☆☆★★☆☆Difference between Poly-finish and Nitrocellulose Finish☆☆★★☆☆

[kydave]

What's the deal with all the stars? Really annoying...

[gauchita]

Personally , I prefer Nitrocellulose finish . The finish hardens by solvent evaporation. Each new coat will dissolve the surface of the last coat .So it is easier to repair scratches and knocks. It's durable and the has a warm honey colour , that makes wood look good. Unfortunately the down side is,.....the solvent is toxic and explosive. Most manufactures don't use it for that reason. Also, it never stops hardening and can become too hard , and crack with age. You can make it safer to apply by bruising it on. You don't need a spray booth, spark free spray equipment and so on . But you need to add retarders to the solvents , to make it dry slower, but that lowers the quality of the final finish . It's a skill to be able to brush on ,a thin coat. A lot of cellulose is spoiled by being too thick. Polymers are the manufactures best option. relatively cheep, safe and easy to spray , quick drying , but not as nice looking as cellulose.

[Woody Strings]

After several decades of guitar building, repair and refinishing my experience has been that polyurethane guitar finishes are impossible to repair.
Yes, poly stays shiny forever. But to last forever, a guitar that spends more time out of the case than in it, will eventually have to be repaired for some reason or another. Your repairman will appreciate ($$$) the flexibility of a lacquer finish.

[mirwa]

To dis-agree, poly finishes are very easy to touch up, nitro finishes are even easier.

Nitro whilst we still use it today is really a thing of the past, modern finises outperform in every aspect with minimal to zero issues.

Steve

[fazool]

I think the OP's question died five years ago

[LouieAtienza]

Originally Posted by fazool

I think the OP's question died five years ago

Holy thread resurrection, though I witnessed a 13-year resurrection at the CNC Zone once...

[Theleman]

I used to associate Poly-finish for low end cheap guitars, and Nitrocellulose Finish for more expensive high end guitars. Not sure if it is right.

I don't think there is any Nitrocellulose Finish from my guitars currently.