Official Luthiers Forum!

What materials and methods are most of you guys using to touch up finishes on guitars? I have an old Gallagher in the shop that needs finish repair where your arm rests and around up behind the bridge. It's not a tiny spot or anything, it's a pretty good section of the top. Since the guitar is finished with lacquer I'm trying to repair it with lacquer. I've tried using a brush but I'm getting a very rough surface even when using retarder in the lacquer. Should I do a lot of masking and spray the finish. What is usually done?

   Every repair has its own little solution. I often will do the mask off and spray the area routine. If the wood is exposed I will wipe it down
1 naptha
2 alcohol
3 mineral spirits
4 naptha
   then I seal and hit it with spray. Then wet sand and buff out after a few weeks of cure time. Lacquer is great for the repairability of it. No other finish other than schellac is a fixable
john hall

Stew-Mac sells a product called butyl cellasolve.I think they call it Lacquer Melt. It works really well at blending the new lacquer to the old finish.





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Dave A.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

interesting that you mention the butyl cellusolve as i just ordered somet this morning. i have always used a a light spray or drop or whatever of thinner to help melt in but decided to try the product to see if it was better.

would you care to comment on exactly like timing, strength of coat, etc.)how you use it in repair work?

Sure, I've used butyl cellosolve on a job that I buffed through on the edge.I touched up the black lacquer first,Then sprayed the cellosolve.Its thin so you have to be careful.Then 4 coats of lacquer.An hour after the last coat dried I misted another coat of cellosolve.It really melts in nice.

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Anderson Guitars
Clearwater,Fl. 33755

that butyl is great stuff again a reason to use nitro