I've seen that before on a motorbike seat hump would you believe? I couldn't get rid of it. I seem to remember that it was a residue problem. I still have the seat hump. I'll find it and put some pics up. It was for a Suzuki SV650S.
leovan83 Posted November 21, 2011 Author Posted November 21, 2011 Ok guys, naphta doesn't work either. I just bought a flask of Zippo fluid, used my cloth to rub it into the dots, and nothing, they're just there. FML. I've emailed Virtuoso and asked them what's going on. God, I wish there's something I could do.
JellyWheat Posted November 21, 2011 Posted November 21, 2011 Ok guys, naphta doesn't work either. I just bought a flask of Zippo fluid, used my cloth to rub it into the dots, and nothing, they're just there. FML. I've emailed Virtuoso and asked them what's going on. God, I wish there's something I could do. I don't quite understand the technique you are using here. The idea is to put enough naptha on the cloth to dissolve the hardened wax residue and to keep wiping over a fairly large surface area to gradually clean the residue off as it softens. It will not disappear like magic... Let's review what we are dealing with here. You put a lot of polish on the guitar and let it dry over a fairly long period. It is going to take at least that long to reverse the deposition process and get it off. But for God's sakes, stay away from any source of ignition, and do the work in a well-ventilated area. Electric fans and ventilators are potential sources of ignition! Open a window and station yourself in front of it! Don't panic. Try to understand what is going on, and don't rush the remediation. J/W
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