Gibson nitro scratch removal

TTBZ

I'm looking to try and tidy up my guitar a bit by polishing out some surface scratches/scuffs it has. Nothing seems to go that deep, certainly nothing down to the wood - the kind of thing I don't really mind but potential buyers might! Any suggestions for the best means of polishing them out? I've tried T Cut on a micro fibre cloth which helped a bit on the scuffs but they're still a bit white, and hasn't done much to what I assume is belt buckle swirling on the back. A quick Google suggests virtuoso polish might be worth a try?

Winny_Pooh

T cut is relatively strong IIRC so if scratches remain then best accept they are a bit too deep. 

SteveRobinson

It depends how deep they are. It might be possible to flat the lacquer by block sanding using abrasive paper then buffing with T-Cut. The lacquer will probably be thicker than you imagine but you do risk sanding through if not careful.

If they are too deep to cut back then overspraying the back with fresh lacquer to fill them would work.

John_A

Stuff like buckle marks won't 'polish out'. Unless you really know what you are doing or want to pay someone to refinish it, 9/10 times DIY attempts just make things worse.

Post some pics if you can

Jalapeno

Agree ^^^^   post some pics - one man's gouge is another's light scratch

TTBZ

I may just leave it then if it's not going to be a simple fix with polish and a cloth! I'll try and get some photos in daylight tomorrow. I don't think they look bad or deep (but you can feel them), there's just quite a bit of it and in the right light it really shows - not something I'd care about if I was buying the guitar but others might!

TTBZ

Got a few photos. The worst bits are the scuffs on the front and the weird bit up by the headstock (not even sure how I got that). You can see how many swirls there are on the back - tbh they look worse when you look at them like this, straight on in normal light it's not that bad!

https://www.dropbox.com/sh/7wqrrpm5bxr1mot/AAAtGeHv2Pn4qNkEyWW85QPua?dl=0

Devil#20

I think you should probably leave it. It could end up looking like you've tied it to your rear bumper and dragged it down the street. 

SteveRobinson

Yes, definitely best left alone

TTBZ

Ok, thanks for saving me from possibly ruining my guitar