Paint Rub on My Collings :(

[Fishfood]

I just walked my 01H into a painted railing like an idiot and it left a small rub of blue paint on the side of the body. Any suggestions as to how to remove the paint without damaging the finish?

[BrunoBlack]

Originally Posted by Fishfood

I just walked my 01H into a painted railing like an idiot and it left a small rub of blue paint on the side of the body. Any suggestions as to how to remove the paint without damaging the finish?

Water based paint? If so, I’d probably try soft cloth with warm (not hot) soapy water - dry quickly. But, I’m not an expert on guitar finishes.

This is precisely why I don't wander around with an uncased guitar.

[downtime]

An instrument polish with a very mild abrasive such as Virtuoso would take that paint right off.
Virtuoso is safe on poly and nitro finishes.

A little Naphtha and a clean cloth would probably get it off also.

[Silly Moustache]

Why not talk to Mark Althans and ask their opinion - Mark and tea are very helpful.

[Fishfood]

Originally Posted by J-Doug

This is precisely why I don't wander around with an uncased guitar.

*Just learned the hard way

[jim1960]

Originally Posted by Fishfood

I just walked my 01H into a painted railing like an idiot and it left a small rub of blue paint on the side of the body. Any suggestions as to how to remove the paint without damaging the finish?

Come on, man. You gotta recognize those songwriting opportunities when they land in your lap...

The sign said “Wet Paint”
But I didn’t see it right away
The sign said “Wet Paint”
By the time I saw it, it was too late
Now my guitar has the blues
And my mood is growing gray

The sign said “Wet Paint”
In azure letters one foot high
The sign said “Wet Paint”
A warning to every passerby
The writing was so big
Blind Lemon could’ve read that sign

Now I’m playing here in Memphis
And my soul is battered and bruised
Now I’m playing here on Beale Street
Wondering how I missed the clues
That left my pants leg clean
But gave my sweet guitar the blues

[Godfather]

Contact the manufacturer an check if the finish is compatible with Car wax. I have used non abrasive car wax to take paint rubs and misc foreign crap off of several surfaces.

[Graham H]

Naptha and a soft micro fiber !!!

[jrb715]

Originally Posted by Silly Moustache

Why not talk to Mark Althans and ask their opinion - Mark and tea are very helpful.

Silly's advice is gold. Contact Collings either by email or phone. That's certainly what I'd do, and have over purchase and design questions. I wouldn't go trying out, however well intentioned and possibly well-informed they might be, suggestions from posters on a guitar forum; and I wouldn't just trust my local luthier before I ran this problem by the folks at Collings.

[JayBee1404]

Originally Posted by jrb715

Silly's advice is gold. Contact Collings either by email or phone. That's certainly what I'd do, and have over purchase and design questions. I wouldn't go trying out, however well intentioned and possibly well-informed they might be, suggestions from posters on a guitar forum; and I wouldn't just trust my local luthier before I ran this problem by the folks at Collings.

That’s what I’d do too. Mark is a very helpful guy, and responds promptly to emails. I’m certain he’ll be very happy to give good advice on this issue.

[devellis]

Belt sander.

Not really, but what will work very well is some Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #17 Clear Plastic Cleaner that's made for polishing soft plastic convertible top rear windows, the plastic cover over headlights, etc. I bought the stuff for its intended purpose and tried it on an old instrument once and it works really well to remove scuffs and shine up dull spots. If a nonabrasive solvent like naphtha doesn't do the trick, this is my next go-to for getting off scuffs on instruments. The abrasive is very gentle, milder than what's in most car waxes. Convertible rear windows are soft, flexible plastic that scratches easily. This stuff cleans and removes small scratches from a surface like that, which is softer than a guitar's finish. One note of caution though: if you rub too briskly, the area you rub might wind up slightly shinier than the surrounding area. If the whole guitar is still nice and glossy, this shouldn't be an issue, though. I've used the stuff on vintage and modern instruments with no problems ever. But it's never a bad idea to try a tiny amount in an inconspicuous part of the instrument just to be sure that it doesn't react adversely with the finish.

By all means, start with the least aggressive option, which is water. If that fails, step up to naphtha (e.g. Ronsonol lighter fluid). If that fails, then try the Meguiar's.

[stringjunky]

Originally Posted by jrb715

Silly's advice is gold. Contact Collings either by email or phone. That's certainly what I'd do, and have over purchase and design questions. I wouldn't go trying out, however well intentioned and possibly well-informed they might be, suggestions from posters on a guitar forum; and I wouldn't just trust my local luthier before I ran this problem by the folks at Collings.

Once the finish type is known, any competent person can advise if they know. A quick look on Collings says it's either a Nitro or Alkyd Resin Varnish.

[zhunter]

Scrape it off with your fingernail. Gently.

hunter

[mherrcat]

Originally Posted by devellis

Belt sander.

Not really, but what will work very well is some Meguiar's Mirror Glaze #17 Clear Plastic Cleaner that's made for polishing soft plastic convertible top rear windows, the plastic cover over headlights, etc.

I have had good luck using Meguiar's Scratch-X for polishing out light scratches on several guitars. There are also other polishing compounds like Novus and Brillianize made for plastics that would probably work well.