Removing 'impressions' from a Nitro finish

[neilli]

Anyone know if there's a way to remove 'compression impressions' from a nitro finish? I have line on a nice LP, but it has a bigsby which I'd want to remove. However, when it's been lifted off, not only are there screw holes, but there's an 'outline' of the baseplate..

 

[JackBootedThug]

you can use a clothes iron on bare wood to remove certain small dings, but not sure about a finished product.

 

[glip22]

Anyone know if there's a way to remove 'compression impressions' from a nitro finish? I have line on a nice LP, but it has a bigsby which I'd want to remove. However, when it's been lifted off, not only are there screw holes, but there's an 'outline' of the baseplate..

Not without respraying. With that said it can be spot repaired. Not easy. Nitro will blend with the existing finish. What I do is just use a few rags around the area to protect hardware. You don't need to do a large area. Work out maybe an inch or more around the impressions until it builds up. The key to making it invisible is how well you do your overspraying. After it cures, wet sand through the grits and buff. I have done some spot repairs with Nitro that were invisible and a couple where I wound up going through to wood on the wet sand process. Very hard to get a color match after that. You can make a mess.

 

[rupe]

Anyone know if there's a way to remove 'compression impressions' from a nitro finish? I have line on a nice LP, but it has a bigsby which I'd want to remove. However, when it's been lifted off, not only are there screw holes, but there's an 'outline' of the baseplate..

Not without respraying. With that said it can be spot repaired. Not easy. Nitro will blend with the existing finish. What I do is just use a few rags around the area to protect hardware. You don't need to do a large area. Work out maybe an inch or more around the impressions until it builds up. The key to making it invisible is how well you do your overspraying. After it cures, wet sand through the grits and buff. I have done some spot repairs with Nitro that were invisible and a couple where I wound up going through to wood on the wet sand process. Very hard to get a color match after that. You can make a mess.

Wouldn't it be worth trying to buff them out before going to that extent?

 

[Stumplegriltskin]

Unless you are an expert luthier, take it to one. Anything you do yourself is going to end up like a horror show. Trust me. I have many horror shows under my belt.

 

[barnesjd]

Unless it's a really good price, I would pass on it. Any time I've shopped for my Gibsons I immediately dismiss any with hardware that I don't want.

 

[glip22]

Anyone know if there's a way to remove 'compression impressions' from a nitro finish? I have line on a nice LP, but it has a bigsby which I'd want to remove. However, when it's been lifted off, not only are there screw holes, but there's an 'outline' of the baseplate..

Not without respraying. With that said it can be spot repaired. Not easy. Nitro will blend with the existing finish. What I do is just use a few rags around the area to protect hardware. You don't need to do a large area. Work out maybe an inch or more around the impressions until it builds up. The key to making it invisible is how well you do your overspraying. After it cures, wet sand through the grits and buff. I have done some spot repairs with Nitro that were invisible and a couple where I wound up going through to wood on the wet sand process. Very hard to get a color match after that. You can make a mess.

Wouldn't it be worth trying to buff them out before going to that extent?

A Les Paul is a bitch to buff. He will wind up buffing right through. Even Gibson buffs through. If you know what to look for you can find touch ups on many many Les Pauls.

 

[paulyc]

I wouldn't run away from it...relics are in. I passed on a Goldtop Deluxe back in the 80s because some idiot put a Kahler on it, it played great though, and that's what I should have been paying attention to, not what it looked like. Some real famous guys play FUBAR guitars man...

 

[neilli]

Thanks for all the replies guys - it's a bummer because I really like the look of this guitar and there's not much choice locally so anything I buy will end up being via the internet. And this one is at a store where they know me and know what I would like, and after many coming and going, this gets the thumbs up in terms of neck profile, sound etc. But I'm not sure I can live with both the holes in the top AND the impression of the bridge. I think it will niggle at me every time I notice it..