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How to apply a high-gloss finish by hand, using abrasive polishing.
This technique works for just about anything--furniture, automobiles, guitars, etc.
For large projects (cars), power sanders and buffers are helpful. But for small things, it's great. And for beginners, hand-sanding and rubbing is less likely to burn or sand though paint and clear--it's a safer route...
Hey--it's a bit intimidating at first, but really not that difficult (with the right supplies.)
This example is a vintage thin-line hollow-body guitar that needed several structural repairs....
This technique works for just about anything--furniture, automobiles, guitars, etc.
For large projects (cars), power sanders and buffers are helpful. But for small things, it's great. And for beginners, hand-sanding and rubbing is less likely to burn or sand though paint and clear--it's a safer route...
Hey--it's a bit intimidating at first, but really not that difficult (with the right supplies.)
This example is a vintage thin-line hollow-body guitar that needed several structural repairs....
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Signing UpStep 1Supplies
Supplies for this project are basic and inexpensive:
1) Rags. Lots of rags.
2) Wet/dry sandpaper-- 400 or 600 grit to start, 800, 1000, 2000 to finish.
3) A sponge for a sanding block.
4) A bucket of soapy water.
5) Rubbing compound.
Rubbing compounds and fine sandpaper can be found at automotive supply, home improvement, or craft stores.
Important Note: Avoid any rubbing or polishing compounds that contain silicon. It may look pretty, but any subsequent painting will be a nightmare!
Other supplies:
6) Jewelers Rouge (or "polishing compound")
7) Polish
(ible user Spokehedz indicates that block polishing compounds like Jewelers Rouge are available at Home Depot. Any real hardware store is also a good source.)
1) Rags. Lots of rags.
2) Wet/dry sandpaper-- 400 or 600 grit to start, 800, 1000, 2000 to finish.
3) A sponge for a sanding block.
4) A bucket of soapy water.
5) Rubbing compound.
Rubbing compounds and fine sandpaper can be found at automotive supply, home improvement, or craft stores.
Important Note: Avoid any rubbing or polishing compounds that contain silicon. It may look pretty, but any subsequent painting will be a nightmare!
Other supplies:
6) Jewelers Rouge (or "polishing compound")
7) Polish
(ible user Spokehedz indicates that block polishing compounds like Jewelers Rouge are available at Home Depot. Any real hardware store is also a good source.)
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about the whole process, only a few people would have been interested. By limiting this to one thing, it seems to be useful to more people...
Some points (I hope this is what you're looking for):
--It's almost never a good idea to refinish something 'vintage.' From a collectors POV, ugly is often beautiful. However, in this case, the guitar had so many structural problems, it was unplayable. If it were a 50 yr old Martin or Gibson, I would have a real luthier fix it.
(and finish-wise, this guitar was really quite good--look at the last step. The front wasn't refinished.)
--Running down the defects:
1) The top was sunken, warped inward.
2) Consequently the action was 1/4 in+ at the end of the fret board
3) The prev owners had tried to 'correct' this, by tightening the truss rod as much as possible (any more, and it would have broken.) But all this does is bend the neck backward--so the guitar was playable in the first 6 frets, and horrible above that.
4) The binding was separated in one of the cutaways.
5) The back was delaminating in two areas.
6) The binding was cracked in one spot.
7) The wiring was defective (disconnections, so neither pickup worked.)
8) Small crack on the front, between the neck and the neck pickup.
--So each problem needed to be addressed and repaired. And likely each one would be enough for an instructable on it's own! You can see why I didn't want to tackle so much, I hope.
--After that, small areas needed paint touchup. Then the back and sides had to be 're-cleared' several times with lacquer. Every effort was made to keep the existing paint. I never did sand down through that...
Anyway, back to the baseball game....
Well done Sir.
Steve
It is important that each sanding step removes the scratches from the previous step. I usually stop periodically and wipe the surface until it's clean and dry, and check the progress.
Some really tiny scratches might be evident near completion, but the polishing compound takes care of those...
I love this guitar. It took lot of work to get it in it's current condition. It could use a re-fretting, 'cause I had straighten the neck, then level the frets. But it's quite playable now (I just prefer more fret height for bending, etc.)
I did some structural things, too. The top was bent in a bit. So I corrected and re-enforced the body. Now it's solid, and it stays in tune better than just about any guitar I own--even with the "teisco style" whammy...
I've delved into the guts of my old Ampeg Gemini II amp the last couple days, which never did work right (had it forever.) But I've gotten the reverb to work now, and this guitar sounds incredible with the old-school sound.
I used acrylic-based inks, which worked since it's not a subtle color, and usually was black where the repairs were needed. For the green areas (like the cut-away), I dry-brushed the color.
Stewart-MacDonald has a good selection of paints, you might want to check them out...
You could start with an automotive polishing compound/scratch remover. If that's not sufficient, maybe begin at step 4 (800 or 1000 grit paper) and continue through the other steps....
If it were a real Gibson, you should consult an antique expert or luthier. It's not a great idea to polish a functional vintage instrument (this one had some structural issues.) Some wear doesn't effect the value of an instrument as it might other objects....
I don't know what types of abrasive sandpapers are used, but I've seen it done on belt sanders, so this technique is used for metal, as well.
But more of the process is done with buffing wheels instead of multi-grade sandpapers, progressing through the cycle of buffing/polishing compounds (Black Emery, Brown Tripoli, etc.) Someone posted a link below (PDF) that looks pretty good..
The biggest difficulty IMO would be if there was a textured finish applied to the metal at the factory. It would be very tough to achieve by hand. And other than a surface polish, plating (chrome, nickel) can't be repaired with abrasives...
For boots & shoes, the only thing that will give you this depth of shine is an old military technique called "spit-shining." Any old Army or USMC veteran from the 60s, or earlier, should be able to show you how to do it, especially if they were Airborne or Rangers.
Like the old-fashioned "French Polish" that old cabinetmakers and piano makers used to use, spit-shining can be a time-consuming process, especially the first time on a pair of boots or shoes.
Here are two instructions for spit-shining:
http://www.stompersboots.com/stompers_bootcare.php
http://www.cadetstuff.org/how_to/200201_elliott_bulling.htm
The second one is somewhat better. However, you can cut the work a lot by putting a good base shine on with one of those power shoe-shiners, and once you have a decent spit-shine you can tune them up in between wearings in a matter of minutes if you have one of these buffers. Don't let the hours of work (at first) scare you off. I can bring my wife's riding boots back to a black mirror finish in about ten minutes with the power bufffer and a little bit of tune-up with a cotton ball or old cotton T-shirt.
It's more art than science, and there aren't very many people anymore who can do this. No camera, no time ... or I'd do an instructable. Those I mentioned are adequate, though.
You could post this question on the forum, i.e., what's the best way to finish leather?