buffing the satin finish on a National Resonator

[sunburststrat]

I've got a Radiotone, which has a satin finish. Anyone ever buff out a National?

I polished my Larrivee last week with Meguiar's Scratch-X and Step 2 Polish. Truly impressive results. But I heard Larrivees have a pretty thick layer of satin. The NR looks thin somehow. I would feel a whole lot more confident if someone has done this with success.

[Wade Hampton]

There really isn't enough finish on there to buff out, SBS. You didn't say what year your National was built, but from the model name I assume it's a modern one.

Until a couple of years ago, maybe 18 months ago, National Reso-Phonic guitars were finished in an environmentally correct, State of California-approved non-toxic water-borne finish.

You're correct in that it's quite thin. If you try to make it shiny, you'll almost certainly blow right through to the bare wood beneath.

For the past 18 months or so, they've been using a poly UV finish like what Larrivée uses on their guitars, but in a thinner application. So if you have a guitar that was shipped from the factory in this time period, again the chances are excellent that instead of making the guitar shiny, if you try to buff it out you'll blow right through to the wood.

The telephone number for National is 805-546-8442. There's a voice mail tree you have to listen to before you can talk to a real human being. I used to punch the number 4 when I wanted to get right through to the receptionist, but I haven't spoken with them much in recent months and so it may have changed.

Have your serial number in hand when you call so they know when the guitar was made, and ask to speak someone about the properties of whichever finish is on it. Chances are good you'll be put through to Don Young, who's the president of the company.

Don is about the nicest guy on the planet, and so I know he won't erupt like I know, say, Bill Collings would if you told him you wanted to buff out one of his satin finishes.

But I suspect Don will tell you it's really not the wisest approach you could take.

If you do speak with Don, tell him Wade in Alaska says "howdy!"

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[Guitar Hack]

Satin finishes are made satin finished by what is in the finish. So trying to buff it out won't ever be completely satisfactory

[sunburststrat]

Originally Posted by sunburststrat

I've got a Radiotone, which has a satin finish. Anyone ever buff out a National?

I polished my Larrivee last week with Meguiar's Scratch-X and Step 2 Polish. Truly impressive results. But I heard Larrivees have a pretty thick layer of satin. The NR looks thin somehow. I would feel a whole lot more confident if someone has done this with success.

OK, old thread, but I finally did it. The satin finish on the Radiotone has a lot of "orange peeling" (i.e. uneven texture). It turned out to have quite a thick finish, it just looked thin. I used the meguiar's approach and it took a lot more elbow grease, and a lot more applications, than the Larrivee satin finish. It may be hard to tell much improvement with these pix, but I'm happy with it. I think it really enhanced the look of the guitar.

Btw, I contacted National before I did it, and the guy who responded was quite enthusiastic about trying it.

Before:


After:

[Oakland]

[QUOTE=sunburststrat;2303609]...It may be hard to tell much improvement with these pix, but I'm happy with it. I think it really enhanced the look of the guitar.

Btw, I contacted National before I did it, and the guy who responded was quite enthusiastic about trying it.]


I used one coat of Maguires Polishing Compound (second step) buffed out followed by carnuba wax applied with 0000 steel wool to a satin nitrocellulose factory finish B/S and the result was handsome -- maybe a "fine furniture glow." Much nicer than the nitro gloss wet look to my eye.