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Getting the finish on an old bass shiny again


radiophonic

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My 92 Stingray is pretty clean, but there a couple of areas of the finish that have worn dull - where my right arms falls and the top horn (for some reason). Is it possible to get the shine back without damaging the lacquer? I assume it's a poly finish, but I have no idea how thick it is. Presumably some sort of buffing would do it? Any ideas?

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27 minutes ago, Happy Jack said:

You don't really understand relic'ing, do you?

;)xD

Quite, restoring this bass to it's former glory could dramatically reduce it's value. The bass world is going through a "dragged down the canal" period at the moment.

On a more sensible note - 

 

Edited by itsmedunc
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Having restored a good few old acoustic instruments, I've always used Rustins finish reviver: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Rustisn-FINR125-125ml-Finish-Reviver/dp/B001GU6E76/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1521054210&sr=8-1&keywords=rustins+finish+reviver

 - it's essentially the same as T-cut (meant for automotive finishes) but specifically for furniture / varnish - and does work on nitrocellulose lacquers.  Most decent hardware shops stock it

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I was advised against T-Cut by JayDee no less, as he said it was too strong an abrasive, especially for the inexperienced amateur restorer.

Since then I bought a Gibson restoration pack, which has a finish restorer and soft cloths, fingerboard lemon oil etc in it. No problems so far.

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2 minutes ago, Big_Stu said:

I was advised against T-Cut by JayDee no less, as he said it was too strong an abrasive, especially for the inexperienced amateur restorer.

Since then I bought a Gibson restoration pack, which has a finish restorer and soft cloths, fingerboard lemon oil etc in it. No problems so far.

Good point. T Cut also leaves a residue, which you should ideally wipe off with something like white spirit.

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48 minutes ago, Big_Stu said:

I was advised against T-Cut by JayDee no less, as he said it was too strong an abrasive, especially for the inexperienced amateur restorer.

Since then I bought a Gibson restoration pack, which has a finish restorer and soft cloths, fingerboard lemon oil etc in it. No problems so far.

I've had a 'Fender Instrument Care Kit' for a long time now, which contains a 'swirl and haze remover' bottle of stuff. Works

great on older finishes as well as poly ones. Made in conjunction with Meguiars,  ' the world's premier car care 

manufacturer'!! http://www.guitarcenter.com/Fender/Instrument-Care-Kit-by-Meguiars-1273888003790.gc

Think it's been discontinued now, but may still be some for sale somewhere. The newer Fender packs don't contain

the same products https://www.gear4music.com/Guitar-and-Bass/Fender-Custom-Shop-Deluxe-Guitar-Care-Kit/XLE

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Thanks for all the input. I've used T-Cut on bicycle paint (much less tough than car paint) but I was a bit worried about the abrasion issue on a guitar. Obviously, I don't want to risk wrecking (sorry: relicing) the finish. I could always do a trial patch, under the scratchplate but even then I'd be a bit wary. 

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14 hours ago, yorks5stringer said:

I use Meguiars Ultimate compound: T Cut is very old hat and if used too heavily can cut  though the clear coat.

+1 on the Meguires Ultimate Compound - a great product which gets used in our house for everything from removing wax crayons off doors, shoe marks off hard floors, polishing my guitars / basses, and polishing hand bag scrapes, bush scrapes and pretty much any other light "brush" type scrape off of my car.

Edited by darkandrew
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