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#1
12-01-2020, 09:35 AM
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Martin Headstock Refinish Advise
I'm looking for some advice on refinishing my headstock overlay on my HD-28. I finally found one I've had about a year that sounds as good as my original HD I let get away and decided to remove the hideous gold foil logo. I tried to gently sand just to remove the roughness around the area and figured I might get away with having just a light impression in the finish, but ended up going too deep and revealed a slight portion of the bare wood. I eventually intended on refinishing anyway, but just at a later date. Here are a few questions I have and feel free to chime in with any additional advise as well. I plan on using clear spray can lacquer from Stewmac, Thanks in advance.
1. After completely sanding the overlay to bare wood should i use pore filler? 2. Should I use a sealer? 3. Is sanding between coats necessary, I read it helps with adhesion, but would that cloud the completed finish? 4. How many coats of clear would be sufficient? 5. I'm also thinking of darkening it as the overlay seems to be a lighter grain of wood than the rosewood body. What stain if any would you use? 
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#3
12-01-2020, 11:35 AM
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Strange but hey to each their own...
1. After completely sanding the overlay to bare wood should i use pore filler? Only if necessary. In the pore filling process you sand back to wood leaving the pores filled so in theory they should be filled, check with a good light source. 2. Should I use a sealer? Nah. 3. Is sanding between coats necessary, I read it helps with adhesion, but would that cloud the completed finish? Yes/no/maybe but probably yes. The reason why is you will most likely get high spots that need to be leveled. Spray 4 coats on in one day then come back the next and level sand it. This is NOT a heavy duty sanding. Use a rubber block a pencil eraser makes a great sanding block. Then spray 4 more coats and reapeat. 4. How many coats of clear would be sufficient? I'm going to say at least ten. 5. I'm also thinking of darkening it as the overlay seems to be a lighter grain of wood than the rosewood body. What stain if any would you use? A walnut stain would darken it as would a dark mahogany stain. Experimenting is best though you probably don't have any rosewood around. You may be able to find something close to experiment on.
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#4
12-01-2020, 11:38 AM
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BTW if you are going to use the Stew Mac nitro which is good stuff, or any other brand of nitro, soak the can in hot tap water for about ten minutes before spraying. Trust me it will make a huge difference. Unless you have the right set up you will want to do this outside and it's still a good idea to wear the proper respirator (good luck getting one of those now though). The wind at your back is good enough. You don't want to spray if it's humid out or under 50deg F. Ideally you would have a nice warm dust free place to let it dry. Don't let it dry in your workshop or your house though unless maybe up in the attic. The stuff is toxic and very bad for you, your pets, and so on.
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#5
12-01-2020, 11:39 AM
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1. After completely sanding the overlay to bare wood should i use pore filler?
if you want to use less lacquer and build up the finish quicker yes. 2. Should I use a sealer? if you want to use less lacquer and build up the finish quicker yes. 3. Is sanding between coats necessary, I read it helps with adhesion, but would that cloud the completed finish? Doesn't cloud (w/ lacquer) and yes, lightly sand 4. How many coats of clear would be sufficient? Hard to say. But one spray can will do it. 5. I'm also thinking of darkening it as the overlay seems to be a lighter grain of wood than the rosewood body. What stain if any would you use? You're on your own here. I would avoid a stain.
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#6
12-01-2020, 12:10 PM
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Quote:
I purchased a bag of aerosol spray nozzles from StewMac that provided a nice spray and pattern. I also utilized a large cardboard box as a make shift spray booth that worked out well.
__________________
"To sit home, read one's favorite paper, and scoff at the misdeeds of the men who do things is easy, but it is markedly ineffective. It is what evil men count upon the good men's doing." T.Roosevelt
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#8
12-01-2020, 03:42 PM
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Finish work is pretty tricky stuff to get right. You’ll have to tape off the rest of the headstock and fingerboard before you spray. Be careful, some tape will mess up the finish it is on. If just a bit of bare wood is showing you probably won’t need to pore fill. If you sand it back to bare wood you’ll probably need a pore fill. I seal. Then pore fill. Then seal over my filler after it has dried. Then I do topcoats. I’ll do three to four topcoats in one afternoon waiting an hour in between but no sanding. The next day I sand it back a little, don’t go for perfectly flat but get down so just some pores are shiny still. Spray three more coats. Next day sand all the way back flat with 240-320 grit paper. You’ll know it’s flat when there aren’t any shiny spots left. (Somebody recommended an eraser as a sanding block, that seems like a cool idea, make sure you use a flat sanding block of some sort. I use a firm foam block. This is the only way to get it really flat so it will shine right later) Spray 3 more coats. Wait a month and buff it out.
I probably would’ve kept the logo, it’s a cool one. Good luck!
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#9
12-03-2020, 05:41 AM
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C. F. Martin is on the phone, they want their guitar back.
__________________
Bill Guitars: 1910's Larson/Stetson 1 size guitar 1920 Martin 1-28 1987 Martin Schoenberg Soloist 2006 Froggy Bottom H-12 Deluxe 2016 Froggy Bottom L Deluxe 2021 Blazer and Henkes 000-18 H 2015 Rainsong P12 2017 Probett Rocket III 2006 Sadowsky Semi Hollow 1993 Fender Stratocaster Bass: 1993 Sadowsky NYC 5 String Mandolin: Weber Bitterroot
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#10
12-03-2020, 07:59 AM
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My advise (and advice) is to leave it alone.
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#11
12-03-2020, 08:04 AM
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Given the nature and number of your questions, I’d advise taking it to a pro and having them do the work.
Rb
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#13
12-03-2020, 08:37 AM
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A thought - opinion
I don't think a prior-to-removal conversation would have changed the arc of this situation. OP altered more than the guitar, also his bank balance in rendering the guitar unsalable.
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#14
12-03-2020, 09:06 AM
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So many people getting in a twist about what someone decided to do to their own guitar. It’s not what I would have done but it’s his guitar.
It sounds like you don’t have any finishing experience so if you want it to look good I’d take it to someone who know what they’re doing.
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#15
12-03-2020, 09:16 AM
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Yeah I actually get the desire to have a Martin without a logo on the headstock, and if he's never planning to sell it he should definitely have it how he wants it. I assume he already understood, altering it in that way would hurt resale value. It does sound like he got a bit ahead of himself sanding it off before he knew how to refinish it properly, but I can't fault him in that either, as I sometimes get a bit impulsive myself.
Refinishing the headstock can absolutely be done by an amateur and with appropriate patience and care it can come out with professional results. At this point there is no turning back, so my advice would be to proceed with caution. Make a plan, set aside plenty of time to do a good job, and try to avoid the temptation to rush critical finishing steps. Putting on the finish too thick or sanding and buffing before it's fully cured will harm the final results or at least set you back. So go slow. Slower than you think. Worst case you can sand it off and start over, but you don't want to do that.
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