Official Luthiers Forum!

We're constantly performing finish repairs on nitro lacquer, and normally have no issues with the 3M line of masking tapes, but recently we've had two cases where the masking tape has apparently reacted with the lacquer and left an impression of the tape in the finish. I'm assuming those were both just soft finishes, but regardless, it's a quick way to wreck my bottom line, so I need to resolve this problem going forward. Has anyone else experienced this phenomenon, and what did you do to solve it? Any recommendations for non-reactive masking tape? TIA

Ken


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Mountain Song Guitars www.mountainsongguitars.com

Yes! I normally mask off the headstock from the nut to the first tuners during the initial set up of new builds. On one build I uses some sort of masking tape, don't recall the brand, and it did a nasty burn into the nitro that was a bit of a pain to repair. 3M blue painters tape has caused me no issues since.

No problem with masking tape yet but...... I did have some serious imprinting with nitro with a clamping caul. The caul is lined with the thin black foam that they sell at home Depot to line tool chests with. I used the caul when I clamped the neck to the body and left it clamped for 6 or so hours.

Serious imprinting, and the nitro had dried for about 3 months at that time.

I have used the caul many times on guitars finished with KTM 9 with no problem.

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Joe Beaver
Maker of Sawdust

is the tape made for solvent base finishes?
Is there any plastic in the tape.

Mike

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Mike Collins

Try 3m #2060. you should be able to pick it up at an auto body supply shop.
LMI also has it.

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Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

specific tape needs be used for lacquers...if you read the fine print on the inside of the roll on 3M blue tape, it says quite clearly NOT for use on lacquer...and many other tapes are as such also, though not noted on the inside of the roll...3M green tapes are meant for lacquers IIRC...if you have issues with the tackiness of the tape then stick it on your pants for a second and pull off to reduce tackiness (and old painter taught me this trick ages ago)

Most of the lacquer finished guitars that come in my shop have had several decades to cure. Any of the blue tapes seem to work fine. On occasion, I do a French polish top on a new guitar with lacquer back and sides by Addam Stark. Addam has told me that the only tape he trusts on a young nitro finish is 3M 471--a blue plastic tape with the consistency of electric tape. I like to conduct experiments, but when Addam shares a tip about nitro finishes, I'm done with my experiments. I only use 3M 471 on recently sprayed nitro finishes.

Let me guess....Fairly new Gibsons? Most likely the VOS series of finish. Yes I have seen this. I had to rub out the marks with compound.

Seems to be Gibson specific , at least I have not seen a new fender or other guitar where this happens but have had more than a few gibbys. I use 3M 233 & 2090 here and use it on lacquers of my own as fresh as 3 weeks with out any issues.

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Brian

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

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

I use 3M 233+ with no issues to date on lacquer.

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Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I have had the same issue with blue painter's tape and Cardinal lacquer. The tape had been on for several days.

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Good judgement comes from experience. Experience comes from poor judgement.

Thanks for the replies, everybody! I gotta admit, I'd never read that particular bit of fine print in the inside of the blue stuff, but, it's there alright. Duly noted, and I've got a dozen rolls of the green stuff on the way. Thanks again!

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Mountain Song Guitars www.mountainsongguitars.com

I always like going to the product manufacturers for their recommendations this is from 3M

http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/media/6266 ... matrix.pdf

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Ken Cierp

http://www.kennethmichaelguitars.com/