How to fix a scratch???

Monsoon

Monsoon

New member
I've scratched the finish on my guitar. I don't think it's down to the wood. It's a very thin scratch through the laquer. The scratch shows up as bright white. If you buff it for a moment with a very slightly damp rag, the scratch completely dissappears. When it dries, the white scratch reappears.

Does anyone know if there is a simple way to hide the scratch?
 
Start with a very fine polish, maybe furniture type. See what happens. You might also get some clear finger nail polish. If this fails, try some toothpaste, somewhat gritty stuff. Might buff it. Even car wax.
 
Light, we need you to (pardon the pun) shed some light on us.

Personally, I'd just leave it. It gives the guitar a bit of character, making it its own entity. Plus, I think if you're going to sell it, then fixing that would lower its value. But so would the scratch. Oh well.
 
IronFlippy said:
Light, we need you to (pardon the pun) shed some light on us.
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It's always best if we get eight or nine posts of really bad advice before Light corrects us. :D

I would recommend Bondo, duct tape, superglue, KY Jelly, or a belt sander ;)
 
You didn't say whether it's an acoustic or electric, clear, transparent or opaque....Not that it makes a difference if you only scratched the clearcoat...

It can be done, but there is a little work involved...unless you're happy with wiping a coat of Danish oil on it and calling it good...

When using lacquer I use a rattlecan of Deft for touchups...But then I do serious painting for a living and don't have a problem with all the little things involved with touching up a guitar--Like masking, sanding, feather-spraying and buffing...

Sometimes a little clear Danish Oil on a Q-tip, wiped clean after a bit will clear up scratches that don't go through the finish, but you still may want to minutely sand the scratch (only a bit to feather the scratch edge) with some VERY fine sandpaper...like 400 grit...

If one of my urethane guitars needs touched up I just disassemble, sand, hang and lay on a coat or two of auto poly clear with an HVLP---Brand new!! :cool:

Eric
 
Don't try this at home.

Maybe treat it sort of like you would treat a scratch on a car. Use rubbing compound to bring the surface even, then use wax to protect and shine. I have heard that furniture makers use various grades of pummice to do the function of rubbing compound. If you can learn what finish your guitar has on, you might be able to match it. (Nitro?)

Whatever youn end up doing, practice this somewhere else (a beater if you have one) to see whether attempting to fix the scratch makes things worse.

Also, look here:

http://www.fretnotguitarrepair.com/

If you use the guitar, it will show scratches and dings over time--you would hope later rather than sooner. Can you learn to live with it?
 
mshilarious said:
I would recommend Bondo, duct tape, superglue, KY Jelly, or a belt sander ;)
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Agree on the belt sander - only way to go, or you could cut a hole straight through the guitar and remove it completely, depending upon where it is, with either a hole cutting drill thingy or a jigsaw..
:eek:
 
Armistice said:
Agree on the belt sander - only way to go, or you could cut a hole straight through the guitar and remove it completely, depending upon where it is, with either a hole cutting drill thingy or a jigsaw..
:eek:
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Yeah. But we can't expect people to have belt sanders, drill presses, or jigsaws. It's much cheaper and easier to light it on fire and put it out after the scratch has burned out :eek:
 
Old English might help somewhat provided the scratch isn't too deep. Other than that it's best not to itch in the first place. ;)

All my guitars have scratches. It simply shows that they have been used. Much like my exwife. :D
 
Graves 100,000 grit diamond polish, applied lightly to a felt polishing cloth, then rubbed in tiny circular motions. The diamond polish is available from a lapidary supplier (it's the same stuff used to polish gemstones) and works remarkably well to polish out small surface scratches. Deeper scratches require more work and may need filling before polishing.
 
Light, Help!!!!! :confused:

You guys are a riot, by the way. :D

More info, it's an electric guitar. Dark red stain. Clear-coat laquer.
 
Monsoon said:
I've scratched the finish on my guitar. I don't think it's down to the wood. It's a very thin scratch through the laquer. The scratch shows up as bright white. If you buff it for a moment with a very slightly damp rag, the scratch completely dissappears. When it dries, the white scratch reappears.

Does anyone know if there is a simple way to hide the scratch?
Click to expand...

If the scratch isn't horribly deep, and if this is a colored lacquer, you might try some of the car polishes that have coloring built into them.
 
Why on earth would you want to repair a scratch? It's a sign of a well played guitar. Kind of like a tattoo on a biker (or just about anyone nowadays). I used to be anal about my guitars but then I realized all the classic axes had scratches. It's a beauty mark. Leave it. In fact, scratch it up some more and it'll probably sound better. :cool:
 
sounds like your scratch didn't make it through the clear coat

temporary = turtle wax...

A little better = Buffing compound then polish


permanent = sand down with 1500 grit sandpaper then clear coat with a paint gun...

disclaimer... theres probably a better way to do this but this is what i do to scratches on cars. Guitars usually are sprayed with the same type of paint...
 
If the color is still there when he wets the scratch, then he only went through the clearcoat...His BEST bet is to live with it...I have a gouge in my Spector (Cherry red stain with heavy clear) that went through to the wood...It's been there since early 1988, from spinning into a par 64 that was set up (without permission OR forewarning) on the drum riser by our hydrocephalic light tech...in a bar in Great Falls Montana...The gouge is still there, on the face of the instrument just above the bridge...Can be seen from quite a distance. I have the tools, the skill, and the time, but I'm leaving it there. Why? Musicians love to tell a tale, and that incident had the rest of the band holding me down as I tried to get off the stage to go kill our light tech...A magical night that patrons may still remember...I still relive the rage every time I tell the story... :mad:

...Of course, the intensity and significance of your scratches may vary...

If it's a big deal, get a can of Deft (in whatever sheen you desire), some masking tape and a newspaper. Feather sand the edge of the damn scratch, mask a large area around it, spray the scratch in quick shots with the can moving (to eliminate puddling), and take a buffing rag to it for as long as it takes to make the touchup even with the rest of the guitar...Otherwise, make up a good story...

Eric
 
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