Lacquer cracks guitar repair

Repairing cracked lacquer varnish on doors home guides. This type of repair is for back and sides, not tops. Using the right product to repair these issues is very important to a good end result. Fix a guitar poly finish with help from an experienced guitar builder and repair technician in this free video clip. Modern polybased guitar finishes are hard plastic, and when theyre damaged, pieces fall off. Learn how to repair a polyester guitar finish in an hour using solarez polyester uvcure resin. Many players desire this roadworn look, and finishes such as waterbased lacquers and polyurethane finishes do not age like nitrocellulose lacquers. 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. Fixing crack in the lacquer the steel guitar forum. The longer you wait to fix the crack, the less likely it can be done invisibly. We are located in shoreline, just 15 min north of downtown seattle.

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. How to age the finish on a nitro finish guitar our pastimes. Removing scratches from guitar finishes lacquer repair. I am hoping to conceal the crack, or at least smooth it out. Cracks are one of the many ways that coatings film forming transparent finishes and paints can fail. Dan erlewines busy in his shop creating the new 3rd edition of the guitar player repair guide. Repairing hairline crack in poly finish telecaster. The wide cracks appear as the coating is drying and happens when it is applied too heavily or the solvents flash off too quickly. It can be resurfaced and buffed over real nicely too. Lacquer repair challenges lacquer is very high in solvents and as a result it shrinks quite a bit. 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. Unlike lacquer cracks, finish scratches are caused by rubbing something on the outside of the guitar. Depending on the crack, finish repair may not be advisable or necessary. May 28, 2008 i put a scratchcrack through the lacquer finish of my johnson jo27 with a bridge pin puller.

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. What is the best approach for repairing poly finishes. 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. How to stop a lacquer crack from spreading on a guitar finish. Extreme and sudden temperature changes can also cause finish checking, regardless of the instruments age. I have an applause ae28 electricacoustic guitar that plays pretty well, but doesnt look so great. 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. Some beat up, some nicely cared for but well played, and one or two near mint. These scratches usually only exist in the clear coat of the guitar. Lacquer cracks have only been observed in the posterior pole of highly myopic eyes. There is nothing worse than a nasty chip, ding or crack in your favorite guitar. 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. The progression of lacquer cracks in pathologic myopia. But, like others have said, its best to leave it alone unless you have experience with such repairs.

Dec 16, 2008 i am looking at used guitar to buy that has a cracksplit in the poly finish. Ok, call me morbid, but i was looking at 50s and 60s j45s over the weekend. I would say a ratio of 23 lacquer an thinner would be about right, then apply a number of thin coats. The idea is, you want the solvent to dissolve the edges of the cracks and make them flow into each other. The nine best guitar repairmen in dallas dallas observer. Not sure if i should be posting this here or in dyi, but here goes.

I usually dont recommend trying to fix such checks, because they are often an inevitable part of the nitrocellulose lacquer aging process. How to repair a crack in a solid top acoustic guitar our. A lot depends on exactly what the original finish was, and how clean it is, how clean the cracks are, and so on. As an instruments wood expands and contracts with moisture content stress is placed on the finish. Though i would agree that most cases of lacquer checking seems to happen due to abrupt temperature changes, most notably when a cold guitar is taken into a warm environment.

Just using lacquer to repair a crack, they will normally reappear again. One of the most disappointing of those is the tendency to check or crack with a. Theres a specialty finish called crackle lacquer thats designed to produce cracks for the visual effect. 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. Checking will vary according to the extremes the instrument has been through. Conversely, lacquer cracks are found in more than 80. Aug 14, 2011 the first step in making a repair is to clean the surface with mineral spirits. Dealing with a guitar finish repair using gluboost products.

Repairing cracks in acoustic guitars examples of cracks caused. Luthier question, how to repair cracked poly finish. Evan gluck is an internationally recognized guitar technician. Glued cracks still leave a small valley in the finish. 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. Your repair may not look as good after full cure of the new lacquer. He has also been a guest lecturer at the galloup school of. Besides using thickened lacquer, you can also put a fan on the area to speed up the process.

