Nitro Haze

[Buc-a-Roo]

I have used a few different cleaners and polishes in the past on a variety of different guitars and never had an issue.......however.....

I recently acquired a 2003 Gibson J-185 in very good condition aside from the not-unexpected forearm haze on the lower bout. As I have in the past, I set upon this with Virtuoso cleaner with rather poor results. In fact, the cleaner merely made the matter worse. Tried a touch of naphtha as well.......same result. I've not encountered a nitro finished instrument that reacted as this one has.

Any finish experts have any ideas?

[redir]

Some people sweat acid and can cause all kinds of issues with guitars. It could be that what you need is a polish and not just a cleaner. You can get some Auto polishes at your local NAPA or auto parts store. Meguiars #9 Mirror Glaze is a good one to try. A regular pencil eraser block covered with a few layers of cotton cloth makes a good polishing block, or something like it.

[Buc-a-Roo]

Originally Posted by redir

Some people sweat acid and can cause all kinds of issues with guitars. It could be that what you need is a polish and not just a cleaner.

I've tried 'em all. Virtuoso, Meguiars, naphtha, Gibson spray......the finish reacts badly to them all (except the Gibson spray) and has increased the area of haze beyond what it was when the guitar arrived. It's only cosmetic and not a huge deal but it would be nice if I could clean this up.

[John Arnold]

I use Mother's Mag and Aluminum polish. In severe cases, I use 0000 steel wool, followed by the Mother's.
The issue with many polishes is that they contain water, which just worsens the cloudiness.

[Bowie]

You're not going to "fix" it so much as remove the damaged upper portion of the finish. Understand that polishes, or any type of abrasives, that get rid of it are removing finish. You can do this so many times before you notice it thinning in that area. I'd use a mild abrasive (polish, steel wool, etc) and be careful to use a sleeve or cloth after that when playing.

Nitro is funny and, with enough time, it seems that body oils can really work their way down in there. I've chased this problem really deep sometimes. In those cases, some polishes will hide it by leaving a gloss, but they aren't actually getting rid of it. At that point, a partial refinish is the only real solution.

[redir]

Originally Posted by Buc-a-Roo

I've tried 'em all. Virtuoso, Meguiars, naphtha, Gibson spray......the finish reacts badly to them all (except the Gibson spray) and has increased the area of haze beyond what it was when the guitar arrived. It's only cosmetic and not a huge deal but it would be nice if I could clean this up.

The finish should not react to Meguiars. Interesting. Not sure what is going on there unless the former owner's body chemistry reacted deep into the finish.

[runamuck]

That looks like trapped moisture to me and since you mentioned that the polishes you used contain water, that's what makes me think that.

Try smearing Vasoline on it but keep an eye on it. If it works and you leave it on too long it can possibly make it too dark. I've had cases when it needed to sit there for 20-30 minutes and others when it was almost immediate.

[Buc-a-Roo]

Originally Posted by runamuck

That looks like trapped moisture.......

Try smearing Vasoline on it.......

Looked like moisture to me as well, so i warmed the area gently with a hair dryer.....nothing. This reaction occurs immediately when i apply cleaner or polish or whatever.........it happens right away. I would not think moisture penetrates the finish that quickly but I could well be wrong. It seems to me the old nitro is reacting to nearly any product applied, except the Gibson spray, with which I did the entire guitar without adverse reaction.

Vaseline?! Never heard that one before. Water beads on petroleum jelly.....how would this draw moisture?

[Buc-a-Roo]

Well I'm happy to report I found a solution.......an old JB pick buffing pad! (Sure like to find some more of these......JB no longer makes picks nor sells these polishing pads.) About two hours of elbow grease behind the polishing side of this pad cleared up the hazing that had been left by applications of Virtuoso cleaner. What remains is the 20+ years of forearm haze I intended to remove in the first place...........and I think this might come clean with further work.