Can you remove guitar stand marks from a nitro finish?

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I've got my eye on a guitar on ebay, and the seller mentions two small marks on the lower edge of the body where it was rested against a stand where the foam reacted with the nitro finish. There are no photos of the marks and the rest of the finish looks very good - no scratches or chips. Can these be polished out, or would they fade away if the guitar wasn't stored on the offending stand any more? It's a sunburst Strat and the marks would be on the black edges.
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  • My Martin had a couple of small marks when I bought it, which T Cut removed completely.

    Sometimes the reaction can be so bad that only some localised refinishing will cure it.
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  • Yeah, without seeing you can't be sure. Some are just surface imperfections that will polish out easily, some (e.g. white les pauls) often look like burn marks and have heavy discolouration
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    Unless they're very light the usually can't be polished out because either the staining penetrates deeply into the finish, or the finish is softened so it's more of a dent than a mark, but on a modern Fender there will be a polyester coat under the nitro so it can't have gone in very far. If it's just the back edge you won't really see it anyway.

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  • guitars4youguitars4you Frets: 14035
    tFB Trader
    ICBM said:
    Unless they're very light the usually can't be polished out because either the staining penetrates deeply into the finish, or the finish is softened so it's more of a dent than a mark, but on a modern Fender there will be a polyester coat under the nitro so it can't have gone in very far. If it's just the back edge you won't really see it anyway.
    endorse that - it is though a chemical reaction with the guitar finish and plastic/rubber from the stand has taken place and caused such a 'blemish' - accept it and treat it as 'character' - It will of course depend on what stage of 'wear' has taken place so try T-Cut or Maguires but generally I've not found they work to well
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  • Well, I guess I'll find out the answer to this soon enough.

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  • As said above, it depends how far the marks have soaked into the finish. 

    After a recent, very sweaty gig I threw my laminated setlist into my guitar case then put my 52RI telecaster in.  Took it out the day after to find one of the extra songs that had been scrawled on in sharpie (weeks earlier) had transferred over to the back of the body.  No amount of elbow grease will ever shift it.  Fortunately, it's my number one that is going nowhere.

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  • ESBlondeESBlonde Frets: 3576
    Strange how we determine what features of wear and tear are acceptable mojo and what are not. It is after all quite normal to have reacted marks on a nitro guitar, it's quite normal to have the finish checked by temprature changes, one is cool and one is to be removed from the guitars history.
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  • 57Deluxe57Deluxe Frets: 7329
    T 'Cut is a bit too abrasive - try Brasso instead...
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  • JezWyndJezWynd Frets: 6021
    ESBlonde said:
    Strange how we determine what features of wear and tear are acceptable mojo and what are not. It is after all quite normal to have reacted marks on a nitro guitar, it's quite normal to have the finish checked by temprature changes, one is cool and one is to be removed from the guitars history.
    Often buyers have an eye on resale. It's about protection of investment. Besides, you don't need to actually play them these days, that's what relicing is for.
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