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  #1  
Old 07-08-2017, 01:54 AM
hope hope is offline
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Default Cloudy patches suddenly appeared in finish of my Martin 00-DB?

Hey everyone,

This is my first time posting to AGF, so I apologize if I'm writing in the wrong forum!

My Martin randomly developed a couple of odd areas where the finish looks kind of hazy/cloudy- seemingly overnight. I play it every day and am fairly confident these patches weren't there yesterday. If they were there, they were much less pronounced. There doesn't seem to be any residue on the guitar itself, as it wipes clean without leaving any residue on the rag AND without any improvement to the hazy patches.


The guitar lives in its case on the floor in the breakfast nook on my first floor. Thermostat runs on a schedule and never goes below 73 or above 75. I don't have a humidity regulation system for my guitars, but relative humidity in the room was 50-55% tonight (borrowed a friend's dehumidifier with relative humidity read out display thinking maybe that's the issue). The patches seem to be in places where my right arm would touch the guitar, but I'm not a very warm or sweaty person. I was thinking maybe I had on bug spray earlier in the day, but I'm not even sure about that. Patches are pretty hard to see except under oblique light; hopefully you can appreciate them in these photos. In the overhead photo I don't think they're visible at all.

Any insight would be GREATLY appreciated!!! I adore this instrument and just want to be sure this isn't indicative of big, serious issue that could damage the guitar.


Thanks!

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  #2  
Old 07-08-2017, 02:05 AM
51 Relic 51 Relic is offline
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Hi , I have exactly the same Martin guitar and mine was new in Feb 2017 . Yes I agree they are lovely guitars but yes I experience the same problem also in the same areas . In the care and feeding guide Martin only recommend the use of a damp cloth for cleaning, this does not work on my guitar .
I have tried Martin polish , Gibson polish , the only way I have cured this is a product called Music Nomad One guitar polish once a week now the areas have disappeared, personally I would recommend trying this
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Old 07-08-2017, 05:45 PM
hope hope is offline
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Awesome, thanks for the suggestion. Do you recall how often you were applying the polish, and many weeks passed before you noticed a difference?
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Old 07-09-2017, 10:41 AM
John Arnold John Arnold is offline
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This happens when the nitro lacquer absorbs moisture. New lacquer is particularly susceptible, but it can happen any time. The lacquer softens, and it may take a while to harden back. At that point, the haze on the surface can be polished off with a fine polish.... hopefully one that contains little or no water. I use 3M Hand Glaze, or in severe cases, 0000 steel wool followed by Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish.
With all that in mind, it makes no sense to be wiping hazed lacquer with a damp rag. In my experience, it only makes things worse....a smeared mess.
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Old 07-09-2017, 10:58 PM
stuco stuco is offline
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Don't use steel wool on this one though.

That should polish out easily. Then use a non-silicone polish on the guitar afterwards as previously suggested and you should be good to go.

Last edited by stuco; 07-09-2017 at 11:39 PM.
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  #6  
Old 07-18-2017, 08:13 AM
downtime downtime is offline
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I had a relatively new sunburst 000-28ec that was very sensitive to hazing. I suspect it was as Mr. Arnold suggests that the lacquer was soft, perhaps not fully cured or hardened.
It would polish out with a very mild abrasive such as virtuoso but come right back after contact with my skin. I ended up always wearing long sleeves or a cut off sock on my arm when playing that guitar to avoid the problem.

I have a 2006 sunburst 000-18ge that does not have the same problem, any smudges from contact with skin wipe right off, i imagine your issue will go away with time.
Nice guitar by the way, I also had a 00-DB for a while and really enjoyed it.
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