55 year old nitro.

musteatbrain

https://imgur.com/a/2gU1ebk

At this time of year, the nitro on the back of the neck of my SG gets so tacky it comes off in my hand. You can see from the video with the lightest pressure I could probably scrape it all off with my nail.

Is there any simple treatment to avoid this? It’s not kept in inappropriate conditions, I think it’s just the age. I was wondering if there’s an option better than just leaving it

GoldenEraGuitars

Nitro softens as it warms up. There’s nothing to prevent this fact but could you keep it in a cooler place for the summer?

JezWynd

Is it definitely nitro, looks like wax.

Kittyfrisk

musteatbrain said:

https://imgur.com/a/2gU1ebk

At this time of year, the nitro on the back of the neck of my SG gets so tacky it comes off in my hand. You can see from the video with the lightest pressure I could probably scrape it all off with my nail.

Is there any simple treatment to avoid this? It’s not kept in inappropriate conditions, I think it’s just the age. I was wondering if there’s an option better than just leaving it

C'mon admit it.
That's not wood, or nitro, it's just a nasty case of toenail fungus 

musteatbrain

Unfortunately it’s already in the coolest room in the house away from the window with the curtain drawn in the day and it does it if it’s in or out the case. It’s only the back of the neck that does this. So assume it’s to do with oil from my hands potentially?

musteatbrain

Kittyfrisk said:

musteatbrain said:

https://imgur.com/a/2gU1ebk

At this time of year, the nitro on the back of the neck of my SG gets so tacky it comes off in my hand. You can see from the video with the lightest pressure I could probably scrape it all off with my nail.

Is there any simple treatment to avoid this? It’s not kept in inappropriate conditions, I think it’s just the age. I was wondering if there’s an option better than just leaving it

C'mon admit it.
That's not wood, or nitro, it's just a nasty case of toenail fungus 

Nah, my toenail fungus is only 42 years old.

Kittyfrisk

Jokes aside, I have old pure nitro finish guitars that are still crackling, but 'hard'.
I wonder if it might be the wood type, seasoning, under lacquer paint or other treatments?

Over to the more experienced FB'ers to find the true answers.
Good luck.

musteatbrain

JezWynd said:

Is it definitely nitro, looks like wax.

It is
https://imgur.com/a/xbMx0ys
It’s about the same consistency as a candle in some parts. 

musteatbrain

If it helps. It’s an old Gibson SG. 
Shocking build quality and cheap Honduran or Brazilian wood at the time no doubt

SteveRobinson

musteatbrain said:

 So assume it’s to do with oil from my hands potentially?

Yes I think it's reacted with something. Lacquer should not be soft in normal conditions.

I'm afraid that the only thing is to strip and refinish.

ICBM

I think that's been sanded down and oversprayed with something that may not be nitro, and which may have reacted with it to produce a soft mush. The red dye fades out and the checking stops halfway up the neck, and where the light reflection is on it, it looks like the surface finish is over the checking.

Whichever it is, SteveRobinson is right - you'll need to strip it all off back to the wood and refinish the whole neck.

musteatbrain

 I wouldn’t need sandpaper to remove it it’s that tacky in parts. I think it may be the original stuff though. The dye has reacted the same way in other parts without the same issue. The checking continues a bit further up too, just out of shot

rossi

Looks like someone covered it in very old rattle can gloss  clear back when it was real nitro in the cans  .This contained plasticisers that stopped the paint hardening .Nitro never goes completely off but should be better than that . Chuck it out and buy a Strat

Kittyfrisk

rossi said:

Looks like someone covered it in very old rattle can gloss  clear back when it was real nitro in the cans  .This contained plasticisers that stopped the paint hardening .Nitro never goes completely off but should be better than that . Chuck it out and buy a Strat

Ooft! A tad harsh when someone is concerned about their guitar? 

musteatbrain

Great. I’ll show Rossi’s post as justification to the wife after I’ve bought another strat.
I’m pretty sure it’s not been refinished there’s bits on the front where the dye has faded the same way but just not gone tacky. 

There’s also bits where it hasn’t fade and has gone tacky.

you can see some of the bigger cracks run through old unfaded parts of the original finish with the nitro really solid and the same cracks continue through faded bits where the finish has gone tacky

Kittyfrisk

Does anyone here know of anyone near to @musteatbrain that could help?
I mean, just with the guitar.
Not being judgemental of lifestyle choices, but the brain eating thing deserves to be marginalised 
Veganism is definitely the thing 

Danielsguitars

That's some thick coating of some sort, looks bloody horrible and I'd strip that off, you might get away with sanding most of that off just depends how much is on there

I have fresh laquer that's better than that

musteatbrain

Each to their own. I think it looks great and on other days it’s solid enough to not come off so easy
https://imgur.com/a/0vSgnWO
This probably does it more justice
the top of the guitar has faded the same way.
steve is local.
thanks @Kittyfrisk ;;
I might drop in after pay day
despite the name... I rarely eat brains... although I do more often than I eat vegan food

Kittyfrisk

musteatbrain said:

Each to their own. I think it looks great and on other days it’s solid enough to not come off so easy
https://imgur.com/a/0vSgnWO
This probably does it more justice
the top of the guitar has faded the same way.
steve is local.
thanks @Kittyfrisk ;;
I might drop in after pay day
despite the name... I rarely eat brains... although I do more often than I eat vegan food

I've fallen for that line before. I'm now running on my spare brain ( pays to think a head).
Hope you get your SG sorted.

Kittyfrisk

PS  https://www.lespaulforum.com/forum/showthread.php?175852-Solution-for-soft-nitro
That's my impartial, uninformed attempt to help.

jimmyguitar

Are you sure it’s not just grime you’re scratching off? I think if you used a decent guitar cleaning product like Virtuoso cleaner and polish you’d get it all off with a bit of elbow grease and back to the original finish.