Lacquer cracks guitar repair

Unlike lacquer cracks, finish scratches are caused by rubbing something on the outside of the guitar. Removing scratches from guitar finishes lacquer repair. Extreme and sudden temperature changes can also cause finish checking, regardless of the instruments age. Dont forget that acetone nail polish remover is your best remedy for getting your fingers unstuck with crazyglue. Modern polybased guitar finishes are hard plastic, and when theyre damaged, pieces fall off. Lacquer cracks have only been observed in the posterior pole of highly myopic eyes. Lacquer cracks are seen in almost 5% of highly myopic eyes, and the reported incidence of cnvm associated with these lesions is as high as 10%. When a coating system that has no individual coats lacquer coats melt completely into each other is too thick and cracks are extensive, dropfills with other materials are impractical and almost always recrack. Ive done this with some success, but its iffy at best. What is the best approach for repairing poly finishes. Poly usually doesnt show the surface cracks and checks as badly. Now that it has cracked, maybe sand it down some and apply the above ratio, and.

John also authored pg s guitar shop 101 column, hosted several pg diy videos, and is an authorized warranty technician trainer for taylor guitars. I used a glue syringe from stewartmacdonald and titebond iii cleans up with water and clamped it for several hours. I recently bought a used epiphone zephyr regent jazz box, and found two very thin hairline cracks in the polyurethane finish right by the nut where you would hang the guitar. Oct 27, 2008 the guitar has only been out of the house on about 3 occasions and the rest of the time when not being used sits in its case alongside my 35 year old sunburst csl les paul which has as good a lacquer as the day i bought it. The width or length of a wood crack doesnt affect whether it should be repaired or not, because even a small crack can run and get biggerget it fixed as soon as possible, because a delay could further compromise the. In this episode ben answers a viewers question on how to repair a dent or possible crack in a guitars lacquer.

Repairing cracks in acoustic guitars examples of cracks caused. Using the right product to repair these issues is very important to a good end result. Roy is right lacquer thinner will rewet the lacquer good news if you know how to make it work for you to blend in new lacquer but bad news when things start going south on you. Depending on the severity and location of the crack, a repair is as simple as stabilizing the wood and applying glue to secure it.

This usually happens when the guitar is allowed to dry out, causing the two halves of the top to come unglued at the center seam. He has also been a guest lecturer at the galloup school of. When repairing lacquer finishes a new lacquer fill is placed in the finish crack. Aug 14, 2011 the first step in making a repair is to clean the surface with mineral spirits. The guy who is telling you that the wood needs to be reinforced is not the guy i would have do this. In my opinion the best thing about nitrocellulose lacquer is that it is an evaporative finish, meaning that it can always be redissolved in its original solvent. Hes been in the business of repairing guitars for almost 40 years. The reason why the cracks feel smooth on the outside of the guitar is because the lacquer is cracking from the. Apply this paste into the cracks and gently smooth it down. These scratches usually only exist in the clear coat of the guitar.

The cure for this type of cracking is to sand it back and recoat as soon as its dry enough. Guitar lacquer is applied to the guitar after the color is sprayed or rubbed on. Many players desire this roadworn look, and finishes such as waterbased lacquers and polyurethane finishes do not age like nitrocellulose lacquers. Although there is no real way to prevent getting scratches on your guitar other than never playing it outside of your living room, there are some ways of removing them. Look for lacquer cracks in high myopes for early warning of. How to touch up and repair electric guitar finish guitar repair. A lacquer finish is more brittle and prone to cracks than varnish or polyurethane, but the good news is that the cracks are repairable. Dec 02, 2017 there is nothing worse than a nasty chip, ding or crack in your favorite guitar.

Depending on the size of the dent in the finish, the lacquer may be applied with either a toothpick or a small brush. Neck cracks or lacquer crack gibson repair and restoration. Repairing hairline crack in poly finish telecaster. Id guess you got too heavy a coat of lacquer on too quickly. Fixing crack in the lacquer the steel guitar forum. The reason why the cracks feel smooth on the outside of the guitar is because the lacquer is cracking from the inside out. The thin, watery superglue will fill cracks in lacquer pretty well. One masters name that kept being repeated by the guitar experts was roger crisler of crisler guitar repair in carrollton.

