Official Luthiers Forum!

Anyone screwed up something in the final steps of a build? I was ATTEMPTING to press in my Schaller bushings and separated the finish around the hole about 1/8-3/16 on one side. I guess my hole was a bit tight and it stressed the finish near the hole....The bushing lip may also have been at a slight cant when it reached the surface of the peghead and ...OH...NO! The bushing will not cover the finish separation. It isn't a chip...it's a separation that caused the finish to discolor beneath the surface to a dull white area around the hole on one side. I've never pressed a bushing in before so I didn't know what things to watch out for.
Is it possible to flow lacquer thinner with a tiny brush into the separation from the hole edge and with careful pressure dissolve the lacquer enough to rebind the separation. I have to try something....My only other option (I am aware of) is to strip the peghead and refinish. Since it is a CARVED DESIGN peghead, it will be a monster task. Will heating the area slightly with careful pressure do anything?I know Lacquer is a forgiving and repairable finish compared to other finishes...but I have little experience with it.
Looking for some options to try before stripping. Anything is worth a try.
Kent

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Wood Creations by Kent A. Bailey
EXCELLENCE IN SCULPTURE, CARVING, LUTHIER, ARCHITECTURAL MILLWORK AND DESIGN

http://www.kabart.com

Try to wick thin CA with a pipette under the lacquer, a tiny, tiny amount should make it invisible. I stretch the neck of my pipettes with pliers and cut to length with a x-acto knife to obtain the smallest opening possible. You may have to level sand and buff your peghead again.
And use a reamer before installing your bushings next time…

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

Oh, and the answer is yes.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

I have had this problem with Waverly bushings even if I wait to ream with the SM reamer after finishing. Little lifts along the edge. What has worked for me with nitro is to put some retarder in a syringe with a 25G needle and get a small bead on the tip and touch it against the edge of the lift. It usually wicks right in. You can bend the needle to position the bevel and you have good control. You could probably do the same with thin CA.
I have made some little dowels with sandpaper on them that I can stick in the tuner holes and sand in a downward direction to bevel the edge of the lacquer before installing bushings.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.

I DID USE a sanding sealer on this guitar for the first time. It is obvious to me that there is a adherence issue with the Lacquer on this build because of it. I had to sand out and drop fill a few little separations along the binding during the finish procedure ...In the past, I used only a shellac basecoat and adherence was not an issue.

Thanks for the replies,

Mr Fixit...I hope

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Wood Creations by Kent A. Bailey
EXCELLENCE IN SCULPTURE, CARVING, LUTHIER, ARCHITECTURAL MILLWORK AND DESIGN

http://www.kabart.com

Nitro lacquer adheres just fine to bare wood. Conventional sanding sealer has no place in a luthier's shop, IMNSHO. I haven't found a need for the vinyl stuff either, but it isn't evil like the stearated.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.

Kent, my recommendation would be to let the repair cure several weeks before resanding and buffing.
This probably wouldn't be necessary if using CA as opposed to lacquer, lacquer thinner, retarder or cello-solve.
Nelson

Have I made finish errors? Hell, when haven't I, lately!