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  #1  
Old 10-11-2017, 07:44 AM
thechoochlyman thechoochlyman is offline
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Default Repairing dents in back of neck, Takamine 2005 LTD

This is the 2005 LTD I just bought. There are a few dents on the back of the neck that I can feel pretty badly while playing, which is what I mainly want to address. There is also some white hazing and two dents on the headstock, and one dent in the top.

I feel pretty good about drop-filling the dent in the top of the guitar, but I'm kinda iffy on the neck. I really need to know how the back of the neck is finished in order to proceed. There are areas that feel wavy where it has been propped up against the neck and dented, and one slightly deeper spot toward the 1st fret. I'm trying to decide between drop-filling those spots and trying to sand them out and re-finishing the back of the neck.

Thanks in advance for the sound advice!

Full-sized Imgur album









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Old 10-11-2017, 04:47 PM
George Henry George Henry is offline
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Doubtless has a poly finish. I would use a super glue drop fill, sand out, and polish technique. A lot of shops and manufacturers use it for poly finish repair.
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Old 10-11-2017, 05:49 PM
JonWint JonWint is offline
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If it were mine I'd steam out the neck and headstock dents and touch-up with shellac; (but, it's not mine and others will surely disagree.)

I'd CA drop fill and scrape/sand/polish the top dent.
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Old 10-11-2017, 06:13 PM
thechoochlyman thechoochlyman is offline
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Hey guys, thanks for all the tips! I actually followed some other advice I was given, which was to gently "roll out" the dents with a guitar slide wrapped in wax paper. It's honestly done wonders, and it's 90% better than it was. I still may put some CA on that large spot though, just because you can still feel it slightly.



Does anybody have tips for that hazing on the headstock?
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Old 10-11-2017, 07:33 PM
JonWint JonWint is offline
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Headstock crazing?

Shellac; my answer to every question......

Before and after 1940 Martin with cigarette burns and crazing on headstock

https://imgur.com/jevSOhR
https://imgur.com/uz3GhUW
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Old 10-12-2017, 06:30 AM
thechoochlyman thechoochlyman is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JonWint View Post
Headstock crazing?

Shellac; my answer to every question......

Before and after 1940 Martin with cigarette burns and crazing on headstock

https://imgur.com/jevSOhR
https://imgur.com/uz3GhUW
Wow, that's amazing! Any idea how well shellac plays with poly?
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Old 10-12-2017, 06:37 AM
JonWint JonWint is offline
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Never tried it on poly, but it adheres to most finishes. If you change your mind, it wipes off with alcohol on a paper towel.
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Old 10-12-2017, 06:41 AM
thechoochlyman thechoochlyman is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JonWint View Post
Never tried it on poly, but it adheres to most finishes. If you change your mind, it wipes off with alcohol on a paper towel.
Can Shellac be removed at any point with alcohol, or can you only do that for a certain length of time after it has been applied?

I think this headstock could look nice with a shiny coat of shellac...
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Old 10-12-2017, 07:40 AM
Truckjohn Truckjohn is offline
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Be very careful steaming out dents. It certainly can work - but it can also darken spots and leave raised grain and raised spots.... Poly finishes make this difficult - as they don't spot refinish well.

Shellac is some wonderful stuff... It does have a tint/color.. Its not "water white" like most poly finishes used now.. Be careful using it for spot repairs on poly - you may get yellow/amber blotches...

I think for the most part - I would leave this stuff alone.. Any time you sand on a finish - you risk a "Tar baby" situation.. Where your problem grows and grows and grows the more you touch it...
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  #10  
Old 10-12-2017, 09:14 AM
JonWint JonWint is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thechoochlyman View Post
Can Shellac be removed at any point with alcohol, or can you only do that for a certain length of time after it has been applied?
Anytime. I removed 90-year old shellac by rubbing with alcohol.

For least color tint use "platina" or "super blonde".
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  #11  
Old 10-18-2017, 06:56 AM
thechoochlyman thechoochlyman is offline
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I finally got around to trying out the shellac last night. As you can see in the first photo, it really didn't help clearing up the crazing in the Finish. In the second photo, you can see where I sanded down the headstock enough to get underneath the crazed area. The last photo is where I applied the first layer of shellac on the sanded surface. I'm not even sure that I ever fully penetrated the poly layer and got down to bare wood. So far the results are really impressive, but there are small sanding lines and imperfections in the first coat. It's probably also textured from wiping it on with a rag.

As I apply more coats, will it be possible to fully sand out and polish the finish to a mirror shine? I'm looking into french polishing but it seems pretty complicated. What if I hand-wiped some polyurethane and polished it to a nice shine? Would it match the existing finish at all?






Last edited by thechoochlyman; 10-18-2017 at 07:11 AM.
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  #12  
Old 10-19-2017, 08:15 AM
Guest 1928
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Quote:
Originally Posted by JonWint View Post
Headstock crazing?

Shellac; my answer to every question......

Before and after 1940 Martin with cigarette burns and crazing on headstock

https://imgur.com/jevSOhR
https://imgur.com/uz3GhUW
You should get a new answer for old Martins and stop doing that kind of thing. Seriously.
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  #13  
Old 10-19-2017, 10:19 AM
JonWint JonWint is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by thechoochlyman View Post

As I apply more coats, will it be possible to fully sand out and polish the finish to a mirror shine? I'm looking into french polishing but it seems pretty complicated. What if I hand-wiped some polyurethane and polished it to a nice shine? Would it match the existing finish at all?
I sand shellac with wet/dry 400 to 1000 grit using olive oil as lubricant. Use a flat wood backer, not fingers. Final polishing can be with water and progressive grits to 12,000 but I usually stop about 2000 and if you want use automotive swirl remover and wax. Too much polishing may go thru the thin final.
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