retrorod Posted November 30, 2008 Posted November 30, 2008 This reminds me of a post a long time back from Karen (gilliangirl post part-em). It was concerning finish damage from contact with mosquito repellant. I pulled a similar stunt on my LP jr that hangs in my garage. I was spraying a roach that was near the ceiling and the spray landed on the headstock. I quickly took it down and and tried wiping it off, but all it did was smear and left it dull looking..auurgh! Does anyone have suggestions on restoring and removing the blemish? I have some rubbing compounds and some micro-mesh sanding papers. I guess it is 50/50...I could make it better OR make it worse. RRod
ninety1vee Posted November 30, 2008 Posted November 30, 2008 probably have to use some high end deep conditioning polish stuff
jannusguy Posted November 30, 2008 Posted November 30, 2008 i seem to recall that one of the things recommended was to let it sit for awhile before attempting to remove it. i think karen let hers sit for at least a month before attacking it with something like virtuoso cleaner an polish. did you search for that thread? might still be there. good luck.
John Lee Walker Posted November 30, 2008 Posted November 30, 2008 I would go with a good cleaner such as Naptha, or Virtuoso cleaner then polish.
ksdaddy Posted November 30, 2008 Posted November 30, 2008 Patience is good. I don't specifically think I've ever gotten bug spray on any of my guitars but I know I've had chemical mishaps and the first thing is to avoid doing any further damage. Best to walk away for a while. If bad stuff (i.e. bug spray) gets on the lacquer it will soften and swell it. At that point some damage is done but it will be kept to an absolute minimum if it's just left be. Eventually the bad stuff will volatize and the lacquer will attempt to level back out by itself. Of course it can't, so there'll be a rough or wrinkled spot. I've had to sand with 600, 1000, or 2000 paper (or all of them) and then buff with whatever polish you prefer. It's never a guaranteed "2+2=4" process that is guaranteed to work; it's a mishap and the best you can do is the best you can do.
Rosewoody Posted November 30, 2008 Posted November 30, 2008 I once got some very light spray on a nitro finish. I blotted the affected area--just to get the stuff off--and left it alone. Eventually the softened and cloudy looking area hardened up and returned to normal. In this case, there wasn't a lot of spray and I got to it fast, so your situation may differ, but based on that experience, I would leave it alone for a long while. In other words, what Jannus and KS said.
Taylor Player Posted November 30, 2008 Posted November 30, 2008 Hey RRod..... Karen and I both had the problem at the same time. I got great advice from some of the luthiers on the Acoustic Guitar Forum and Karen also jumped into that thread over there. The advice worked beautifully on my AJ. Basically Naptha and other cleaners wont help the Nitro finish. In fact, if you use wax or other stuff, it will take longer for the Nitro finish to reharden. The trick is to do nothing for a few weeks as the finish rehardens on the guitar. Then, use some Mcguiers #7 and #9 to buff the area and finish with a good carnuba wax. I used Zymol as a wax. If you have access to a buffing wheel it will work even better, but after much elbow grease, I got my AJ looking new again to my relief. Everytime I looked at it while I was waiting, it broke my heart that I had been careless. The UV finish on my Taylor never had that problem but the Nitro on Gibsons won't stop the Deet from eating away at the finish. Here is the link I started to the thread over there and GG bumped back up with her questions along with the advice from the luthiers, Tim McKnight and others. http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/forums/showthread.php?t=129841&highlight=Deet And here is the thread from here where GG was discussing the problems she had.... http://forums.gibson.com/Default.aspx?g=posts&t=5286
retrorod Posted November 30, 2008 Author Posted November 30, 2008 Thanks guys, There is more spray on it than I realized. It like cascaded down.,falling on the sides of the body also. I went at it with virtuoso polish last nite after it happened. Just the thing I should not have done apparently. I will let it rest for awhile and live with it for now. I really feel like a ****** for doing that....One too many drinks, I guess. It is a 2004 LP jr. It is the one electric that stays in my garage shop for playing and testing amp repairs that I do as a side -hustle. It is the first NEW guitar that I have bought in over 30 years(I prefer used and vintage)! I had seriously thought of 'relicing' it a time or two.........Looks like my decision may be made for me now....
rscott4079 Posted November 30, 2008 Posted November 30, 2008 This is another example of why, over the years, I have become an advocate of keeping a guitar in it's case when not being played. I'm like one of those ex-smokers who goes around telling everyone else not to smoke. Several years ago I had a nice little Martin which I managed with amazing precision to spill coffee into the soundhole. Worse still are the extremes of heat and humidity. I've posted these before but here's a before and after example of a 40's SJ left near an air duct:
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