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Removing/reducing scratches on a high gloss paint finish


Clarky
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I am looking at another bass (I know .... I need to sell something first) which has a 20 year old black high-gloss finish. Where the forearm and right hand rest there are tons of surface scratches, as there are in the usual buckle rash area on the rear of the bass. Now I don't mind some surface scratches but there's quite a lot and I just wondered if it is safe to use something like T-cut to tone these down? Or is there another method you guys recommend? Don't want to go to expense of having it professionally re-finn'ed or anything like that. Thanks in advance, Clarky

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[quote name='Clarky' post='866038' date='Jun 13 2010, 03:26 PM']I am looking at another bass (I know .... I need to sell something first) which has a 20 year old black high-gloss finish. Where the forearm and right hand rest there are tons of surface scratches, as there are in the usual buckle rash area on the rear of the bass. Now I don't mind some surface scratches but there's quite a lot and I just wondered if it is safe to use something like T-cut to tone these down? Or is there another method you guys recommend? Don't want to go to expense of having it professionally re-finn'ed or anything like that. Thanks in advance, Clarky[/quote]


Hello again....
I recently bought a Fender Strat 1987 with the ORRID thick Black poly finish.....I tried,tried,then tried again with T-Cut all to no avail,,,,sure the real small whisps were lost but the larger,longer and slightly deeper were still very evident........
Then came the solution,all resulting from my better half stacking her car...It looked like a new bumper would be required due to the deep grazing but the fella said it would polish up fine,and it really did......SO methinks hey MR Panelbeater any chance you could do a similar job on a guitar...took it into him and 30 mins later it was done,he used a ragmop and fine compound and finished with a polish with a black colouring added...It looks 99% better than when bought,OK the bigger marks are still slightly evident but you have to look very hard to find anything else,and it only cost £20

Shame the dinks cant be solved likewise

pic attached

Regards

tino

Edited by tino
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T-cut may be a little savage. It not only contains abrasives but it has a high ammonia content which eats paint.
I use a similar but more gentle product scabbed from my local Renault dealer (where my g/f works) called Farecla. You get different grades but I like to do "roughing up" with G-3 then finishing with G-10. If all you have is a slight haze either of these will do the trick for you. If you have actual scratches that you can feel with your finger nail then you may have to flatten it first with paper of P800 and over.
If you go around to your nearest car body-shop and do your best puppy dog eyes you might be able to pick up some.

If t-cut is your only choice, you could try leaving it out for some of the ammonia to evaporate - you'll obviously have to re-hydrate it. I've not tried this I'm just thinking out loud.

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[quote name='Clarky' post='866063' date='Jun 13 2010, 03:43 PM']Here's pics of the front and rear scratches to give you an idea of what I mean

[attachment=52120:alembic06.jpg][attachment=52121:alembic10.jpg][/quote]
Mop & Buf.......in this case a hand job aint gonna cut it :)

If of any use Lee the lad that done mine is in Wembley..I can ask if its near to you

Edited by tino
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Thanks gents. So I am clear, would P800 sandpaper remove the worst then, do you reckon? And then follow up with some Farecla car-type polish?

And I would be doing this by hand, as I assume that what you meant by handjob :)

Edited by Clarky
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[quote name='Clarky' post='866072' date='Jun 13 2010, 03:51 PM']Thanks gents. So I am clear, would P800 sandpaper remove the worst then, do you reckon? And then follow up with some Farecla car-type polish?[/quote]
What type of paint is used???
800 is quite a coars grade and if theres a gloss to the rest of the body then the abrasion in the area you treat will be lost,and even once repolished I doubt it will blend back with the non treated area...

BIG OL TIN OF HAMMERITE POSSIBLY :)

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[quote name='Clarky' post='866072' date='Jun 13 2010, 03:51 PM']Thanks gents. So I am clear, would P800 sandpaper remove the worst then, do you reckon? And then follow up with some Farecla car-type polish?

And I would be doing this by hand, as I assume that what you meant by handjob :)[/quote]
Clarky

I think the pictures show quite extensive scratching,the amount of time you will put in and the cost of the products is actually alot more than whipping down to a local car spray booth and asking a favour,all they need is the strings removed and its not even half an hours work for them.Im certain the result will be favourable over a DIY jobbie

T

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OK, I don't want to make things worse so maybe I will take you up on your Wembley suggestion Tino if I get this bass. I am near Hammersmith so Wembley is about half an hour's drive. Thanks fellas as it sounds like something can be done here and that was my concern - I don't want to buy a 20-year old bass that will need loads of expensive re-fin type work. Lets see if I can do the deal first as the seller and I are a little apart on price at this point

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[quote name='Clarky' post='866072' date='Jun 13 2010, 03:51 PM']Thanks gents. So I am clear, would P800 sandpaper remove the worst then, do you reckon? And then follow up with some Farecla car-type polish?