The cure for this type of cracking is to sand it back and recoat as soon as its dry enough. In my experience, the cause is most often from temperature changes as the lacquer expands and contracts. Ive had some success using a tin superglue repair and topping with lacquer. Hes been in the business of repairing guitars for almost 40 years. Depending on the size of the dent in the finish, the lacquer may be applied with either a toothpick or a small brush. 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%. Neck cracks or lacquer crack gibson repair and restoration. A repair magnet in the bottom of the cup holds it to the metal lacquer can so it wont spill. Look for lacquer cracks in high myopes for early warning. All of them had fairly significant lacquer crazing, especially on the top sheet. 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. You will inevitably sand through some of the color and leave your finish with an uneven burst. Our work consists of repairs of anything from broken headstocks and cracked guitar tops, through replacinginstalling electronics and custom. This happens on vintage electric guitars all the time, which have a thick buildup of nc lacquer in almost all instances.

I have done many, many finish touchups with ca, but imho, lacquer is the preferred method to repair nitro. When repairing lacquer finishes a new lacquer fill is placed in the finish crack. The finish isnt entirely lacquer, you have a thick basecoat. The thin, watery superglue will fill cracks in lacquer pretty well. I put a scratch crack through the lacquer finish of my johnson jo27 with a bridge pin puller. How to repair cracks in your acoustic guitar guitar alliance. Repairing cracked lacquer varnish on doors home guides sf. There doesnt appear to be a crack in the wood, but i can feel the cracks in the finish when im playing open chords. If it turns out to be lacquer you can spray subsequent coats which will melt into.

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. 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 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. There are a couple of cracks in the thick plasticy finish. Top and back crack repair cleats tj thompson guitars. Unlike varnish or polyurethane, lacquer doesnt cure after. 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. With all top cracks, timing of the repair is critical.

Fixing a cracked gibson neck silesia guitars guitar. John also authored pg s guitar shop 101 column, hosted several pg diy videos, and is an authorized warranty technician trainer for taylor guitars. 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. 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. Welcome to silesia guitars, the guitar repair shop in shoreline that is dedicated to taking good care of your dear friend, the guitar. The eyes of men have a 2fold incidence of lacquer cracks as compared with those of women. With a small artists brush, i place a drop of acetone on the. This lacquer fill will begin to shrink almost immediately and a small depression is. 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. 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. Waiting a couple of weeks before buffing will give you a more lasting match to the old finish. When that happens, the wood expands at rates different than does the lacquer, and thats how nitro usually cracks.

How to repair acoustic guitar finish guitar repair bench. Choose a lacquer repair kit which contains the substances that you can use to fill the cracks in the lacquer. Guitar lacquer is applied to the guitar after the color is. They occur in a variety of forms to include checking, crazing, cracking, alligatoring, and mud cracking. When repairing cracks it is usually a two part process. The simple repair were about to do is called a dropfill.

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. Luthier and instructor, robert obrien, shows how to fix hairline cracks in a brazilian rosewood guitar back and then repair the finish. The only downside is the amount of time required for the lacquer to completely cure. The lacquer has checked all over, but the neck is the most severely affected, with the finish actually beginning to lift and fall off. 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.

Repairing large, open cracks that can not be pushed back together requires splicing. Theres really no way to fix it cracks of that extent cannot be repaired. Nitrocellulose laquer finish repair the unofficial. In this episode ben answers a viewers question on how to repair a dent or possible crack in a guitars lacquer. If i had bought a cheap st guitar and the lacquer cracked then thats my fault for buying a cheapie. Thanks to the advent and availability of neodymium extra strong type of rare earth magnets, now we do. I repaired what looked like a lacquer crack on an epi les paul neck last night. 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. 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. Now that it has cracked, maybe sand it down some and apply the above ratio, and. Most of the worst and hardesttorepair cracks happen on a guitars top. At what point will our 2000 vintage models start to do the s. This lacquer fill will begin to shrink almost immediately and a small depression is likely to appear, even after weeks of.

Small ones possibly using the previously mentioned method. Ive been told lacquer cracks on taylor guitars are something you really dont want. One of the most common instances is actually not a crack at all, but a centerseam separation. Once the strings were off, it was obvious that it was a lot more than the lacquer. Any way to repair lacquer crazing on fresh lacquer. This is an extremely common, somewhat expected condition on older instruments with lacquer finishes. The reason why the cracks feel smooth on the outside of the guitar is because the lacquer is cracking from the. Checking looks like very fine finish cracks running in all directions. Sometimes lacquer can seem easy to work with, but when problems come up they can be stubborn and very hard to remedy. 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. Nitrocellulose laquer finish repair the unofficial martin. Id say it has been subjected to extremes of temperature and humidity. For this reason, the lacquer used to fill a chip or crack can continue shrinking weeks after a nearly invisible repair.

