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Old 05-19-2018, 01:07 PM
Dustinfurlow Dustinfurlow is offline
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Default Buffing from satin to semi-gloss

Hey all.
Owner of a Larrivee Forum III LS guitar with the polyurethane satin finish here, hoping to get rid of the “shh” or hiss sound so I can install a k&k trinity in the guitar. The internal mic would pick up a lot of noise I reckon if I don’t smooth it out somehow.
I’ve seen a few folks have had moderate success polishing their satin guitars to a nice “lowden/Mcilroy/Avalon” hand-polished look. My Forum III already has a small crack on the bottom devaluing it and it’s sort of my outdoor/campfire/beater guitar anyway so any devaluing pointers aside, what’s the best way to get a nice, even sheen going for the top and b/s?

Thanks!
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Old 05-19-2018, 01:17 PM
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The first step in glossing (or semi-glossing as it would be) is lightly using 0000 steel wool. I think you will find that step alone will get rid of a lot of the swoosh sounds.

That has been my experience.

The rest of the process is very time consuming and it never comes out very evenly. There will be areas around the neck heel and the bridge that you just can't get at like the surfaces that are more exposed.
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Old 05-19-2018, 02:26 PM
charles Tauber charles Tauber is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by fitness1 View Post
The first step in glossing (or semi-glossing as it would be) is lightly using 0000 steel wool.
If one wants to reduce the sheen on a finish, steel wool is one possible option. It is not an option I would recommend to increase the sheen of a finish.

In both cases, abrasive sheets and/or abrasive compounds will give a better, more consistent result.
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Old 05-19-2018, 03:31 PM
RoyBoy RoyBoy is offline
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Default 3M pads

I prefer the grey 3M pads to steel wool, no worry of fine steel particles. The gray pads will put a muted sheen to the finish (stay with the grain) that may be enough. Smoother yet? 2000 grit automotive wet or dry paper followed by the rubbing compound of your choice. Know that the satin effect is caused by fine particulate matter in the finish so you'll never get a true gloss finish and over time, the sheen will die back in areas that don't receive hand or arm contact
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Old 05-19-2018, 03:37 PM
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I'm pretty certain that Lowden guitars are sprayed with a gloss lacquer that is then knocked-back to satin by hand-rubbing with extremely fine steel-wool. This is unlike, for instance, the satin finish on a Martin - that being a lacquer which itself produces a 'satin' finish.
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Old 05-19-2018, 03:40 PM
maxtheaxe maxtheaxe is offline
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I've done this on a couple guitars, including my Larrivee L-03, and mostly it just takes time. Personally I would avoid steel wool, as the minute iron powder these put out can get into little cracks/seams and oxidize. If you go that route I think BRONZE wool would be the way to go, but I've had pretty good luck just using 1500 grit wet/dry paper and spit, very lightly, just to knock down the "tooth" a bit, then follow up with an automotive polishing compound like McGuire's (but nothing at all that has any silicon in it) that is made for hand-polishing. Follow up with a good guitar polish to clean off any residue or chems from the polishing compound.

This will not give a perfect gloss, more of an nice satiny gloss, kinda like on a Lowden. It definitely reduces that hissy, sussurant handling noise though, and reveals the nice grain in the wood.

Above all, whatever you do, don't go through the existing finish, down to bare wood...just be careful & conservative with it & you should be fine.
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Old 05-19-2018, 04:28 PM
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It is tough to go up in sheen. Flattening agents are added to the finish to bring it down from full gloss to the desired sheen. You won't help yourself at all with 0000 steel wool, probably just introduce a scratch pattern that you don't like. Buffing compound will give it more shine, but only so much.
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Old 05-19-2018, 09:26 PM
DesertTwang DesertTwang is offline
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I can't speak to the Larrivee you are planning to buff out, but I did this on my Martin 000-15sm. Let's just say I still regret doing this, three years later, and leave it at that.
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Old 05-19-2018, 09:33 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by DesertTwang View Post
I can't speak to the Larrivee you are planning to buff out, but I did this on my Martin 000-15sm. Let's just say I still regret doing this, three years later, and leave it at that.
All three of my guitars are satin finish naturals, and I greatly prefer satin to gloss. I honestly don't think there's any way of avoiding the shiny spot where the arm rests, and I've grown to accept this as the hallmark of a well-played guitar. When I'm performing, nobody sees that spot anyway.
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Old 05-19-2018, 09:42 PM
DesertTwang DesertTwang is offline
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I had seen some specimens of buffed out 000-15s that came out gorgeous, and I really liked that shiny look. By for some reason, the finish on mine is much too thin to allow any buffing without sanding right down into the wood. Which is what I did (out of ignorance).
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Old 05-20-2018, 12:16 PM
maxtheaxe maxtheaxe is offline
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There's just one more caveat with this, that I forgot to mention in my earlier post. Usually on satin finish guitars they don't do as careful & detailed a job on the sanding prior to finish, reckoning, I suppose that any swirls, cross-grain scratches, etc will be covered up by the satin and saving time & expense on prep. This is why satin finishes are generally less expensive.

You will reveal some of this if you polish & there's no way to deal with it without going through the finish. I expected it, so I wasn't too disappointed and it only shows on very close inspection, but just be aware that this stuff will show up. I still think it looks better than it did and the noise is much reduced.
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Old 05-20-2018, 12:34 PM
Daveyo Daveyo is offline
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Don't do it,I tried it on a Martin dsr and regretted it
It just doesn't look good
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Old 05-20-2018, 01:13 PM
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http://micro-surface.com/index.php/m...ndividual.html

Micro-Mesh produces abrasive products that will promote a more even finish. The pads will do most of the large areas. Then there's different shapes that can get into corners.
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Old 05-20-2018, 01:34 PM
Nctom Nctom is offline
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Dustinfurlow, I polished my Forum lll (and several other guitars) to a lovely soft sheen with Virtuoso cleaner followed by their polish and soft cloths. I have even done a Martin 00-15, despite all the naysayers and hand wringers who have answered here. Just be patient and all will be well.
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Old 05-20-2018, 04:21 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by charles Tauber View Post
If one wants to reduce the sheen on a finish, steel wool is one possible option. It is not an option I would recommend to increase the sheen of a finish.

In both cases, abrasive sheets and/or abrasive compounds will give a better, more consistent result.
I've used it on Larrivee finish several times with a really good result - they are pretty "rough" compared to other satins I believe.

I wasn't speaking abouit the "sheen" part of it, but getting rid of the swoosh the easiest way possible.

It will still look pretty much the same, but it won't sound the same in regard to the rubbing during recording.
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