Members babablowfish Posted February 14, 2006 Members Posted February 14, 2006 I bought a Yamaha FG-340 on eBay recently. It turned out to have major undisclosed issues, most of which have been fixed with the liberal application of money. One problem that so far defies diagnosis (and cure) is a mysterious, quite pronounced clouding of the finish on the neck only. The rest of the guitar had a finish that was beat all to hell, but it came back with a combination of buffing, stain and lots of waxing. (I am assuming here that the finish is nitrocellulose.) The neck though has a milky cloudiness that resembles the salt stains you get on your shoes when you go out in the snow after the roads have been salted. Has anyone out there encountered this problem before; and, if so, is there a cure?
Members bbrunskill Posted February 15, 2006 Members Posted February 15, 2006 Sounds like 'sweating' i.e. moisture between the finish and the wood. Common with Yamahas in my experience. I don't know what can be done, maybe a dehumdifier would help>? Count this as a bump
Members babablowfish Posted February 15, 2006 Author Members Posted February 15, 2006 Thanks for the response, I appreciate it. If anyone out there has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!
Members bbrunskill Posted February 15, 2006 Members Posted February 15, 2006 Heres a bump, I want to know the answer!
Members babablowfish Posted February 15, 2006 Author Members Posted February 15, 2006 OK, here's a little more clarification (plus I really want to keep this thread alive in the hope that someone knows how to deal with this problem.) There is a clouding of the finish on the neck. It looks like cataracts or salt stains. The clouding is deep and seems to rise up through anything I try to put on it. Is there some chemical that might neutralize this? Is sanding the neck down to bare wood and refinishing it the only hope? I am open to any and all suggestions.
Members bjorn-fjord Posted February 15, 2006 Members Posted February 15, 2006 I do a lot of finishing and I've never had the problem you describe. I don't know what's causing it. It could be a moisture issue that was present when the guitar was sprayed or it could be a compatability issue between the sealer coat and the lacquer coats. In either case, it would not be repairable. Are you opposed to a low-gloss or satin look on the neck? If not, such a measure might hide the imperfections. You can achieve this by rubbing the neck down with superfine steel wool.
Members jackwr Posted February 15, 2006 Members Posted February 15, 2006 I'm by no means a finish expert. Is it possible (you said the rest of the finish was beat up) someone refinished the neck with the wrong stuff? Shellac will cloud up easily and if applied in a high moisture environment, can go real deep. Maybe someone was trying to fix some of the cosmetic stuff just to sell it. That why I never have and never will buy something I haven't played.
Members babablowfish Posted February 15, 2006 Author Members Posted February 15, 2006 "Are you opposed to a low-gloss or satin look on the neck? If not, such a measure might hide the imperfections. You can achieve this by rubbing the neck down with superfine steel wool." Thanks for the suggestion. I will try it if no one has any other ideas.
Members babablowfish Posted February 17, 2006 Author Members Posted February 17, 2006 I do a lot of finishing and I've never had the problem you describe. I don't know what's causing it. It could be a moisture issue that was present when the guitar was sprayed or it could be a compatability issue between the sealer coat and the lacquer coats. In either case, it would not be repairable. Are you opposed to a low-gloss or satin look on the neck? If not, such a measure might hide the imperfections. You can achieve this by rubbing the neck down with superfine steel wool. I took bjorn-fjord's advice and went to work on the neck with 0000 steel wool. After re-staining and waxing with hard carnauba wax, the work is undetectable and the finish looks great - the grain of the wood shows clearly and there is no milky cloudiness. I know the guitar is no longer "original" but it was far past that by the time I got it. Thanks for the advice! Watch for my article "How To Buy A $300.00 Guitar On eBay For Only $400.00."
Members bjorn-fjord Posted February 17, 2006 Members Posted February 17, 2006 Hey! Glad it worked out. Congrats.
Members braif Posted February 17, 2006 Members Posted February 17, 2006 I caused some finish clouding one one of my guitars when I stupidly decided to attempt a neck reset myself....clouded up like a mofo when I tried to steam the neck off.
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