Meguiars?

[JSett]

Now, you all know I'm not really a 'shiny guitar' kinda guy but my LP did come with a large area on the front that looks like he used a sand-impregnated rag to polish it with that is pretty shitty to look at.

I was thinking of grabbing some Meguiars Swirl remover or Scratch-X to try and get some of it out. Has anyone ever used this stuff before? Obviously I'll test on a) a lesser guitar and b) a small test area on the back before I commit to anything.

Here's what they look like. They actually look way worse in person otherwise I wouldn't bother...







*edited because Meguiars is hard to spell apparently

[JSett]

Well, I went and got some Scratch-X and 'Ultimate Compound'. The Scratch-X came with a little kit with a drill attachment and nice cloth so I tested that on my Tele first on the back. No noticable adverse effects but it did easily kill off a scratch there that I picked as my test subject.

Then I tried a small patch on the back of the LP. Seemed good. Then did about 5 gentle 1-2min passes, cleaning between. Seems to have done the job...







They're not totally gone, but I'm sure I could get it almost perfect, but I actually don't want to...I just wanted to mute them down a touch so they weren't so obnoxious to the eye.

I didn't use the 'Ultimate Compound' stuff but I'll hang onto it for other things as it's supposed to be good for all sorts of stuff.

Sorted. Leaving here for posterity.

[MKR]

I have Meguiars ultimate compound and i have used it on guitars a few times to good amounts of success.

I have a used strat that had a couple real dumb scratches in the finish. i like normal wear, but these just looked bad. The ultimate compound got rid of them (it took multiple attempts) to where it looks pretty perfect now.

Most recently i got a gretsch with a matte finish. I couldn't really bond with the matte so i used ultra fine sand paper and the meguiars ultimate compound. IT's not a mirror gloss or anything now, but it's a nice subtle gloss now. I'm quite happy with how it turned out.

The stuff works well to liven up a finish.

[B.T.]

I’d recommend a non-silicone polish for your guitar.

This one is fairly popular fwiw

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003 ... =UTF8&th=1

[einpresstiefe]

Meg's 105/205 is the professional line that is silicone-free and doesn't have fragrances added. Also available cheap at Horror Fraught.

[dangayle]

Meg's 105/205 is the professional line that is silicone-free and doesn't have fragrances added. Also available cheap at Horror Fraught.

What kind of applicator do you use?

[einpresstiefe]

Meg's 105/205 is the professional line that is silicone-free and doesn't have fragrances added. Also available cheap at Horror Fraught.

What kind of applicator do you use?

You can use either hand with a foam pad or microfiber cloth or machine. They're not quite as user-friendly as the consumer products if you're going for mirror finish because the abrasives don't break down, so the heavier cutting compound will leave microswirls designed to be taken out by the finer polish.

[dangayle]

Meg's 105/205 is the professional line that is silicone-free and doesn't have fragrances added. Also available cheap at Horror Fraught.

What kind of applicator do you use?

You can use either hand with a foam pad or microfiber cloth or machine. They're not quite as user-friendly as the consumer products if you're going for mirror finish because the abrasives don't break down, so the heavier cutting compound will leave microswirls designed to be taken out by the finer polish.

It's the swirls I'm afraid of. I need to do more research on how to do this. I bought an applicator thing for my dewalt drill, but I'm afraid to try it out.

[einpresstiefe]

What kind of applicator do you use?

You can use either hand with a foam pad or microfiber cloth or machine. They're not quite as user-friendly as the consumer products if you're going for mirror finish because the abrasives don't break down, so the heavier cutting compound will leave microswirls designed to be taken out by the finer polish.

It's the swirls I'm afraid of. I need to do more research on how to do this. I bought an applicator thing for my dewalt drill, but I'm afraid to try it out.

What finish are you working on?

[andy_tchp]

To be safe you'd want a dual action/random orbital buffer designed for this type of finish correction, not just something that attaches to a drill (which will carry similar risks to a constantly turning rotary buffer except even worse from a speed modulation/stability/ergonomics point of view.)

Thick, hard polyurethane finishes might 'survive' but nitrocellulose will be marred and then burnt through very fucking quickly, especially at the edges.

[dangayle]

It's the swirls I'm afraid of. I need to do more research on how to do this. I bought an applicator thing for my dewalt drill, but I'm afraid to try it out.

What finish are you working on?

I intend on starting with a beat up black Squire Strat I got from someone, so it's a perfect candidate to practice on. From there, my Jaguar Special HH. Both have thick poly finishes. The black finishes seem to be the worst.

[einpresstiefe]

It's the swirls I'm afraid of. I need to do more research on how to do this. I bought an applicator thing for my dewalt drill, but I'm afraid to try it out.

What finish are you working on?

I intend on starting with a beat up black Squire Strat I got from someone, so it's a perfect candidate to practice on. From there, my Jaguar Special HH. Both have thick poly finishes. The black finishes seem to be the worst.

If there's deep scratches like in the OP you'll be best served by sanding first starting at 1k and go up from there. As andy mentions the drill is difficult to work with. Very hard to keep perpendicular to the work surface. If you want that swirl-free finish and intend on working with the drill you should sand up to 5k or higher and only use it with a very fine polish and low pressure and keep your expectations reasonable.

[B.T.]

It's the swirls I'm afraid of. I need to do more research on how to do this. I bought an applicator thing for my dewalt drill, but I'm afraid to try it out.

What finish are you working on?

I intend on starting with a beat up black Squire Strat I got from someone, so it's a perfect candidate to practice on. From there, my Jaguar Special HH. Both have thick poly finishes. The black finishes seem to be the worst.

Those types of poly finishes are pretty easy. You can slap car wax and buff with a drill attachment. Check that out first before you start sanding anything you might be pleasantly surprised at the results with very little effort. At the very least it will clean up and show what you need to concentrate on.

[dangayle]

Thank you all, sorry for hijacking the thread

[cestlamort]

I use swirl x (scratch x — the name changed at some point and I don’t remember which is which. Will check and update when I’m back home) especially effective on a black Rickenbacker. It’ll totally address the swirls and minor scratches, even just with a soft cloth. I like it so much, I may even use it on the car.

horror fraught