Most of the worst and hardesttorepair cracks happen on a guitars top. Jan 30, 2019 hi just checking my gibson explorer which has been in its case for too long and noticed i believe where the neck was joined to the body lacquer cracks. I would say a ratio of 23 lacquer an thinner would be about right, then apply a number of thin coats. Since the invention of the acoustic guitar, we flattopback repair peeps havent had a crack repair method that was designed for and suited to our needs. They occur in a variety of forms to include checking, crazing, cracking, alligatoring, and mud cracking. So i guess i basically need to get some wood at home depot, sand it smooth, apply the lacquer, and then i can scrape some off, and then test my repair techniques.

Waiting a couple of weeks before buffing will give you a more lasting match to the old finish. Make sure the grain in the filler wood matches the grain in the guitar as closely as possible. Theres a specialty finish called crackle lacquer thats designed to produce cracks for the visual effect. How to repair cracks in your acoustic guitar if you own an acoustic guitar long enough, chances are good that youll have to deal with the repair of a crack in the wood. Dan erlewines busy in his shop creating the new 3rd edition of the guitar player repair guide. If you glue your eyelids shut, id go easy on the acetone and maybe seek pro help.

To quickly hide minor scratches, crack open a pecan or walnut and break the meat in half before rubbing the broken surface against the scratch. Once the strings were off, it was obvious that it was a lot more than the lacquer. Ive had some success using a tin superglue repair and topping with lacquer. Guitar lacquer is applied to the guitar after the color is. Blend new lacquer into old lacquer with flash coats youtube. Thanks to the advent and availability of neodymium extra strong type of rare earth magnets, now we do. I probably should have off offered less for this guitar, but it has sentimental value, as i bought it back from a friend id sold it to. This involves cutting a piece of matching wood as closely as possible to the crack itself and fitting the filler wood into the crack. You might think that these small cracks would be easy to. I usually dont recommend trying to fix such checks, because they are often an inevitable part of the nitrocellulose lacquer aging process. However, i may be going crazy but ive been watching that crack this past week and swear its gotten longer than the last time i looked. This happens on vintage electric guitars all the time, which have a thick buildup of nc lacquer in almost all instances. Its a patch of lacquer that was chipped off the back of a martin guitar neck.

Lacquer cracks are found in the posterior fundus of 4. This is an extremely common, somewhat expected condition on older instruments with lacquer finishes. Knowing how to evaluate the seriousness of a crack will allow you to determine whether to call a repair person immediately or whether it might be ok to leave it alone for a. Could anyone confirm if this is the likely to be the case or if i need to repair it thanks for your info and help in advance all the best. Glued cracks still leave a small valley in the finish. Learn how to repair a polyester guitar finish in an hour using solarez polyester uvcure resin. Fender forums view topic advice on how to repair lacquer. The salesman didnt warn me to expect it to crack or say i should keep in the case for half an hour whenever i move from one place to another and i dont. To learn more about johns repair and restoration workshops for players. The nine best guitar repairmen in dallas dallas observer. The eyes of men have a 2fold incidence of lacquer cracks as compared with those of women. Cracks in the top wood are of particular concern because the top is generally a softer wood than the back and sides, and a crack can interfere with the soundproducing ability of the guitar.

John levan has written five guitar repair books published by mel bay. The simple repair were about to do is called a dropfill. It can be resurfaced and buffed over real nicely too. Repairing cracked lacquer varnish on doors home guides. Your repair may not look as good after full cure of the new lacquer. There are a couple of cracks in the thick plasticy finish. How to stop a lacquer crack from spreading on a guitar finish there was a tiny hairline crack that came of it and i thought nothing of it. Nitrocellulose lacquer naturally ages over time, giving the guitar a yellowish, antique quality, often with accompanying spider cracks, also known as crazing. Finish off by waxing and polishing the repair site. Dec 16, 2008 i am looking at used guitar to buy that has a cracksplit in the poly finish. Theres a product called blush remover that might work the same way. I put a scratch crack through the lacquer finish of my johnson jo27 with a bridge pin puller. Small ones possibly using the previously mentioned method.

