T-Cut to remove scratches from 80's Fender?

JezWynd

Just picked up an old Bullet Deluxe. It's in very good condition but there are a couple of scratches that show when it's tilted to the light. Would T -Cut be an appropriate cleaner or is there anything else (Brasso?) that might do the job?

57Deluxe

Brasso is better. Start lighter and work up to T cut if required. Toothpaste is also good for small areas.

guitars4you

Certainly not Brasso on the finish - I sometimes use Meguiars Car polish - Similar to T-Cut - With a cutting compound - To remove light surface grazes + stale sweat marks - Then a quick polish after to shine - Depends how old, stubborn and deep the scratches are 

57Deluxe

Yes Brasso! - Brasso will make it look like this from a satin nitro.

I have used it on all my guitars for decades and is the best for all sorts of scuffs and pickguard scratches too - brings them back to almost new. I use Gibson polish for the everyday buff up though.

ICBM

I use T-Cut. It's specifically designed for polishing paint finishes.

guitars4you

57Deluxe said:

Brasso is better. Start lighter and work up to T cut if required. Toothpaste is also good for small areas.

Brasso - You've got me on this one - Not in a bad way - Never heard of it for this - Or thought of it this way - Might try it on a cheap copy first - Always used Meguiars if a cutting compound required - Finding Dunlop Platinum 65 is excellent as a day to day polish - Doesn't Brasso smell a bit to much ? in not a nice way

robgilmo

If you rub your finger nail on the scratch and you can feel it T Cut wont polish it out ,unless the finish Is really quite soft. When we take scratches out of car paint we sand with anything up to 2000 grit wet and dry using water with a tiny amount of soap to lubricate then polish with a polishing compound to bring up the gloss.
For a guitar finish which I assume is softer than car paint you could try a cutting compound. Meguiars Car polish , or at least some of their polishes is quite different from TCut, it starts off as a mild abrasive just like TCut but the more you polish it into the finish the more it breaks down getting finer and finer as you go, sometimes its good to use a little water with these types of polishes because if it dries out the process is interupted and when you reapply more polish you start all over again.

richardhomer

I’ve used T Cut on a 64 Gibson 335 - used sensibly it does no harm whatsoever.

JezWynd

Thank you for all the responses, they're really helpful. Here's the guitar -


Scratches are light but quite visible when in right light -


As the guitar is in such otherwise excellent condition I'd like to try and get them out. I think I'll try T-Cut, I think it may buff them out. There's also Planet Waves Restore Detailer I found on Amazon, seems like it might be a T-Cut like thing.

TINMAN82

Looks better with the scratch

ICBM

It’s hard to be sure from the photo but those look pretty deep. You'll need to go through a lot of the finish to remove them completely, although softening the edges might make them less visible.

guitars4you

JezWynd said:

Thank you for all the responses, they're really helpful. Here's the guitar -


Scratches are light but quite visible when in right light -


As the guitar is in such otherwise excellent condition I'd like to try and get them out. I think I'll try T-Cut, I think it may buff them out. There's also Planet Waves Restore Detailer I found on Amazon, seems like it might be a T-Cut like thing.

I use the PW Restore - but it is subtle - won't work on deeper scuff marks

JezWynd

ICBM said:

It’s hard to be sure from the photo but those look pretty deep. You'll need to go through a lot of the finish to remove them completely, although softening the edges might make them less visible.

They are difficult to photograph and look quite bad in certain light but they don't catch a fingernail run over them. I'm hopeful that with the right abrasive and lots of elbow grease they may come out completely. But as you say, it's dependant upon depth of finish - it's not encased in a thick poly coat like some Fenders.

TINMAN82 said:

Looks better with the scratch

Usually I'd agree, I've never been previously tempted to restore a guitar but this one is so clean it seems worth a little effort to get it like new again. This model often gets trashed or messed around with - you seldom come across a mint, cased example - it even has the original maintenance  booklet.



It sounds very nice - much better than the standard model (with metal scratch plate) which I had about a year ago. Neck and esp fretboard is much better quality. In neck position it sounds very Strat like.

JezWynd

57Deluxe said:

Yes Brasso! - Brasso will make it look like this from a satin nitro. 

Do you use the Brasso liquid or the stuff in a tin that looks like cotton wool?

57Deluxe

Brasso (or any no brand similar brass polish) liquid in a can. The stuff in the wadding is Duraglit and that *IS*  too abrasive.. Seems Brasso have bought Duraglit which may be why some of you are perplexed!

So - NOT THE WADDING product!!

NO

NO

YES

JezWynd

Thanks for that @57Deluxe. I should probably test it on a bit under the scratchplate, to check it doesn't alter the colour.

Ossyrocks

Virtuoso Professional Guitar Cleaner is very good, but it also smells remarkably like Brasso liquid.............

SteveRobinson

I think the scratch is too deep for cutting compound. You'd need to flat the area first and that risks sanding through the finish. 

Like most damage on this type of finish, best left alone. 

p90fool

JezWynd said:

ICBM said:

It’s hard to be sure from the photo but those look pretty deep. You'll need to go through a lot of the finish to remove them completely, although softening the edges might make them less visible.

They are difficult to photograph and look quite bad in certain light but they don't catch a fingernail run over them. I'm hopeful that with the right abrasive and lots of elbow grease they may come out completely. But as you say, it's dependant upon depth of finish - it's not encased in a thick poly coat like some Fenders.

TINMAN82 said:

Looks better with the scratch

Usually I'd agree, I've never been previously tempted to restore a guitar but this one is so clean it seems worth a little effort to get it like new again. This model often gets trashed or messed around with - you seldom come across a mint, cased example - it even has the original maintenance  booklet.



It sounds very nice - much better than the standard model (with metal scratch plate) which I had about a year ago. Neck and esp fretboard is much better quality. In neck position it sounds very Strat like.

Is it the USA built one? My '81 has what looks like 10" fretboard radius, though I've never seen that mentioned anywhere even though Fender were using 7.25" on everything in those days. 

JezWynd

p90fool said:

Is it the USA built one? My '81 has what looks like 10" fretboard radius, though I've never seen that mentioned anywhere even though Fender were using 7.25" on everything in those days. 

Yes it is USA built and I'd agree that radius is prob 9.5/10". Def flatter than 7.25". The fretboard on this Deluxe version has a normal depth rosewood fretboard while the earlier one had a wafer thin piece of rosewood.

p90fool

Interesting, mine would definitely be called a slab rather than veneer board as its bottom is flat, but it's not a thick slab.