strong spray-paint that will not rub off of a polyurethane finish?

Gear_Junky

Gear_Junky

New member
I recently bought a b-stock inexpensive archtop, which had a small chip/dent on the top near the edge. It's discolored, but it was then re-finished without restoring the color, so it's smooth to the touch, but looks like a chip, about a quarter-size or less.

I am thinking of a cheap way to hide it.

I thought I could glue on a decoration of some sort, but haven't come up with what it could be (it's a little below the tailpiece).

I also thought I could spray-paint a small design on the edge there. I could either use black or gold paint (I am "gretschizing" this guitar and using gold hardware).

What would be the type of spray paint that wouldn't easily rub off of polyurethane? acrylic maybe? something I could find locally, not some specialty guitar thing. Preferably a glossy finish.

other ideas for covering it are welcome. I've also thought about a simple pick holder, but those don't stay put too well. I prefer the "wedgie".

THanks!

P.S Here's a pic of the damage:

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you mean repoly after spraying orange? i'm not sure i can find a matching orange spraypaint. plus, this orange finish is translucent, it shows the woodgrain (spruce, like on flattop acoustics).

I'm wondering what kind of paint I could use.

timthetortoise said:
You could do a light sanding on it and re-poly after spraying.
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Honestly, I'd leave it there. A mildly beat-up guitar is a respectable thing.

Have you considered a brush-on or wipe-on finish? You can get wood stain in various shades of orange and yellow, probably locally, and you could mix the color yourself and maybe have better luck matching it. Plus the grain would show through. Anything you put on there you're probably going to want to put a couple of coats of something clear over the top to protect it and bring the shine back.

If you really want a challenge, I suppose you could inlay a little piece of mother-of-pearl or contrasting wood. I just haven't been able to think of an inlay that doesn't look more wussy than the chip. This would also be a lot of trouble.

If it hasn't been mentioned elsewhere: Whatever course of action you take, don't forget the first rule of finishing -- test it on scrap first.

A question for those who have more experience with repairs: if you're patching something coated in, say, polyurethane, how do you get the clear coat to match up? Do you have to recoat the whole guitar, or can you blend it in?
 
I'll give you the advice I gave you before. Leave it if it's not structural. You will only make it worse and you will never hide it.

Just forget it's there.
 
danw said:
A question for those who have more experience with repairs: if you're patching something coated in, say, polyurethane, how do you get the clear coat to match up? Do you have to recoat the whole guitar, or can you blend it in?
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Spot finishing or drop in's are very difficult to master. I avoid them ewherever possible. Not because I can't do them but because they are time consuming and cost a lot of money. I'd wager that light would say something similar.

If you really want to learn how to do that sort of stuff then your best bet is a good antique restorer or french polisher. They will have way more experience than most of us luthier types.
 
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