Is it possible to fill with lacquer or would crazy glue work better. Or else your spectacular lacquer finish could start to crack as the wood in the guitar heats up and swells before the lacquer has a chance to adapt. Cracks are one of the many ways that coatings film forming transparent finishes and paints can fail. Evan gluck is an internationally recognized guitar technician. How to stop a lacquer crack from spreading on a guitar finish. How to repair cracks in your acoustic guitar guitar alliance. Any way to repair lacquer crazing on fresh lacquer. I paid what i consider a lot of dosh and it now looks a mess and i want it putting right. I was thinking about covering the crack with some black tint stewmac super glue, and then sanding and buffing. If it turns out to be lacquer you can spray subsequent coats which will melt into.

It would be nearly impossible to sand through the clear coat and leave the color completely intact. Unlike varnish or polyurethane, lacquer doesnt cure after. This lacquer fill will begin to shrink almost immediately and a small depression is likely to appear, even after weeks of. A lot depends on exactly what the original finish was, and how clean it is, how clean the cracks are, and so on. Not sure if i should be posting this here or in dyi, but here goes. The idea is, you want the solvent to dissolve the edges of the cracks and make them flow into each other. If i had bought a cheap st guitar and the lacquer cracked then thats my fault for buying a cheapie. Lacquer crack means that there is break in bruchs membrane it is a significant finding as you are at risk of getting cnvm choroidal neovascular membranes, which means new blood vessels will start forming. One of the most common instances is actually not a crack at all, but a centerseam separation.

Fix a guitar poly finish with help from an experienced guitar builder and repair technician in this free video clip. Dan teaches you how to blend new lacquer with old lacquer. Checking and crazing will occur in both types of coatings. Luthier and instructor, robert obrien, shows how to fix hairline cracks in a brazilian rosewood guitar back and then repair the finish. Id say it has been subjected to extremes of temperature and humidity. The lacquer itself is put thru allot of stress as this takes place and the finish may develop checkingcrazing is a result of this movement.

I am thinking that the crazy glue would fill and repair the split and could be sanded and buffed out. The wide cracks appear as the coating is drying and happens when it is applied too heavily or the solvents flash off too quickly. If it is the only lacquer crack anywhere on the guitar, you might consider doing that, provided it is someone who knows what he is doing. With a small artists brush, i place a drop of acetone on the dent to soften it and prepare it to accept a drop of lacquer. Now that you have a clean and scratch free finish you can concentrate on filling the cracks. John also authored pgs guitar shop 101 column, hosted several pg diy videos, and is an authorized warranty technician trainer for taylor guitars. Sometimes lacquer can seem easy to work with, but when problems come up they can be stubborn and very hard to remedy. When repairing cracks it is usually a two part process. Nitrocellulose laquer finish repair the unofficial. Luthier question, how to repair cracked poly finish.

The finish isnt entirely lacquer, you have a thick basecoat of poly underneath it all, and that had entirely lost grip with the wood surface and lifted. At what point will our 2000 vintage models start to do the s. The progression of lacquer cracks in pathologic myopia. For this reason, the lacquer used to fill a chip or crack can continue shrinking weeks after a nearly invisible repair. I repaired what looked like a lacquer crack on an epi les paul neck last night. When that happens, the wood expands at rates different than does the lacquer, and thats how nitro usually cracks.

This will fill the gaps but it will always be slightly visible. If it is a small dent, use the toothpick to drop the lacquer in place. It doesnt seem like there are any cracks in the wood itself, just the. I am looking at used guitar to buy that has a crack split in the poly finish. This type of repair is for back and sides, not tops. With a small artists brush, i place a drop of acetone on the. Top and back crack repair cleats tj thompson guitars. Checking is a mild form of cracking and doesnt go all the way through the finish. May 28, 2008 i put a scratchcrack through the lacquer finish of my johnson jo27 with a bridge pin puller. One of the most disappointing of those is the tendency to check or crack with a. Should you really want to get your guitar back to as close to mint status as possible and are willing to pay the price, unless you are really comfortable with lacquer repair, it is a job left for a pro. Just using lacquer to repair a crack, they will normally reappear again. Theres really no way to fix it cracks of that extent cannot be repaired.

