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Hey there loothers, I’m in the process of fixing up a ’50 Epi Zephyr Regent and the burning question is this: short of refinishing the entire back of this puppy, is there anything that can “melt” the finish into submission? I know a bunch of you are going to say “leave it” or ‘it’s got mojo” etc. If these were smaller cracks with less visible impact, I would consider leaving it but, to me, this looks atrocious. I thought to just refinish the part that’s bad by isolating it with painters tape, scraping it down, and matching the color etc.
Any thoughts, advice would be greatly appreciated.
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Hi Peter, It seems that in addition to your concerns about the finish, you have a significant binding job to do on this guitar. If you’re planning to secure the binding against the channel with adhesive tape rather than a cloth wrap, you should be cautious about the potential for the finish to loosen. I understand your concern on the current finish issues but a binding repair may result in addtional areas going “rouge” and abandoming the body, adding to more bare spots. I’m with the “leave it as is” approach on this guitar, but applying a light mist or slighly more of butyl cellusolve over the entire body using an airbrush or spray gun may provide some additional protection against the finish flaking off while you work with the celluloid binding. The solvent also helps to bind the loose edges of broken lacquer to the substrate.
Please remember that this solvent is quite hazardous, so ensure you take all necessary safety precautions. I recommend waiting at least a week for the lacquer to calm down before starting the binding work. Additionally, keep in mind that the refreshed finish may react more to the tape adhesive, so remove the tape as soon as you feel confident that the binding is secure.
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@patreon_112385373 thanks for the advice. I’ve been the binding off slowly and cleaning it up for better adhesion. Someone had recommended that No Blush retarder stuff, but I’m a bit hesitant to try it for the checking.
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That’s essentially the same product but if it comes out of a can it may apply too heavy of a coat. I prefer a airbrush and thinner coats so the finish does not over-amalgamate and start flowing.
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