Official Luthiers Forum!

I finished spraying the last coat of Seagrave lacquer in late June, waited a month and then buffed out the finish by hand, wet sanding from 600 grit to 2000 and then I used 3M "Finesse It" to buff the finish to a shine.

The finish now feels gummy. It's not that the finish is overly soft, it just kindof feels gummy and slightly sticky. I hope that description makes sense, it's not like it feels still wet or anything, it's just that my hand doesn't glide over the finish easily and this is annoying especially on the back of the neck.

So, are there any ways to get rid of this feeling? I'm thinking about using 000 steel wool on the back of the neck to get rid of some of the glossiness in the hopes that this will take away from the sticky feeling. Any recommendations? Any people find similarities when they use Mcfaddens or Seagrave (they're supposed to be the same formula). Any recommendations for a harder lacquer that doesn't exhibit this characteristics?

Also, I'm wondering if maybe using the 3M Finesse It may have contributed to the feeling this finish has? It didn't have this feeling before buffing.

Thank you so much,


Jonas

That compound appears to be mainly used for buffing out Corian and modern automotive urethanes. I suspect it may have left behind a wax or other protective coating on the surface causing the gummy feel. Have you tried cleaning the surface with some naptha to see if it cleans off?

_________________
Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

It might just be bad lacquer. I once took the advice of a paint shop expert and bought some Sherwin Williams high solids content lacquer. I refinished an SG and the finish felt gummy after buffing. The problem was brought home when my client played the guitar and his thumb stuck to the back of the neck and left a deep thumb print. Time to refinish. I learned to never took the advice of furniture and cabinet finishing "experts" again.

Jonas, does the finish really feel "gummy" or does it feel "grabby". I've had hard, good finishes that grabbed my hand on the back of the neck. It is like my hand would not slide easily. You might see how a non-silicone polish affects it. I use StewMacs non-silicone polish.

Just do a thumbnail test. If mild pressure leaves a depression then it's gummy lacquer.

Thank you all for the replies.

Todd, I buffed by hand, and maybe I was a bit aggressive, but I think your right that it is a bit more of a stiction issue. But really, i have other guitars finished in nitro that don't have as much of this issue by any means.

Barry and Glen, I don't think it's outright bad lacquer, it does just feel that it dries a bit softer than some other brands might, or maybe just this batch dried a bit softer? Maybe softer or gummy isn't this best term, as it does pass the thumbnail test. But it still feels a bit soft in a way.

Maybe I will try some naptha like B. Howard mentioned, as at the very least maybe it will get any skin oils that may have gotten on the finish as I was working on the guitar. After that maybe I'll try one of the silicone free polishes. I would still like to find a harder lacquer for the future.. or maybe it's not the lacquer but possibly a better polisher will help. In truth, I'd like to try out a different type of finish altogether, such as varnish or shellac, and maybe try to learn french polishing in the future. I don't really love spraying finish, especially an unhealthy finish like nitro, but anyway, I'm getting off topic.

I really appreciate all of your replies, they are very helpful!

Thank you,

Jonas Baker

if you are referring to 3M 1500 grit Finesse It machine polish, I too have noticed it leaves a grabby feeling after application and use...not sure what it is about it, or if the effect is at a level that is unsolvable (i.e. at the molecular level)...said 'problem' seems to go away after the application of wax...FYI I've only used it on acrylic automotive lacquer I've used on commercial use furniture...