Re-doing the clear coat

[spkirby]

Hi,

on my Axis I have lots of light scratches in the clearcoat from enthusiastic strumming which isnt a big problem but kind of dulls the beauty of the quilt in places! Can anyone tell me if its possible to re-do the clear coat, whats involved and if its worth it!! (None of the scratches make it through the clear to the finish / wood)

I'd love to know if one of you have had this done already....

Thanks
Steve

 

[PurpleSport]

Are they "real" scratches or just the very fine light ones that every guitar gets in the picking areas after a while? If the latter, you might want to consider getting some rubbing and polishing compound and buffing them out.

The buffing compound is red paste or stick, and has a coarser texture you lightly rub it on the affected area as a prep/filler of sorts. Then you hit it with the polishing compound, which is white, usually a paste or liquid with finer abrasives/fillers in it. Then you finish off with a good spray-on guitar polish for that liquid shiny look.

I believe Meguiar's has recently come out with a guitar polishing kit....they've been making the aforementioned polishing pastes for auto finishes for years (auto and guitar lacquer finishes are very similar - not exactly sure if this would work as well on the EBMM's polyester, so hopefully Jonguitarz will provide further comment).

 

[spkirby]

Thanks for the reply PurpleSport...yep they are the light picking scratches that most guitars eventually get...not deep scratches!

Can anyone tell me more about the buffing / polishing kits, recommended brands and where to get them...plus whether it'll work on EBMM's polyester finish!

Thanks all
Steve

 

[PurpleSport]

SPKirby -

A random Google search brought up this site offering the kit, which should be available just about anywhere since it's being distributed by a large corporate guitar company who shall remain nameless:

http://www.wholenote.com/store/product.asp?sku=EM.099-0508-000&nav=m

Looks like the "Swirl and Haze Remover" part of the kit should do the main part of the job in your case.

If that's not available in your music store, go to your local auto shop and look for products from Meguiars...their site can clue you in on the stuff you'd look for:

www.meguiars.com

(look under Automotive Care for Appearance, Cleaning/Scratch Removal/Polishing products - sounds like you need SwirlX and Deep Crystal cleaner and polish)

I do believe I've read in some luthierie books that Meguiars was the polishing stuff of choice for repair guys, so you'l probably have good results whether you use the guitar or auto line (the auto stuff is probably cheaper per ounce and may not be formulated much differently).

Other names to look for pastes/polishes are Mother's and Turtle Wax, again, available at most auto stores - as before, look for a scratch/swirl remover, and remember you'll probably need to get 2-3 products to get the full restorative effect (2 levels of polish compound/paste and a wax and/or other finishing treatment for the top-off gloss):

www.mothers.com
www.turtlewax.com

Not sure if these are available outside of the US, if not, just look for stuff to restore auto finishes that meet similar criteria as the products above.

Good luck!