Heres my 10 wtf moments in my guitar repair building experience. You will inevitably sand through some of the color and leave your finish with an uneven burst. Cracks in the body of your solid top acoustic guitar are often cause by physical damage to the guitar or shrinkage due to a lack of humidity. We are located in shoreline, just 15 min north of downtown seattle. Repairing cracked lacquer varnish on doors home guides sf. I doubt the wood is cracked, thats a stress line crack and are normal on strats. I have done many, many finish touchups with ca, but imho, lacquer is the preferred method to repair nitro. Seriously, most of the good advice you will receive here will be along the lines of learn to live with it, as it is a major effort to repair. The finish isnt entirely lacquer, you have a thick basecoat. Ok, call me morbid, but i was looking at 50s and 60s j45s over the weekend.

The only downside is the amount of time required for the lacquer to completely cure. How to age the finish on a nitro finish guitar our pastimes. He has been a regular lecturer at conventions for the guild of american luthiers gal and for the association of stringed instruments artisans asia. Nitrocellulose laquer finish repair the unofficial martin. Im pretty sure the jo27 has a nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Lacquer cracks are almost always associated with a temporal crescent of the optic nerve head, and the lesions tend to be continuous with the crescent in many cases. Lacquer repair challenges lacquer is very high in solvents and as a result it shrinks quite a bit. The longer you wait to fix the crack, the less likely it can be done invisibly.

As an instruments wood expands and contracts with moisture content stress is placed on the finish. As i brush new lacquer into the area, the solvent in it melts the leading edge of the surrounding finish. Dec 09, 2014 seriously, most of the good advice you will receive here will be along the lines of learn to live with it, as it is a major effort to repair. Our work consists of repairs of anything from broken headstocks and cracked guitar tops, through replacinginstalling electronics and custom. The lacquer has checked all over, but the neck is the most severely affected, with the finish actually beginning to lift and fall off.

I have an applause ae28 electricacoustic guitar that plays pretty well, but doesnt look so great. Repairing large, open cracks that can not be pushed back together requires splicing. I am hoping to conceal the crack, or at least smooth it out. There is nothing worse than a nasty chip, ding or crack in your favorite guitar. How to repair acoustic guitar finish guitar repair bench. After dan repaired a crack in a gibson acoustic guitar the finish didnt look to good. Checking looks like very fine finish cracks running in all directions. But, like others have said, its best to leave it alone unless you have experience with such repairs. Peripheral lacquer cracks as an early finding in pathological. Besides using thickened lacquer, you can also put a fan on the area to speed up the process.

You can see a couple of places where the finish is missing at the edge by the fourth string tuner. Ive been told lacquer cracks on taylor guitars are something you really dont want. All of them had fairly significant lacquer crazing, especially on the top sheet. This lacquer fill will begin to shrink almost immediately and a small depression is likely to appear, even after weeks of patient waiting. Choose a lacquer repair kit which contains the substances that you can use to fill the cracks in the lacquer. Welcome to silesia guitars, the guitar repair shop in shoreline that is dedicated to taking good care of your dear friend, the guitar. With all top cracks, timing of the repair is critical. While im not opposed to accumulating some mojo on this guitar, id also be up for some technical experimentation id never try on my martin.

How to repair a lacquer finish home guides sf gate. Fixing a cracked gibson neck silesia guitars guitar. But, when the check is small, and on a new instrument like this one, the repair becomes something of a necessity, just to keep the instrument in salable condition as a new guitar. On a setneck guitar like gibson or epi sure i agree, a stress crack around the neck heel is cause for worry. Checking will vary according to the extremes the instrument has been through. Step 3 minor scratches to quickly hide minor scratches, crack open a pecan or walnut and break the meat in half before rubbing the broken surface against the scratch. How to repair a crack in a solid top acoustic guitar our. Look for lacquer cracks in high myopes for early warning. Conversely, lacquer cracks are found in more than 80. This lacquer fill will begin to shrink almost immediately and a small depression is. Depending on the crack, finish repair may not be advisable or necessary. Some beat up, some nicely cared for but well played, and one or two near mint.

Hi just checking my gibson explorer which has been in its case for too long and noticed i believe where the neck was joined to the body lacquer cracks. Lacquer does not work well at excessive thickness, nor does it like temperature changes especially if thick, where it becomes very unforgiving. Finish crack in polyurethane how to repair the gear. Restoring checked and crazed finishes woodworking network. There doesnt appear to be a crack in the wood, but i can feel the cracks in the finish when im playing open chords.