And I would be doing this by hand, as I assume that what you meant by handjob :rolleyes:[/quote]
You see that thar Pingray in my sig? That's how I did mine. :)

I'm lucky enough to have tons of P80-1500 at my disposal but for this job 800+ is a good middle ground - if you think you're not making much progress maybe even 500 may be what's needed. A good tip though is that say you start out with 800 and look after tha paper after a few minutes of rubbing it loses it coarseness so goes up in grade. I keep all my used sandpapers and only use the number as a gauge - I feel it to tell how course it is. A broken in sheet of 800 is as good as a fresh 1000 which is perfect for finishing before buffing.

Buffing is boooooooring I suggest a wee powered buffer you get them for about a tenner from Argos and sh*t like that.

Also if it has a scratch plate you have a perfect test bed under there for experimenting. I'm presuming you have a clear finish over paint which gives you that little bit extra headroom for rubbing back.

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[quote name='Ou7shined' post='866101' date='Jun 13 2010, 04:14 PM']You see that thar Pingray in my sig? That's how I did mine. :)

I'm lucky enough to have tons of P80-1500 at my disposal but for this job 800+ is a good middle ground - if you think you're not making much progress maybe even 500 may be what's needed. A good tip though is that say you start out with 800 and look after tha paper after a few minutes of rubbing it loses it coarseness so goes up in grade. I keep all my used sandpapers and only use the number as a gauge - I feel it to tell how course it is. A broken in sheet of 800 is as good as a fresh 1000 which is perfect for finishing before buffing.

Buffing is boooooooring I suggest a wee powered buffer you get them for about a tenner from Argos and sh*t like that.

Also if it has a scratch plate you have a perfect test bed under there for experimenting. I'm presuming you have a clear finish over paint which gives you that little bit extra headroom for rubbing back.[/quote]
Thanks Ou7shined, I think (assuming I buy this bass) I will take a look and see how bad it looks in 'real life' before making any decisions - as I know things can often look worse when photographed, especially if they are gloss finished. I can't look over the bass as its in the US right now and I only have photos to go on. Here's a rather large clue as to what the bass is (no its not the original which was stolen!)

[attachment=52125:30129.jpg]

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[quote name='Ou7shined' post='866139' date='Jun 13 2010, 04:41 PM']Ah an [url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=91486"]Ibanza[/url]. :)

Nah, excellent call. You're gonna have to learn For Who the Bell Tolls + all the widely bits though. :rolleyes:[/quote]
Nope, not an Ibanza, but an Alembic Spoiler in black. I have a lovely one in flame maple already which my band think too 'coffee table' and will go up FS if I bag the black one

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[quote name='lozbass' post='866249' date='Jun 13 2010, 06:43 PM']Ahem...I hope that all works out...I'll be watching the FS thread carefully...[/quote]
You know how BC is, there's already someone who has asked for first dibs :)

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Don't laugh, but I vaguely remember reading an older thread on a similar subject and one suggestion that stuck in my mind was to use toothpaste as a gentle abrasive to remove surface scratches... :)

If I remember correctly, Jean-Luc Pickguard confirmed this by saying that this is an old trick used by people to buff up the clear plastic cockpit parts on Airfix model planes and suchlike...

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Well I've gone for it. This Metallica-esque rock machine is on its way from California via USPS (so I might get it in a few weeks if I'm lucky :)). Will assess how bad the scratches are before deciding on what to do. Thank you everyone for your helpful advice.

[attachment=52360:alembic02.jpg][attachment=52361:alembic05.jpg]

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I don't know if anybody else mentioned this but *if* the finish has a clear lacquer and *if* the scratch is through the lacquer then you're knackered. If you rub out the scratch you'll remove a patch of the lacquer and it will look even worse. A light refinish is probably much less trouble (especially if you are keeping the same colour).

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[quote name='thepurpleblob' post='868782' date='Jun 16 2010, 09:58 AM']I don't know if anybody else mentioned this but *if* the finish has a clear lacquer and *if* the scratch is through the lacquer then you're knackered. If you rub out the scratch you'll remove a patch of the lacquer and it will look even worse. A light refinish is probably much less trouble (especially if you are keeping the same colour).[/quote]
If its worse than on the photos I will definitely go the light re-fin route as its too nice a bass to screw around with! Hopefully the less extensive (and cheaper!) options discussed in the previous posts will be sufficient

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