How do you remove pick scratches from finish?

[Norrin Radd]

You know - outside of a professional buffing - is there a way to get rid of them yourself? I'm not against a lot of hard work either, if I can do it myself. I'm talking about those pick scratches that won't come off with normal guitar polishers - anyone got any suggestions? Thanks!

 

[dannymusic]

why?

 

[Ponch]

pick scratch is beautiful, i love it

 

[TonyEVH5150]

I've used Meguiar's Scratch Remover on guitar finishes before, but those were lacquer based. I don't know if that would be recommended for poly finishes.

I've just used a small amount on either an old t-shirt or waxing pad (like you'd use on a car). That stuff plus a little elbow grease should clear up the scratches quickly.

I'm tempted to try a little on my Axis sport in an inconspicuous area, just to see if it works.

 

[THE_EB_KID]

3M swirl remover would work too..

 

[Ripper]

3M swirl remover would work too..

Yup, it would be better if you can do it with a buffer plate attached to a hand drill. The high rpm will get rid of any swirl or minimise pick scratch. The scratch, however, should not be deep though. Deep scratch can only be removed by fine sanding. You can try using those Micro-mesh fine sanding pads and wet-sand your pickguard before you wanna polish it to real shine.

 

[candid_x]

Norrin, while I've never tried to remove pick swirl, I'm quite sure that Flitz would work well. It can be used on metal and it's also recommended for fiberglass boat hulls, so it should be fine for poly guitar finishes. If you don't find it in hardware, it can often be found in gun shops. A little goes a long way, and gently buffing by hand should be all that's required.

 

[tommyindelaware]

what ever u try......practice on cheap sunglsses. u wanna KNOW the result before u dig in.

rebuilding a gloss finish wont be a one step process.

 

[TonyEVH5150]

You will need to follow up with a polishing compound after the scratch remover, using a new/clean buffer plate. Just adding to what Tommy said.

 

[Larry]

what ever u try......practice on cheap sunglsses. u wanna KNOW the result before u dig in.

rebuilding a gloss finish wont be a one step process.

+1 a little scratch can be made a lot worse if using a bad or non-compatible polish or wax.

 

[JohnnyD19]

You know - outside of a professional buffing - is there a way to get rid of them yourself? I'm not against a lot of hard work either, if I can do it myself. I'm talking about those pick scratches that won't come off with normal guitar polishers - anyone got any suggestions? Thanks!

um some TLC, some hugs, and kisses that should fix everything hahaha

 

[DT1607]

I've taught myself to pick in a way that doesn't scrape the guitar, I suggest that for future guitars.

I did hear of some touch up pen for some basic guitar colours, you may want to search for that. although I can't see them working for every guitar out there.

 

[greenwizard]

Is there a touch up pen that covers Mystic Dream??

 

[marduke]

Is there a touch up pen that covers Mystic Dream??

doubt it the 'chameleon' type paints are nearly impossible to match by touching up. ie on cars if you damage one panel you cant just respray that panel with the same paint as it wont match (ie when the light hits it, it may reflect/refract differently causing different colourations.. we had a car at work that came from the factory with a chameleon paint finish and got a large scratch on it in transit, had to have the whole car repainted.... not sure if its the same with guitar paints though, but id assume it would be.

 

[martyhk0]

Here's how you remove the scratches:

Grab the guitar face up. Hold it very gently being sure not to cause any additional damage by cradling it in your hands.

Then put on your coat, take the guitar outside




and throw it in the woodchipper

 

[THE_EB_KID]

You Could Just Send It To Me And Get A New One!
Who Wan'ts A Guitar With Scratches On It Anyway!lol!!

 

[martyhk0]

How is this helpful? If it's spring or summer, why would I need the coat???

...seriously, I agree with the not-so-subtle sentiments here. While I 'm very careful with my stuff and don't intentionally try to "relic" my guitars, I don't go overboard and treat them like a a Faberge egg either. They're instruments meant to make sound, not be looked at so do what needs to be done to get that accomplished. Use 'em, don't abuse 'em ... natural wear and tear is a great thing.

Exactly!

 

[Spudmurphy]

Norrin - don't use a polishing mop - if you are asking how to remove scratches then that would indicate to me that you haven't used one before? You need to be experienced with them before you consider trying it out on an EB guitar.
If you do go ahead and use one - can I be first in line to buy the reliced finish that it could well end up with ??

In the Auto industry they are used wet and if you don't keep them wet they will burn your paint/clear coat. You may also remove too much from the edges and go right through into the undercoat - usually, edges have the least depth of paint.
I don't know how the EB do the polishing with their robot - whether it is wet or dry.

If it's just pick scratches then they can't be too deep?
So what you need to do is use some Farecla
or T cut.

If I'm telling you how to suck eggs then sorry - T cut was first brought out when cellulose was used to spray cars, Ferecla came more to the fore when cars were sprayed in modern finishes i.e. modern acrylic finishes. T cut will work on a modern finish - I used it to remove residue of Gun stock oil from my EB guitar.

It is a mild abrasive so take care!!

You would need to follow up with a good hand polish.
I have also used Duraglit or brasso liquid .

I'm sure you have similar products in the USA - prolly like the stuff CandidX recommends.

Let us all know how you get on?

 

[candid_x]

I'm sure you have similar products in the USA - prolly like the stuff CandidX recommends.

Actually, the stuff (Flitz) is made in France, but is available in the US. I know it would work. Pretty amazing stuff for all sorts of uses (including polishing frets). Not gritty but it does get scratches and swirls out. I'm out of it at the moment or I'd offer a demo on some cheap sunglasses, like Tommy suggested.

 

[Spudmurphy]

Bruce
What product exactly is it on this site?
Flitz Metal Polish
and ... Your out of it?
or have you just "run out of it"?