MattSA Posted November 27, 2017 Report Share Posted November 27, 2017 You all probably get this question about once a month. I'm working on a Washburn that has heavy haze and swirl marks on the rear of the guitar. I have read some articles about removing these marks from car finishes, but am uncertain whether the same steps are safe for guitar finishes. Unfortunately I can't tell you whether the finish is nitro, poly, etc. It is an older model which I bought used between '95 and 2000. Can someone offer some advice or a link? Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted November 27, 2017 Report Share Posted November 27, 2017 Actually we use car finish products all the time. Meguiars is a favorite as well as 3M products. I level the finish and polish my guitars with micromesh right up through 12000 grit and finish with a Meguiars buffing compound. These should all work on all guitar finishes that are a built up film (as opposed to oil). SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattSA Posted November 27, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 27, 2017 So you suggest an automotive buffing compound applied with micromesh sanding pads? Is this safe for a finished guitar - I would think any abrasive would produce more scratches then less? Can you suggest what grit range? Start with 12000 grit or finish with 12000 grit? Can I apply by hand or should I use a buffing wheel attached to power drill? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pan_kara Posted November 28, 2017 Report Share Posted November 28, 2017 no no, micromesh first, then buff. If you only have swirls in the clearcoat then you probably don't need to sand at all. Just buff with an automotive polishing compound. Sanding does produce scratches, but going from coarse to finer grits makes the scratches progressively finer - with the finer grits removing the scratches from the coarser ones - so just like sanding wood. In general I think the same principles apply to most clearcoats that people use, both on cars and on guitars. There is a large overlap. Buffing can be done by hand (at which point it will take longer), or by machine - depends what you have available. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted November 28, 2017 Report Share Posted November 28, 2017 What he said. Sorry I wasn't clearer....but it sounds like your common sense was leading you in the right direction. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattSA Posted November 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2017 Great - can you suggest what grit to start at before buffing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted November 28, 2017 Report Share Posted November 28, 2017 Micromesh has grits from 500 to 12000. Since you are talking swirl marks in clear coat, I would test with one of the finest grits, maybe 6000, and see if it takes out the swirl marks. If it does, it will leave marks of its own, which will be taken out with the 8000, then 12000. You will be at a highly polished state by then, but if you still have swirls that bother you, go to the buffing compounds from there. If the 6000 did not get out the original swirls (and replace them with 6000 grit swirls) then back up and go with the next courser grit, 4000 or even 3600, and work your way back up through 12000. Or like @pan_kara says, try starting with the buffing compound and see if it does the job, before resorting to micromesh. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pan_kara Posted November 28, 2017 Report Share Posted November 28, 2017 yea, on cars people normally take scratches out with polishing alone, sanding is really something that people typically are reluctant to try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pan_kara Posted November 28, 2017 Report Share Posted November 28, 2017 yea, on cars people normally take scratches out with polishing alone, sanding is really something that people typically are reluctant to try Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattSA Posted November 28, 2017 Author Report Share Posted November 28, 2017 (edited) Thanks ScottR (and others). I have never worked on a finished guitar before so was reluctant to go right into 'sanding' the finish even with finer grades. Thanks for all the help. Matt Edited November 28, 2017 by MattSA Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MattSA Posted April 5, 2018 Author Report Share Posted April 5, 2018 (edited) Hey guys. I finally have enough time to start this project. Thanks for the great help suggested above. I took a photo of the rear of my guitar which shows the problem areas. I wanted to make sure before starting any repairs that the info I have is correct for my situation. As you can see my finger prints have marred many places on the guitar finish, and especially along the neck. I suppose this is due to sweat. I have purchased sanding pads (1500 through 12000 grit), Meguiar's ScratchX 2.0 compound, and a polishing attachment for a hand-held power driver. I understand what has been suggested above, but would like an experienced diagnosis of the photo - is this the right technique given the marks on the guitar? BTW - the flash on the camera does a great job at showing the marks, but makes the finish look like enamel - its actually some sort of semitransparent dark blue-green stain - the grain is slightly visible through the coat. I added the second photo to try and show the actual grain and finish. Edited April 5, 2018 by MattSA more info provided Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ScottR Posted April 6, 2018 Report Share Posted April 6, 2018 As long as you start with the least aggressive process (the Maguiar's) to evaluate whether you need to resort to sanding, you should be fine. SR Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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