Fixing paint chips

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pinhedgtr

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So I was rockin out last night and hit the head of my guitar on the mic stand, this paint chip goes flying about the size of a dime. Now I have the wood showing through. Any ideas on a DIY fix for this??

Thanks,
B
 
I would need some specifics. A la type of guitar, what type of finish etc. But I have used auto touch up paint with great results. If it's a lacquer based finish lacquer burn in sticks work wonders.
 
Burn in sticks look like crap.


But certainly, we are going to need to know what kind of guitar it is, and how old it is. Most of the time, don't worry too much about it. You might want to seal it a little bit with some shelac or sanding sealer, but if it is a colored finish even a professional is going to have an extremely hard time getting the colors to match. The vast majority of the time, it is better to just seal the wood and think of it as a beauty mark.



Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
fix it? What? Unless you're a classical or jazz guitarist, I wouldn't fix it. Battle scars make a guitar look even better.
 
one sure fire fix is, go to your local boat shop and get a gelcoat repair kit.
you can match the color, with the included instructions, and it will yield a smooth finish without sanding.
 
Lacquer sticks in the proper hands work well, but inexperience can lead to a big mess. If it's a lacquer finish on the guitar it is not a good idea to use anything but lacquer based products to repair. Most repairs aren't too difficult. Much depends on the color. It's considerably easier to fix a chip in a black guitar than something with a name similar to mandarin tangerine metallic.

Need more info. What is the make/color?
 
JCH said:
Lacquer sticks in the proper hands work well, but inexperience can lead to a big mess. If it's a lacquer finish on the guitar it is not a good idea to use anything but lacquer based products to repair. Most repairs aren't too difficult. Much depends on the color. It's considerably easier to fix a chip in a black guitar than something with a name similar to mandarin tangerine metallic.

Need more info. What is the make/color?
Click to expand...



Burn in sticks look like crap. The color never matches, and you can't EVER get rid of the witness line. If you want to fix lacquer properly, you need to first match the color (which, to be honest, is imposible if the finish is more than a year or two old), then build up new lacquer and blend it in to the old lacquer. If you don't blend in the new lacquer, it will always show.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
Can you just glue the chip back in place? It wouldn't be perfect, but at least the color would match.
 
Light said:
Burn in sticks look like crap. The color never matches, and you can't EVER get rid of the witness line. If you want to fix lacquer properly, you need to first match the color (which, to be honest, is imposible if the finish is more than a year or two old), then build up new lacquer and blend it in to the old lacquer. If you don't blend in the new lacquer, it will always show.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
Click to expand...

I'm not a master luthier, but I've been building fine cabinetry and doing very high end woodwork for thirty years. While making an effort not to sound over opinionated I'd like to say I've had good results using burn-in sticks. Certainly the best way to make a repair IMO is as you say to build up the repair, and feather it into the original finish. Sure it's not easy, but it's not "impossible", and doesn't always "look like crap"

I'm not trying to get into a pissing match here... You posted your opinion, and advise.. I posted mine.. You quoted me, and then flamed me for my opinion because it didn't match yours.. I'm responding because. C'mon man this is a dicussion board not an argument board. It doesn't bother me any that you might disagree with me. It bothers me that you single me out, and bash my opinion. Lets be friends. I'm sure there's much we could learn from each other.
 
ggunn said:
Can you just glue the chip back in place? It wouldn't be perfect, but at least the color would match.
Click to expand...


Sometimes, if you can find it, a little dab of Superglue can make things MUCH better, but finish doesn't break away as cleanly as it appears. There is always a bit of finish missing, even if it is just a few thousanths of an inch.

Oh, and as for burn in sticks, they look like crap, period, end of story. It is flat out impossible to make a finish flaw on a guitar look better with a burn in stick. On a piece of furniture, maybe, but NEVER on a guitar.


Light

"Cowards can never be moral."
M.K. Gandhi
 
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