Relic on a Poly Finish?

delorean

Is there a tried and tested way to relic a poly-finished guitar?

I have a 1996 strat in vintage white (or custard yellow, depending on your viewpoint) which has a bit of natural wear to it.  However, poly being poly, that ‘wear’ is essentially just chipped paint and dings.  The neck and fretboard already have some nice looking wear to them, so I’ll be leaving them well alone.

I’d like to try relic’ing the body just a little bit - nothing severe.  Is there a way to do this with a poly finish?  I have a bunch of wet and dry sandpaper in various grades which might come in handy, but I didn’t want to just recklessly start down this path of no return without seeing if anyone else had tried this with decent results.

crunchman

You would probably be better stripping the body and sending it to @GoldenEraGuitars

Actually, the best option would be to leave as is.  I really don't get this fascination with relics.

ICBM

Don’t.

If it’s a mid-90s Fender it will have a block and veneer body, and if you sand through to it it will look like shit.

Just leave it alone as a nice naturally worn 24-year-old guitar.

delorean

ICBM said:

Don’t.

If it’s a mid-90s Fender it will have a block and veneer body, and if you sand through to it it will look like shit.

Just leave it alone as a nice naturally worn 24-year-old guitar.

Yikes!  I had no idea about the veneer - thanks for that, I'll leave it be in that case!

octatonic

Step away from the belt sander.

Caffeine_Vampire

I’ve seen it done without stripping and refinishing in nitro but the work involved is ridiculous and the results are unpredictable. I have one poly finished Fender a similar age to yours and if you just leave it alone and play it then it’ll continue to age in its own way. Check out some of the honest wear on the ‘70’s Fenders.  They all get there in the end. 

tony99

I'm also pondering my 60s classic player having a refin, but I'm wondering about stripping the poly off first.

I'm not bothered about relicing as such, but I'd like a nitro finished strat and I can't be arsed buying another as this (almost) ticks all boxes.

Is it worth me doing it??? What do we think chums???

rossi

You can just spray some nitro over the poly .I did a fiesta red over a burst GFS body .I just roughed the poly up  with some wire  wool and then sprayed .It  slowly reliced nicely showing the burst through the red and small  chipped areas.

longjaw

My MiM 2001 Tele had a big dent on the top when I got it and looked odd, as the rest of the guitar was pristine.

All I did was to sandpaper the edges of the guitar to bare wood to give the appearance of arm wear. Easy to do on a Tele as the edges aren't rounded off - I wouldn't try it on a Strat,

tony99

rossi said:

You can just spray come nitro over the poly .I did a fiesta red over a burst GFS body .I just roughed the poly up  with some wire  wool and then sprayed .It  slowly reliced nicely.

Yeah, I did think about that to be fair, would save the hassle of stripping. But really I'm interested in doing it for the feel as much as for the look. Leaving the poly finish on would negate that.

skunkwerx

Just bang and ding it more while playing. 

Like you say poly guitars dont wear the same as nitro so its harder to get it looking realistic if going in with sandpaper. Plus the finish will go hazy around it probably and need buffing. 

Realistically a true relic poly is just dings and chips. Doesnt 'look' as good as a roadworn nitro I guess but it is what it is. Unless its an old poly that has been heavily used and like you say the neck does get worn in some. 

I'm actually doing it to one of mine currently. 

Just banging it about loads and being purposefully careless with it, within reason. Lol.  

Its an esp though so presumably mahogany underneath. But its got like 3 coats of god knows what

Sassafras

Smash it around with a large, heavy motorbike chain and gasp at how much you've devalued it by.

ICBM

tony99 said:

Yeah, I did think about that to be fair, would save the hassle of stripping. But really I'm interested in doing it for the feel as much as for the look. Leaving the poly finish on would negate that.

Why? You'll only be feeling the nitro. That's how Fender finish their CS guitars, and everyone seems to like the nitro finish on those...

Anyway, if you wait long enough the fashion for things that look old and knackered will pass, and then you'll be pleased they finished it in something properly hard-wearing .

tony99

ICBM said:

tony99 said:

Yeah, I did think about that to be fair, would save the hassle of stripping. But really I'm interested in doing it for the feel as much as for the look. Leaving the poly finish on would negate that.

Why? You'll only be feeling the nitro. That's how Fender finish their CS guitars, and everyone seems to like the nitro finish on those...

Anyway, if you wait long enough the fashion for things that look old and knackered will pass, and then you'll be pleased they finished it in something properly hard-wearing .

Well I thought if I stripped it back to wood then done a nice thin nitro finish it would feel a bit closer to a CS, I'm thinking of sanding and oiling the glossy neck and rolling the edges too. I may do it, who knows?

Do you mean the fender CS are nitro over some kind of poly?

thebreeze

ICBM

tony99 said:

Do you mean the fender CS are nitro over some kind of poly?

Nitro over polyester.

So were the originals - the Fullerplast sealer they used is a type of polyester.

rossi

As it happens I have a Burst Squier SE body floating around .Got me thinking .I used Manchester Guitar tech paint.

tony99

ICBM said:

tony99 said:

Do you mean the fender CS are nitro over some kind of poly?

Nitro over polyester.

So were the originals - the Fullerplast sealer they used is a type of polyester.

ok, didn't know that. But when you see the relic ones now they don't seem to have a super thick poly between the outer coat and the wood beneath do they?

I wonder if the poly on a CP 60s is polyester then or something else...

Kittyfrisk

thebreeze said:

Wow, that's an extreme roadworn relic. The unmarked pick guard and shiny new Wilkinson bridge & other hardware really completes the look... 

WezV

Just be realistic, about what is achievable from the starting point you have,  and what you can actually do. 

As long as you don't want nitro style crazing  and the look of a worn through coat of thin nitro, it is possible to get something that looks as good as a lot of the relic finishes on the market.   But you wont get it like the most authentic looking ones easily from this starting point, and it is easy to mess it up totally.   

I would avoid too much heavy wear and keep it subtle.  Focus on the patina rather than damage.  I would suggest taking most of the gloss off with very fine abrasive (2000g wet and dry, 0000 liberon wire wool.... some will say green scouring pad), then re-polish imperfectly by hand.  best done after you have done any damage you want to do, as it helps solve any sharp edges in the finish.

ICBM

Kittyfrisk said:

Wow, that's an extreme roadworn relic. The unmarked pick guard and shiny new Wilkinson bridge & other hardware really completes the look... 

It looks like it's been attacked by an enraged beaver .