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Posts: 375
Location: Rocky River, Ohio | I'm clueless with woodworking. I need some help with a Nitro finish. This is one of the newer Les Paul vintage mahogany finishes. Satin, fairly rough surface, it's called 'worn brown'
Is there anything I can do easily at home to deal with the milky finish on the sides of the guitar? Something to help bring out the natural grain of the wood. The milky look is driving me crazy.
Thanks to everyone in advance.
Ernie
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Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Never worked with nitro.
Did you try cleaning with naptha first?
If it's something on the surface, you can try buffing with meguire x. Pick the spot where it'll get ruined anyway, the buckle rash spot. This will definitely give you a shinier finish.
The problem you have is if the milkiness is a deep fundamental part of the finish. If so, I'm not sure, but I think the only thing you can do is strip it, and finish it yourself, either with nitro, one of MWoody tung oils, maybe try tru-oil or something else.
MWoody is an expert in this area. MWoody are you here? |
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Posts: 1421
Location: Orange County, California | Nitro finishes are some of the easiest to work with. I would first try cleaning with denatured alcohol to make sure it's not just residue from a waxy guitar polish. Stewmac sells matte clear nitro lacquer in aerosol cans. You should be able to fine sand the milky edges (which were intentionally left really rough on the "worn" finishes), and apply some new new lacquer. I would think a couple of light coats that dried right, would be clear, not milky. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Stewmac also has something called blush remover for when the lacq blushes, turns milky. That's usually for when you're spraying it on though. I don't know of it turning milky after it's cured. |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Otherwise a nice looking piece of wood. |
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June 2004
Posts: 375
Location: Rocky River, Ohio | Thanks for everyone's input..
It came from the factory this way. If you read the reviews on harmony central, the quality of the finish varies widely. I love the way it plays, the finish is great everywhere except the sides all the way around.
I tried a very soft touch of 0000 steel wool with a little murphy's oil soap as a lube. it didn't do anything. I tried putting some oil on it, no luck. I tried clear paste waxes from Butchers, Johnson and Trewax. All it did was make it smell like wax and turpentine.
I saw something at the hardware store called Howard's restore a finish, it's just a wipe on wipe off type of deal, but it has some color to it. Too scared to buy it though...
Not sure if this helps, but i took off the covers on the back of the guitar and the wood is very light colored, so the brown is a stain.
I'll look into the blush remover.
I'll wait to see if MWoody responds, I know he's into woodworking. |
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Posts: 11039
Location: Earth·SolarSystem·LocalInterstellarCloud·Local Bub | looks like it might be an end-grain issue where the gain has run-out on the guitar sides... as if it wasn't sealed properly before final finish coats. End gain can be tricky...
If so... To remedy, you would need to get down to the wood- seal and then finish. |
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Location: 6 String Ranch | Just Gibson quality.
Are you sure it's nitro and not some urethane enhanced lacquer? |
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Location: Rocky River, Ohio | Bill, I'm sorry to say you're right.
Gibson must be cranking these guitars out like there's no tomorrow. It took me about 6 or 7 trials at GC to just find one that didn't make my fingers bleed moving from fret to fret.
This one was acquired through a friend.
I'm sure it's still nitro, I called their service department. The only difference is number of coats and less if any final buff time. |
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Location: Upper Left USA | I've never worked the nitro cellulose stuff but I know the same thing can happen with lacquer when moisture gets in.
Is there a warranty? |
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June 2004
Posts: 375
Location: Rocky River, Ohio | I tried the Howard's Restor-a-finish in the mahogany color, and it worked great.
you can still see the run out, but the milk is gone..This was 2 hours after application.
8 bucks at the hardware store.
Ernie
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Location: Upper Left USA | I'm glad that worked out!
So... when are you going to give Al his carpet back? |
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Location: Rocky River, Ohio | that's awesome !
i always thought our carpets were similar, just didn't think to post about it..
wait, it's an AREA rug... |
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Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | Wow, that came out really nice, I have to remember that: for nitro endgrain milkiness try Howard's Restor-a-finish. |
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Location: Upper Left USA | Maybe they should carry it at GC? |
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Location: Rocky River, Ohio | Yeah, or include a can with every MF mail order. |
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Location: Michigan | Erniewan,let us know if your guitar stays looking that way in a couple of weeks . Not to be a downer I would like to know if it is a long term cure or a short one.If you have actual blushing in the finish because of it being applied when the moisture level was high it might come back.That is the problem with lacquers they are very sensitive to humidity and they are a higher maintenence product and not as durable as a polyeuerthane finish.That is why the white guitars yellow as time goes on but then again Im told that the paint ages into the wood and makes a nicer sounding instrument as time goes by.I cannot say Yea or nah on that.Whatever I hope it works out good for you.
Shame on them if it is actual blushing issues for sending out guitars that look like that ,for blushing happens right away when the finish is being applied and they see it right away and it can be corrected but not down the road as time goes on.GWB |
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OT- need help with Nitro finish
