Sanding and Lacquer

JDOD

therecordingrebels.com
Alright,

I am selling a few guitars at the moment and they are basically all OK, but I want to tart up one of them a bit before I sell it.

Its not looking nice in a "relict" kind of way - its just got a few annoying dings and dents in laquer. Fortunately its a plain black guitar.

How do I go about:
1. Sanding back the dinged/dented area
2. Applying the new laquer
3. Finishing it.
 
Sell it as is. It will be more work and time to touch it up.
chances are the existing finish isn't lacquer.
Black and white are two of the hardest colors to match.

short of stripping the finish to raw wood and steaming out the dents and dings, it will always look "repaired".

A good refin will take time in labor as well as time added in the curing process, and will add little to the resale value. Often it will detract.
 
First of all be sure the guitar has a lacquer finish. A lacquer finish is easy to fix dings on and poly finishes aren't. lacquer paint "melts" in.
I'm taking for granted that are positive it's a lacquered guitar....
You will need a can of clear brushing lacquer (deft).
if the dings are into the primer or you will need a rattle can of black acrylic lacquer . If any dings are down to the bare wood you will need some primer.
1st step... clean and wipe down with mineral spirits.
2nd step...using news paper and masking tape mask off the guitar so just the dings and a small area around the dings are showing.
3rd step...prime any dings that are down to the bare wood.
4th step....spray paint the dings that you primed and also the dings thst were into the primer black.
5th step...you drip the brushing lacquer into the ding. you can use a small brush, a popsicle stick, a toothpick....any number of things will work as an applicator. Basically anything that liquid will drip from.

anyway, you drip lacquer into all the dings. and let it dry for a day. then repeat. you continue this until the dripped lacquer has filled the hole and is slightly higher that the existing finish. Then you sand it down level with the existing finish with fine sandpaper. Then you take a buffer and a good buffing compound like Dupont Renuizit and buff it to a mirror shine. (I use one of those buffing attachments that fits in a drill and just use my drill to buff with)
You won't be able to tell it was ever dinged.

Fixing lacquer dings can be time consuming because of having to wait a day in between "drips". But, it's not hard to do at all.
 
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