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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I posted this in the sell / trade area which was the wrong place for this question. I have a solid mahogany body with a satin finish, and Stony B 's post got me a thinkin' about changing the finish:
StoneB,
This may sound dumb, but when you say handpolish, do you mean using butchers wax, and then repeatedly polishing it for four hours? Would maybe using something like M'Guire X first make sense to smooth out the finish, then use the buthcers wax? Anyone here know about glossing out a satin finish?
Thanks,
an4340 |
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July 2005
Posts: 176
| I remember a post about it on acousticguitarplayer.
Let me see if I can find a link. It turned out nicely. |
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June 2002
Posts: 863
Location: Central Florida | I had a Martin D-1 with a satin finish that I buffed to a nice semi-gloss using a two step process. For the first step I used Meguiar's Scratch X and an orbital buffer to take the "satin" out of the finish, if you will. For step two, I used Meguiar's "Deep Crystal System Polish, Step 2" to "lock in" the finish and bring out the lustre a bit more.
I was very pleased with the results, but the key to doing something like this is patience and attention to detail. The orbital buffer was great for the large, flat areas, but for close areas like around the bridge and the sides of the fingerboard extention, I had to use old t-shirts and good old fashioned elbow grease, because the buffer can't get into those tight spots very well.
Now the disclaimer:
Having said all that, I'm not recomending this method as fool proof by any means. I'm just sharing my experience and the results I was able to achieve. Also, I didn't jump head long into it. I took my time and gathered as much info as I could from others who had done this. Finally, the method I described works well on whatever materials Martin uses to produce their satin finishes. Other guitar makers may use different materials, and the results may vary, as they say. So, do as much research as you possibly can. For a more detailed description of the method I used, go to the Unofficial Martin Guitar Forum (www.umgf.com), and click on the FAQ link. Scroll down a bit and you'll see the topic "Buffing Out a Satin Finish." |
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August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | This is a good article on polishing a satin finish.
Polishing Link
The process is fairly idiotproof as long as you don't too aggressive with the steel wool. I used the Meguiars products when I did mine and they are terrific. The key is to take your time. I taped off the bridge and neck areas. |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I'll combine the processes, I'm going to go with the Meguire's X, followed by the Meguiar's Crystal 2 system, followed by a coat of butcher's wax for protection. Will post pictures and let you know how it turns out.
Thanks for the tips fellas. |
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July 2005
Posts: 176
| that was the link I was looking for |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | So, I suppose an angle grinder is out of the question. Great link StoneyB. |
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August 2002
Posts: 8307
Location: Tennessee | Thanks. I researched and looked at everything I could before I did the first one. That link is one I saved in my bookmarks because I thought it was good and wanted to find it again in case I ran into any "issues". A lot of the other reference material said DO NOT use any power tools as they can cause some real problems while in the hands of mere mortals. (I think they were speaking directly to me ... probably not a problem for a lot of folks here that are handier with tools and have a higher fear tolerance). It is said that if you do it all by hand, you'll get a far more consistent finish, especially in the tight areas where ghosting can be an issue. |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | You remembered. I was kidding about the grinder. |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | It came out great. Also, swapped out the tuners for the planet waves auto-trim. They work great!
Other pics in gallery. |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | It came out great. Also, swapped out the tuners for the planet waves auto-trim. They work great!
Other pics in gallery. |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I'm repeating myself.
Buffed with meguire's x. Used a drill and a mushroom buff attachement for the back. For the front used a wheel buff.
After that used crystal 2, topped off with butchers wax. |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I'm repeating myself.
Buffed with meguire's x. Used a drill and a mushroom buff attachement for the back. For the front used a wheel buff.
After that used crystal 2, topped off with butchers wax. |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I'm repeating myself.
Buffed with meguire's x. Used a drill and a mushroom buff attachement for the back. For the front used a wheel buff.
After that used crystal 2, topped off with butchers wax. |
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Joined:
May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I'm repeating myself.
Buffed with meguire's x. Used a drill and a mushroom buff attachement for the back. For the front used a wheel buff.
After that used crystal 2, topped off with butchers wax. |
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December 2003
Posts: 13984
Location: Upper Left USA | Beautiful job on the guitar!
The Server needs a little polish though! |
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August 2003
Posts: 4619
Location: SoCal | I can see it for a solid body but wonder about an acoustic. I have had several satins...the Martin D-15S (slothead) that I have now appears to be porus and I have used Dunlop 65 only. Would like to have more of a gloss but seriously wonder if sealing the pores would affect the great "voice". |
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Change a satin finish to a semi-gloss
