Hi from, Mike. First rule is just clean it and wax it. That is it. Use a butchers wax or an old fashioned shoe polish. The past stuff in a can. As to cleaning it. This will very depending on what the finish is?? It could be
Shellac, Varnish, Or Lacquer?? Not all cleaners are safe for all finishes. A wax remover is OK. For most. Then a buffing compound to remove grit. The stuff that is used for an auto finish is good. As it is gentile.
Hand buff it out. No power buffing. Then a good 3 or 4 Coats of wax. Never use an oil based cleaner. Like Turpentine And Mineral Spirits. They do work. But the oil will get into the wood and soften it. Removing years of aging. And it will kill the tone. So no oil. If it is a nice guitar and the finish is really bad. Having a pro refinish the whole thing is a good way to go. If not an you want to do a do it your self touchup. Ok. Alcohol will destroy a shellac finish. But you can sprits it on spots that are crackled to re melt the damage on to the guitar. Same goes for Lacquer. Lacquer thinner will kill lacquer. But can be lightly used to melt the finish down. I would use an air brush. A little at a time. Mist it lightly. Repeat till you get it how you like it. Lightly sand and re cover it with a thin layer of the finish thinned out. A couple of coats of shellac or lacquer with the air brush. Then buff and wax. You can also just clean it well. Then use a spray can of the proper finish to recover. Then buff it all out. Varnish is another story. No way that I know to re melt it in??
So it needs to be cleaned. Lightly sanded and re covered. Minwax makes a great gel varnish that comes id a plastic bottle. You put a little on a rag and rub it on. It is a very thin coat. Let each coat dry and keep building it up till you get it how you like it. This stuff can be used on most any finish that has been cleaned.
Great for bringing old beet up finishes back to life. Also will hide most of the scratches. Comes in Nat. and colors. Hope this helps. Mike.





 

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To: tenorguitarregistry@yahoogroups.com
From: jcw56@...
Date: Fri, 3 Jul 2009 21:16:18 +0000
Subject: [Tenor Guitar Registry] Flaking finish and neck wear



Hello!

I'm wondering what -- if anything -- I can do about the flaking and worn-through-the-finish spots on my 1935 (or so) Slingerland Songster. This is not just the normal crazing of cracked varnish; the wood is exposed in some small places.

First, the lower body where arms have draped and strummed, some of the finish is gone but is not actively peeling away. Perhaps it has been like this for years already. I would like to know if there is some way to arrest further flaking and preserve the integrity of the wood.

Photo linked here: Slingerland Body 
http://d.yimg.com/kq/groups/5616297/sn/1468194554/name/SlingerTenorBody1.jpg

Second, wear on the neck, particularly at the first first fret and a little down from there, has also exposed the wood. I know this is because of its having been a well-played guitar. Probably nothing to do for this other than wiping after playing.

Photo linked here: Slingerland Neck
http://d.yimg.com/kq/groups/5616297/sn/1055594862/name/SlingerTenorNeck1.jpg

Any recommendations of how to best care for these areas will be appreciated! Then again, maybe I should keep it in perspective: when I reach 70+ years, I suppose there will be a certain amount of flaking and excessive wear showing on me, too.

Thanks!