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Best way to keep an autograph on a guitar?


hazard29

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Hello,

 

Hoping for some advice here.

 

I am looking for a way to preserve a signature on a Jackson korina body king v -

 

It was signed with a black sharpie marker and I will be playing the guitar so hanging it up is not an option.Korina_KV_2.jpg

 

 

 

Is there something I can put over the signature? Can I spray it with a clear automative lacquer type spray?

 

Any help would be great - thanks!

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I think your only option is to put something over it, but I'm not sure what. Any solvent or alcohol based finish could possibly make the ink run, and whatever you do use, also has to be compatible with the guitars finish. What's the guitar finished with?

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You'd probably want to spray with a cover coat that matches whatever is currently on there...be it poly or nitro...

 

But it has to be the same type of finish...

 

For consistency...you may want to tape off the sides and just clear the whole back...do a few coats and carefully sand/polish to bring it up to a shine that matches the rest of the guitar...

 

Just be careful not to sand too aggressively or buh bye sig...

 

There is a chance actual lacquer might thing that ink...

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anything adhesive will likely take some or all of the sig with it when removed or accidentally shifted etc...

 

if it's poly...you should be fine to just spray over it...

 

i've sprayed poly over regular ink before with no ill effects...i would imagine sharpie is more impervious...

 

good luck

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i've sprayed poly over regular ink before with no ill effects...i would imagine sharpie is more impervious...


good luck

 

 

I don't know about that. Sharpie is pretty easy to get off of smooth surfaces with a little bit of solvent. I'd make up a test piece first. Put some poly on a scrap piece, scribble on it with a sharpie, and try whatever finish I planned to use. Pay close attention to the edges of the ink to see if they soften, run, or streak.

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What about a screen protector?


0063924778408_500X500.jpg

 

exactly what I would recommend. The material is called static cling film. you may be able to find it in a crafts or art supplies store. Probably far less as expensive than it would be for the measly little piece you'd get for an iPhone and you'd get more of it so you could replace it when it gets worn out.

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I'd poly it. like mr brown said do a test piece first

 

My friend Kevin did this after John Entwistle signed the back of his bass and it held well, except it yellowed a lot over the years.

 

On your axe you may not mind, but his was pearl white. Now it's a sort of faded yellow color.

 

He has no regrets doing it. He had John Buscarino do it back in the day when he had a shop locally, and John even told him it would yellow badly but he wanted that sig to stay put.

 

here it is, The autograph is huge on the back, but you can see how yellow it is now:

 

kevy.jpg

 

couldn't find a pic of the autograph unfortunately.

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Alcohol will remove magic marker. Do "Not" Use Laquer, Nitro or oil based clearcoat, they will all make it run instantly. I wouldnt even trust poly unless you test it first. If the guitar is laquer, do not use poly, it will peal off the laquer like sunburn taking the signature with it.

 

Your best bet is to use a "water" based acrylic. You can find it in hobby shops and such and its designed for applying as a protective coating. Its used to protect oil paintings and unlikely to make tha marker run. Again testing it is important.

 

If the instrument was ever polished with silicone, you may have problems with anything working. Thats why products like Fret ease are so bad, getting that stuff off and exposed fretboard is impossible once it gets into the wood. On a finished body, its not that big a deal. Normally applying another clearcoating, you would clean the finish with naphia first. Since the signatures there already, thats not going to happen so its pot luck on that.

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Nitrocellulose is a polymer (a type of plastic resin) added to laquer that makes the finish hard as nails. Its also what causes the finish to yellow a bit like on old fenders. Newer poly finishes dont yellow like the nitro did so newer fender imports will always retain their color as they age.

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What I learned working with incompatible finishes on an old project was that if the first coat is a VERY light fog coat, the under coat will be stabilized for further coats.

 

While I did not do coats over magic marker, I did nitro over poly, poly over auto paint and auto paint over nitro. Each finish will destroy the other. Yet, I worked all three together using the above. Bear in mind, it took a long time to learn how to work them together. So if you try, use a scrap piece of wood with the appropriate finishes and sharpie.

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I personally like the idea of static cling film - sounds easy enough and won't harm the guitar at all. I'll have to start looking around for that stuff.

 

I have had autographs on the back plates of guitars before and just sprayed them with clear automotive lacquer and they have held up nice over the years. Since the plate is only made of plastic, I didn't really care what happened but now I am a little afraid of trying that same procedure on the body of this king V.

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I personally like the idea of static cling film - sounds easy enough and won't harm the guitar at all. I'll have to start looking around for that stuff.


I have had autographs on the back plates of guitars before and just sprayed them with clear automotive lacquer and they have held up nice over the years. Since the plate is only made of plastic, I didn't really care what happened but now I am a little afraid of trying that same procedure on the body of this king V.

 

 

I wouldn't trust that as a long term solution, especially if you play that guitar alot. That part of the guitar will see alot of contact and rubbing. Even under the film it could wear.

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