mikhailgtrski Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 (edited) OK, so while I was being careful to keep the bridge stud and string-through holes dry during wet sanding, I forgot to keep an eye on the 5-way switch slot. The wood got just wet enough to swell and crack the lacquer between the slot and one of the mounting holes, and a little bit past that. How would you go about repairing this? I'm guessing it would involve some very careful sanding (edit - or possibly cutting it out a bit to enlarge it into a "chip" that can be drop filled?)and some butyl cellosolve (or a similar solvent) to re-flow the lacquer, then some drop filling. I'll post a pic of the carnage tonight. Thanks for the help. Mike Edited July 17, 2006 by mikhailgtrski Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pr3Va1L Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Maybe you could try drop-filling with CA? I heard it was good for chips and such... I'd wait on an expert's advice though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted July 17, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 I found some info in the MIMF library that might work... CA isn't recommended for lacquer repairs - apparently it refracts light differently and is harder than nitro, making it difficult to level properly. Works well with poly finishes. Thanks though, Pr3Va1L. Anyone with experience, feel free to add your $0.02. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Shame you won't have any scrap to experiment on. Unless you want to wait another 45 days to make some. Can you reflow slightly and also dropfill a tiny amount whilst the finish is solvent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Shame you won't have any scrap to experiment on. Unless you want to wait another 45 days to make some. Can you reflow slightly and also dropfill a tiny amount whilst the finish is solvent? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 I found this tutorial at frets.com. As long as it doesn't mess up the underlying stain, this might do it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 I found this tutorial at frets.com. As long as it doesn't mess up the underlying stain, this might do it. Yeah, but I bet these 5 words send a shiver down your spine... After a month's drying time... The repair on that site is completely invisible Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Yeah, but I bet these 5 words send a shiver down your spine... After a month's drying time... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Yeah well you did seem to need some psychological counselling to get you through the last month Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted July 18, 2006 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Yeah well you did seem to need some psychological counselling to get you through the last month Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ben Posted July 18, 2006 Report Share Posted July 18, 2006 Well good luck with whatever you do I'd hate to see anything go wrong with this guitar- it looks fantastic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted August 2, 2006 Author Report Share Posted August 2, 2006 Update... Turns out there was a bit of buffing compound in there, so I ended up following Frank Ford's tutorial, enlarging the crack with an x-acto and cleaning it out. I brushed on a bit of lacquer retarder, let it dry for a couple of hours, then filled it with lacquer. It needs a bit more to fill it up before I level and buff it out, but it looks like it's going to be an invisible repair. (BTW - She's all set up and getting some playing time while I let the repair cure for a few weeks.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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