Quote:
Originally Posted by Wade Hampton
Joe - Yes, it does appear from the photos that the builder applied the lacquer too thickly. If it's nitro-cellulose lacquer, it can be removed easily enough with the correct solvent.
Having never taken that step with any of my own instruments, I couldn't tell you which solvents to use, and since you live on an island in the Pacific Ocean there might be some difficulties in finding the correct solvents there. There seem to be ever-increasing restrictive regulations governing where and how those chemicals are shipped, mainly because most of them are so very toxic.
So you'll need to do your own research on that, and figure out what you can get locally that will do the job.
As for refinishing the guitar, you might want to look into learning how to apply French polish. It's easily done at a kitchen table, and has the additional benefit of being one of the very best-sounding guitar finishes that there is, mainly because it's so thin and light. French polish is more fragile than lacquer, so that's a factor to consider.
Good luck with this. Please let us know how you end up dealing with the situation.
Wade Hampton Miller
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Wade, thanks so much for the advice, I'll look into the French polish. Fortunately, I'm repairing and rebuilding a cheap classical guitar that was given to my mom as a gift from her brother in 1971. This guitar was found floating in a puddle out in the lawn after a real bad typhoon hit in 1996. The headstock and the sides were cracked and the top came unglued from the rest of the body due to the water and the string tension. This repair/restoration is more for sentimental reasons but it's giving me a great opportunity to practice fixing side cracks, regluing the top and...now French polishing!
We have a Home Depot here on island and they bring in all the same stuff you'll find on homedepot.com - the only obstacle is stock, so I might have to wait another 2 weeks if they're out.
I'm only concerned about what types of chemicals to use that will remove the lacquer safely while not damaging the wood or the bindings. If anyone in this forum can give some advice I'd be so grateful.
Thanks again and I'll be sure to update this thread to hopefully help anyone else who may be thinking about doing the same thing.
...
Joe