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. After dan repaired a crack in a gibson acoustic guitar the finish didnt look to good. Ive done this with some success, but its iffy at best. 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. Nitrocellulose lacquer naturally ages over time, giving the guitar a yellowish, antique quality, often with accompanying spider cracks, also known as crazing. If you glue your eyelids shut, id go easy on the acetone and maybe seek pro help. Dec 02, 2017 there is nothing worse than a nasty chip, ding or crack in your favorite guitar.

Its a patch of lacquer that was chipped off the back of a martin guitar neck. 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. Apply this paste into the cracks and gently smooth it down. 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. Fender forums view topic advice on how to repair lacquer.

How to repair a lacquer finish home guides sf gate. Restoring checked and crazed finishes woodworking network. 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. Make sure the grain in the filler wood matches the grain in the guitar as closely as possible. 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. The reason why the cracks feel smooth on the outside of the guitar is because the lacquer is cracking from the inside out.

This involves cutting a piece of matching wood as closely as possible to the crack itself and fitting the filler wood into the crack. Checking is a mild form of cracking and doesnt go all the way through the finish. I was thinking about covering the crack with some black tint stewmac super glue, and then sanding and buffing. This will fill the gaps but it will always be slightly visible. Id guess you got too heavy a coat of lacquer on too quickly. Heres my 10 wtf moments in my guitar repair building experience. Now that you have a clean and scratch free finish you can concentrate on filling the cracks. The guitar will need to have time to slowly adjust to the new milder temperatures, so leave it in the case until it has had time for it to do so. Im pretty sure the jo27 has a nitrocellulose lacquer finish. Is it possible to fill with lacquer or would crazy glue work better. Checking and crazing will occur in both types of coatings. Theres a product called blush remover that might work the same way. Look for lacquer cracks in high myopes for early warning of. I used a glue syringe from stewartmacdonald and titebond iii cleans up with water and clamped it for several hours.

Dont forget that acetone nail polish remover is your best remedy for getting your fingers unstuck with crazyglue. 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. Finish off by waxing and polishing the repair site. 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. 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. This lacquer fill will begin to shrink almost immediately and a small depression is likely to appear, even after weeks of patient waiting. John also authored pgs guitar shop 101 column, hosted several pg diy videos, and is an authorized warranty technician trainer for taylor guitars. I paid what i consider a lot of dosh and it now looks a mess and i want it putting right. Depending on the severity and location of the crack, a repair is as simple as stabilizing the wood and applying glue to secure it. Lacquer cracks are found in the posterior fundus of 4. I am looking at used guitar to buy that has a crack split in the poly finish. Blend new lacquer into old lacquer with flash coats youtube. The guy who is telling you that the wood needs to be reinforced is not the guy i would have do this. I doubt the wood is cracked, thats a stress line crack and are normal on strats.

As i brush new lacquer into the area, the solvent in it melts the leading edge of the surrounding finish. 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. To learn more about johns repair and restoration workshops for players. On a setneck guitar like gibson or epi sure i agree, a stress crack around the neck heel is cause for worry. You can see a couple of places where the finish is missing at the edge by the fourth string tuner. It would be nearly impossible to sand through the clear coat and leave the color completely intact. A lacquer finish is more brittle and prone to cracks than varnish or polyurethane, but the good news is that the cracks are repairable. Guitar lacquer is applied to the guitar after the color is sprayed or rubbed on. Poly usually doesnt show the surface cracks and checks as badly. 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. 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. How to touch up and repair electric guitar finish guitar repair. Peripheral lacquer cracks as an early finding in pathological. If it is a small dent, use the toothpick to drop the lacquer in place.

One masters name that kept being repeated by the guitar experts was roger crisler of crisler guitar repair in carrollton. Finish crack in polyurethane how to repair the gear. You might think that these small cracks would be easy to. He has been a regular lecturer at conventions for the guild of american luthiers gal and for the association of stringed instruments artisans asia. Dan teaches you how to blend new lacquer with old lacquer. John levan has written five guitar repair books published by mel bay. I am thinking that the crazy glue would fill and repair the split and could be sanded and buffed out.