Buffing/polishing Finish Question?

[tce919]

I just got a Gibson Les Paul Studio Faded Blue guitar and want to buff or polish it so the wood grain isnt showing,so its a solid blue color instead.

Is this possible?Any other way of doing it?

Thanx

[ScottR]

It is possible, but not by just polishing it out. It needs to have the grain filled, then be sealed again, primed, painted blue, clear coated, leveled, and then buffed and polished to get where you want to go.

In other words completely refinished.

SR

[tce919]

Thanx Scott,

I dont want to go that far with it,just make it alittle more solid looking.

Maybe just by rubbing a polish into it?

[Prostheta]

Are you trying to disguise the underlying wood in general or just the open pores of the wood? Buffing is just a polishing method rather than an obscuring technique. Even if it is the pores you want to hide, buffing will not really help.

[tce919]

Just so the grain isnt showing so much.

[Prostheta]

By grain, you mean the large darker lines and curves of the wood? If that is the case, only a refinish will do the job controllably and reliably.

[ScottR]

The only way to hide the grain of wood is to fill the pores that make up that grain and level surface of the wood to a smooth unbroken plane. Short of repainting you could put enough layers of clear on it to fill the pores with clear. The area surrounding the pores will build up as well so you have to sand them back down to the level of the cleared pores. Then you can polish. Done correctly, the surface then will reflect light like a piece of glass instead of like a piece of wood. Of course, what I just loosely described is for the most part.....a refinsh.

SR

[Prostheta]

I think he wants to obscure the visibility of the grain as opposed to unfilled pores.