CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

A

Adieu

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Solutions to clearcoat damage? Polish? Sand? Sand & recoat? Strip & recoat? What can be done in garage conditions cheaply but well, what requires pro attention, and how much might a well done recoat run me?

Instrument is ESP Eclipse I, trans black cherry finish (stain? paint? clueless here)... Not a single scratch through the wood or even through the cherry, but top has a bunch of big wide scratches in the clearcoat, maybe from a wristwatch worn by a prior player...
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

Abrasive polish. A real one, 3M or so.

If it is very deep polishing can come out uneven and sanding with a block is better. But the latter might very well take off all paint then.
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

PS bolton, so that ought to make things easier. would post a pic, but flash makes the finish look perfect, scratches only visible under specific lighting conditions....they are, however, the real deal, HUGE, not the little thin circular stuff you always see under any light on any old guitar, but irregular wide gouges in the clearcoat (actually kinda shocking that they didnt slash through to the wood, most other guitars would show monstrous scarring from something that big and hard slashing into em)
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

uOpt said:
Abrasive polish. A real one, 3M or so.

If it is very deep polishing can come out uneven and sanding with a block is better. But the latter might very well take off all paint then.
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Is transparent black cherry on an supposedly handbuilt hiend instrument paint or a stain? If it is a stain, how deep would it penetrate? CAN you sand off the entire clearcoat off a stained piece of mahogany without destroying the stain?
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

Adieu said:
Is transparent black cherry on an supposedly handbuilt hiend instrument paint or a stain? If it is a stain, how deep would it penetrate? CAN you sand off the entire clearcoat off a stained piece of mahogany without destroying the stain?
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Theoretically that should work, but I guess if it is a carved top then sanding it evenly will be challenging.

You can also try filling the scratches with something first and then sand over.
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

uOpt said:
Theoretically that should work, but I guess if it is a carved top then sanding it evenly will be challenging.

You can also try filling the scratches with something first and then sand over.
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Nope, flattop. First gen eclipse.

crusty philtrum said:
Superglue.
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Srsly? Cuz...its an ESP proper Eclipse, not a starter kit LTD m50. Plus its fully useable and almost pretty as is, so this aint some emergency repair on a $2 budget.

And, anyways, if its about filling and sanding (?), why not polyurethane then?
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

Adieu said:
Srsly? (re. Superglue) Cuz...its an ESP proper Eclipse, not a starter kit LTD m50. Plus its fully useable and almost pretty as is, so this aint some emergency repair on a $2 budget.

And, anyways, if its about filling and sanding (?), why not polyurethane then?
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Look, don't take the word of an idiot like me who has only been around guitars for over 4 decades and has developed many other skills such as spraypainting and finish repairs (you can check my thread in The Vault, which is the only guitar building thread in there, to see just how rough and ready, not to mention cheap, I am). No, instead, check the Stewmac site and it's many many references and products for repairing finishes with superglue.

If the finish is Nitro (which i doubt), you use nail polish to build the scratch up until it's above the surrounding area, then level it down with abrasives, compounds and polishes. For everything else, use superglue. It will build a lot faster than trying to build with poly (and ya don't have to wait to allow for shrinkage ... a few fills to build the level up only takes a day or two). But like i say, you don't want to believe me, go check Stewmac, and credit them for the answers.

Fwiw, i don't advocate anything less than doing things properly no matter how crappy the guitar is.
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

Sry sry, it just sounds rather... duct tapey... to the uninitiated. Plus, SD Forums arent devoid of the occasional sarcastic troll advocating "dont try this at home" type joke solutions.
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

A few fills? A day or two? Scratches aren't over 1-2mm deep, just wide.... Kinda confused now. Wouldnt they OVERfill on first or second round?
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

Adieu said:
Sry sry, it just sounds rather... duct tapey... to the uninitiated. Plus, SD Forums arent devoid of the occasional sarcastic troll advocating "dont try this at home" type joke solutions.
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Don't trust him! your guitar will explode if you use superglue.
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

kramersteen said:
Don't trust him! your guitar will explode if you use superglue.
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I wiiiish :-) woulda made for a heck of a signature stage antic, surely far more impressive than going Pete/Kurt on some poor mic squier!!
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

I'd just polish it up. It'll make it look better without having to bother with making it look perfect. You'll want to rent a buffer for a day if you don't already have one; you'll get better results than you will by hand. Use wet sandpaper on a block (2000 grit, soaked for a day in mineral spirits), followed by red buffing compound, followed by white polish. Let the guitar sit afterward, so the polish residue dries. Then clean it off with mineral spirits. When the mineral spirits have dried (give it some time), finish it off with an over-the-counter guitar store polish like the stuff made by Martin. You'll still have impressions, but they will be smoothed and glossed over such that they will be barely visible to the casual observer.

As always, test all products first on a hidden area of the guitar. Usually not necessary, but it's good practice, just to be ultra safe.
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

^^^ Yup. Don't make it look worse.
PC
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

Two THOUSAND grit? Is that the same scale as tends to go too 200-300ish for superfine at hardware stores?
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

Adieu said:
Two THOUSAND grit? Is that the same scale as tends to go too 200-300ish for superfine at hardware stores?
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No, it's for real.

And get quality paper. In a pinch Stewmac will do.
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

Adieu said:
Two THOUSAND grit? Is that the same scale as tends to go too 200-300ish for superfine at hardware stores?
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Your best bet will be a local auto paint supplier. Places like Auto Zone or Pep Boys, in the US, will carry this.
It will probably be described as "wet/dry" sandpaper.
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

The micro-mesh pads go from 1500 to 12,000. You could also try a little watered down toothpaste.
PC
 
Re: CLEARCOAT damage / deeply scratched, but untouched wood&finish...solutions?

Whoa...live n learn, eh? Thx guys
 
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