Anyone had any luck removing, concealing, filling a scratch in nitro finish, ....?

Fishboy7

, .... say if someone had dropped a pair of heavy pliers on the top of an otherwise pristine R9, ....

Funkfingers

How deep is the scratch? Just the finish or into the wood? A fill and buff repair might be sufficient.

Fishboy7

just the finish, ... 1 maybe 2 mm

thermionic

Nitro lacquer melts when you add more lacquer, so it’s probably easier to get a good result with a dropfill than on a poly finish.

Fishboy7

is there a product you'd suggest for filling, ...then sandpaper or steel wool for buffing?

Brize

Yes, I had JXG drop-fill a dent in a gloss R8 a few years ago after my daughter chucked an iPhone at it. Worked a treat.

Bridgehouse

Brize said:

Yes, I had JXG drop-fill a dent in a gloss R8 a few years ago after my daughter chucked an iPhone at it. Worked a treat.

She really didn’t like it then....?

merlin

Brize said:

Yes, I had JXG drop-fill a dent in a gloss R8 a few years ago after my daughter chucked an iPhone at it. Worked a treat.

I hope you took the dent out of the iPhone by flushing it down the toilet. 

richardhomer

Apply a sticker to obscure the damage?

John_A

An expensive guitar like that, I would get a professional to do it, it's not hard, but wants doing properly

Iamnobody

Sounds like the start of a relic project...

Just get a big spanner and twat it all over. Job done.

I do have an SG that’s had a dent in the neck filled by a previous owner. You can’t feel it but you can see it. 

Bridgehouse

I thought R9’s came with lacquer dings out of the factory..?

Funkfingers

Presumably, pulled off pot shafts are an aftermarket optional extra?

Fishboy7

Iamnobody said:

Sounds like the start of a relic project...

Just get a big spanner and twat it all over. Job done.

I do have an SG that’s had a dent in the neck filled by a previous owner. You can’t feel it but you can see it. 

ha, ... that did cross my mind actually 

spark240

I had exactly this in my new PRS 513....I got Jamie Davey to sort it and honestly cant tell it was ever there...depends where you are based, he's in the Midlands.

Jimbro66

http://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Trade_Secrets/Mamie_Minch_Melting_scratches_off_a_vintage_guitar_finish.html

GoldenEraGuitars

Can you post a picture of the damage? A flash coat repair may be achievable 

Misty

Don't do it yourself unless you are 100% confident and experienced. The repair can easily end up looking worse than it does now. Get a pro to do it. I speak from bitter experience.

Fishboy7

Thanks. I've decided to leave well alone.  If I come to sell it I'll get it touched up by a pro.

scalino65

Depends what colour the area where teh ding is. If its black, then you could drip a little black nitro onto the area using the end of a toothpick. If its part of teh sunburst, then it becomes much trickier to match the new colour. The really fiddly bit comes next, once teh new paint is slightly proud of the old, you have to flat it back using a very, very small object as a block. Its a bugger of a job really and is very tricky to get perfect. Definitely worth checking with a pro.

Misty

In flattening the repair back it's very easy to make the scar bigger, or even go through to the wood like I once did. Also there's a tendency to get impatient and do it before you've got enough nitro in the ding, or before it's properly hard. Another risk is that, in flattening it back then polishing it, you end up with it looking nice and shiny but with a dent where you flattened it. Good decision to leave it alone!