wawa8223 Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 I have a Fernandes Ravelle that has a significant ding in it that goes through the clearcoat and down to the wood. It's located near the back edge of the lower horn. I have already resolved myself to doing the repair work myself, and the prep work has gone OK. I want to begin refinishing the damaged area soon, but I can't find ANY info about the materials used for the guitars original finish. I have sent inquiries to Fernandes. They weren't really any help, and it's hard to even get them on the phone or get a response e-mail from them. I've been all over the net looking for specific info on the finish. Nothing. Is there anyone hear that could provide me some technical assistance. I don't need to know exact color names, etc. I just need to know things like... ...is it a nitrocellulose lacquer??? ...a poly type finish??? ...is the color coat a stain, dye, or a transparent type of paint??? I'm just at a loss, and I'd hate to start going at it with the wrong stuff and melt the finish off the rest of the guitar... Thanks, Wawa--------- Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racer X Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 (edited) I always go the super-glue, drop-fill route, and have had great success. You might want to consider that. You just have to make sure you have the wood mathing the surrounding area, before you drop-fill. Edited February 21, 2006 by Racer X Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wawa8223 Posted February 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Yeah, I've been hearing that method a lot today. Unfortunately, it's too late for that. The area has been sanded, and the chip in the wood has been filled then sanded again flush with the wood. Any ideas where to go from here? Oh, and the clearcoat is Poly...not Nitro. The question now is...Is it Polyurethane or Polyester??? I'm thinking, polyester. Where do I find a comparable clear coat that I can spray on? Keep in mind, I don't have access to a spray gun. Thanks again! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Racer X Posted February 22, 2006 Report Share Posted February 22, 2006 If you are trying to top with polyurethane, and NOT use a gun, you might be shooting yourself in the foot. There may be hope. There is a crop of clear poly finishes, available, in spray can. However, as they are NOT catalyzed, I don't know if they can be considered a true poly coat, at least from a durability sense. Minwax makes one, and I've seen it anywhere from the local hardware store, to Walmart. Ther are others, as well. Good luck. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wawa8223 Posted February 24, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 24, 2006 Well, I think I have found a catalyzed poly finish that will work, and I'm getting an airbrush. My next issue is the type of sand and sealer to get. I've read that there are some issues with catalyzed poly sticking to certain sand and seal formulas. Any suggestions??? If anyone has a brand in mind, that would certainly help. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wawa8223 Posted August 23, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 OK. I'm submitting some before and after photos of the repair. The camera flash tends to bring out the flaws, but in normal light...to the casual observer, you really have to LOOK to see that there was a fix! I'm pretty happy for a first timer! OK. After sanding it back, I used Zinsser all-purpose SealCoat. I mixed in a little analine Dye (mixed with denatured alcohol) with the Seal coat. For the clear, I used DuPont Chroma Clear HC-7600 with HC-7605 Catalyzer. I sprayed that with a small air gun. I sanded to 2000 grit. I had a hard time trying to remove the line where it overlaps the original clearcoat. Catalyzed poly doesn't 'melt' into the original finish. After polishing, though, you really have to turn it under the light to find the line. I polished with Meguiar's Diamond Cut compound 2.0 and a cotton buffing wheel. It almost instantly brought the finish to a glowing clear! Well, here it is! Before: http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/wawa8223/9986c96c.jpg http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/wawa8223/48d590f2.jpg After: http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/wawa8223/Gtr3.jpg http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/wawa8223/Gtr1.jpg http://i39.photobucket.com/albums/e181/wawa8223/Gtr2.jpg Thanks for the help! Comments appreciated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Setch Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 Nice work - you've matched the colour very well, and the witness lines certainly don't seem obvious from where I'm sitting. Very good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaintIt Posted August 23, 2006 Report Share Posted August 23, 2006 OK. I'm submitting some before and after photos of the repair. The camera flash tends to bring out the flaws, but in normal light...to the casual observer, you really have to LOOK to see that there was a fix! I'm pretty happy for a first timer! OK. After sanding it back, I used Zinsser all-purpose SealCoat. I mixed in a little analine Dye (mixed with denatured alcohol) with the Seal coat. For the clear, I used DuPont Chroma Clear HC-7600 with HC-7605 Catalyzer. I sprayed that with a small air gun. I sanded to 2000 grit. I had a hard time trying to remove the line where it overlaps the original clearcoat. Catalyzed poly doesn't 'melt' into the original finish. After polishing, though, you really have to turn it under the light to find the line. I polished with Meguiar's Diamond Cut compound 2.0 and a cotton buffing wheel. It almost instantly brought the finish to a glowing clear! Well, here it is! . Dupont makes a Blender that is used to melt the new clear into the existing finish. You would spray it with clear then second coat 50/50 clear and blender slightly bigger spray area. Third coat with blender only slightly larger area again. The blender is really just a very hot reducer that melts the clear down to the old clear. It will also be extremly smooth if done correctly and require no buffing. Your repair looks great and the color match in the stain is not noticable. Great job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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