Conference napalm::guitar

Define 

		"Scuff Marks"

    Not so much scratches as scrapes...abrasions...like the way sandpaper
    abrades wood when it comes into contact.
    
    
    Wes
    

Hmm, well that would probably be tuff...

If it's really bad, it may warrent a refinish..

Dings, dents, and such, are pretty easy to fix, you can buy kits
to do most of it, then you just match the color, and you can
hide one of these types of blemishses..

But what you're talking about would probably be tuff to gell over.

If part of the finish is abratted away,,,  then I'd have no idea what
you'd do.  Maybe someone else in the conf can offere some advice.

You may want to call up a good repair guy, let him look at it.

I know of a good one in Shrewsbury, a virutal master of restoring
dinged up guitars...   (Where do you live?)

    Let me guess,
    
    You bought a brand new Strat last week, then changed your mind this
    weekend and decided you'd like to trade it back into the store for
    a Tele. Only problem is the new Strat has a few surface scrathes.
    
    Am I on target ?
    
    If so, Good luck!!
    Mark
    

    RE: .4
    
    Nope! Thankfully, the problem is on an older guitar that I have...(not 
    the Guild, either :-)).
     

    Perhaps a polishing compound of some sort ?
    
    jc (Who thinks scuffs make the guitar look like "mine")

    
    
    
                   How about a little WAX??
    

Problem with a rubbing compound is that it wont restore the finish
if the finish gone or has been abratted away..  Wax ditto...

The wood rubbing compounds are good for surface blemishes that haven't
penetrated through all the layers of laquere...   You need some laquere
to work with..

If the blemish is down to the natural wood, a refinish is the only way
you can reseal it, then you can dress it up with some fine polish
work, (.000 steel wool) and then put on a good paste wax. 

If Shrewsbury isn't too far, see Rich Macduff.  He did wonders for some
of my guitars.

    I think I know what you're talking about.  You need to take off just a
    very, very thin layer of the finish to get back down to the shine.  You
    need to use a very, VERY fine abrasive, like rouge, then buff it out. 
    I think this kind of thing is common knowledge among folks that finish
    instruments; doesn't someone out there have a guitar repair book?
    
    Come to think of it, what's the toothpaste that claims to whiten your
    teeth, but the dentist tells you not to use because it contains
    abrasive?  Whatever it it, I've been told that it's good for polishing
    jewelry; it might just do the trick here.  Just try it on YOUR guitar
    first...
    
    Charlie

    
    
    			PEARL Drops......!! ya, thats the tickett!
    
    
    
    	Jt
    

    That reminds me...
    
    I was told this weekend that it is a good idea to wipe down the strings
    after playing.  What is a good cloth to use to do this and/or to wipe
    down the finish?  Something like chamois?
    
    Mike

    Dings and scratches are inevitable...or are they? 
    
    What the world needs is an indestructible guitar surface that looks
    just like wood! :-)
    
    Maybe that's the idea behind the Ovation guitars, eh? (the backs)

    RE: .11
    
    Probably something soft and clean, made from cotton. An old t-shirt,
    maybe? Cotton is absorbent, so I would think it'd be good for the
    strings and the finish. 
    

    Some luthiers use "rotten stone" to buff lacquer finishes. It is
    a very fine powder (ie: dirt). It must be mixed with parifin oil
    and rubbed over the finish to remove overspray, orange-peel, etc. I
    have used it and find it to be too fine for rubbing out lacquer jobs
    with orange-peel and bubbles. I generally use automotive polishing
    compound and find it works good. Saves lot's of time compared to 
    the ultra fine compounds sold for this purpose.
    
    Mark

When I redid my 72 strat, I used Pumice (real 100% volcanic ash) 
as a final buff before putting on the first coat of paste wax..  
Probably the same thing as this "rotten Stone"

Cloth for cleaning,,  I've found that nuthin works as well as a t-shirt.

Ovations: yeah great for durability, but I have a hard time getting to
like the over all sound it produces.  when I had one, I couldn't
help but feel that it was the "coldest" feeling/playing/sounding
guitar I've ever had.

    Many luthiers and repairpersons use Meguiars polishes for buffing out
    minor scuffs and scratches. Grades # 3, 4 and 7 are useful and are sold
    at both guitar supply and auto shops.
    
    I think chamois is the best polishing cloth for wiping down a guitar
    after playing. Next best is flannelette, with old t-shirts a distant
    3rd. For about $15, Brookstone or Fuller Brush sells a nice soft
    chamois big enough to make 4 or 5 cloths that will last forever. If
    you've spent $500 (or $5,000) on a good guitar, why not spend a few
    dollars to keep it looking good?
    
    Danny W.