If Only This Paint Existed

thegummy

If only there was a paint available that was as sturdy and ding-resistant as poly but when dings did happen they looked like they do on nitro finishes.

The reason I'd like a nitro finished body isn't because I like the relic look or would want that kind of dingage to happen as quickly as possible, it's that dings are pretty much inevitable on guitars that actually get played and when they do happen, I'd rather they looked like they do on custom shop relics rather than the "small chunk of plastic missing" look that dings have on poly finishes.

With all the amazing things that have been invented in the world, it doesn't seem like such a difficult task. I'd imagine there just wasn't enough of a market for it to warrant the research investment.

Or maybe it does exist but guitar makers haven't discovered it yet!

Voxman

Better yet, ding resistant paint! 

fandango

Voxman said:

Better yet, ding resistant paint! 

And better again, ding resistant wood!!! 

thegummy

Voxman said:

Better yet, ding resistant paint! 

lol I suppose while we're wishing we might as well go for the extreme

My initial wish just seems so attainable though, if only enough people cared.

axisus

Sounds daft. I can't see that anybody would want that! 

Sassafras

The problem isn't the type of paint, it's the thickness of it that shows up chipping and flaking.

rossi

Sassafras said:

The problem isn't the type of paint, it's the thickness of it that shows up chipping and flaking.

i have a cheap tele body of unknown description .It has a very thin burst done in 2K type poly with no primer to speak of underneath.it chips properly and looks good .So it can be done it seems .

YellowLedBetterMan

I'm currently stripping the paint off an old Pacifica. The poly is super thin in some areas but the areas prone to dingage (IE the edges, horns and near the jack plate) are as thick as the base of a pint pot. Then under the Pickguard we're talking microns

tony99

rossi said:

Sassafras said:

The problem isn't the type of paint, it's the thickness of it that shows up chipping and flaking.

i have a cheap tele body of unknown description .It has a very thin burst done in 2K type poly with no primer to speak of underneath.it chips properly and looks good .So it can be done it seems .

I think my american special strat is the same, very thin poly type, but you can feel and see it's glorious woodiness underneath

ICBM

The answer is polyurethane. Do I have to post the pics again?

There is no such thing as "poly" - coating a guitar in 2mm of glassy polyester is not the same thing as a thin polyurethane finish *at all*. Or even that all types of polyurethane are the same...

HAL9000

ICBM said:

The answer is polyurethane. Do I have to post the pics again?

There is no such thing as "poly" - coating a guitar in 2mm of glassy polyester is not the same thing as a thin polyurethane finish *at all*. Or even that all types of polyurethane are the same...

I always assumed polyester was the cheaper option since Mexican Fenders use it, while American Fenders use polyurethane. However, this assumption is possibly wrong since I used to own an Affinity Tele, which was cheap as chips, and had a polyurethane finish. Got dropped more than a few times but the finish was soft/flexible enough to indent nicely rather than crack like eggshell.

hotpickups

I like the dings, it means the guitars been played and loved.  

HAL9000

ICBM said:

The answer is polyurethane. Do I have to post the pics again?

@ICBM Yes please - I obviously missed them first time around and definitely interested. Thanks.

thegummy

ICBM said:

The answer is polyurethane. Do I have to post the pics again?

There is no such thing as "poly" - coating a guitar in 2mm of glassy polyester is not the same thing as a thin polyurethane finish *at all*. Or even that all types of polyurethane are the same...

All I know is my American Standard Strat has a chip out the paint but it just looks like a single bit of plasticky paint has been scalpolled out, doesn't have that gradual taper the way "dings" on relic guitars have.

I wouldn't mind seeing your pics again if it's not too much trouble. It does ring a bell that I've seen them but can't remember the pics themselves.

If you're saying that a thinner coat of polyurethane would ding more like nitro, any idea why Fender put it on so thick that it doesn't? Is it still the same dilemma of "won't ding as much" vs "will look better when it does ding"?

nonesuch

I think the thickness of polyester finish is just because it's quicker and easier to apply. I've never bashed a guitar with this type of finish hard enough to knock a serious chip out of it, so it is very hard wearing. It'll still scratch and scuff a bit I suppose.

On the other hand my American Standard Tele with a polyurethane finish had part of the finish pulled off with a strip of masking tape. (According to the useless guitar tech who was working on it.)

Schnozz

I like French oil paint like on Warwicks

thegummy

This is what the chip on my guitar looks like:



It's like a clean chip out where the paint is intact til it gets to that circle then completely goes to just the wood.

I just think it looks less bad if it kind of tapers gradually (only way I can think to describe it) like it does on relicced custom shops.

I wonder if there's anything that can be done to kind of hide this or plaster over it in some way?

ICBM

thegummy said:

I wouldn't mind seeing your pics again if it's not too much trouble. It does ring a bell that I've seen them but can't remember the pics themselves.

Pics here - https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/156874/nitro-vs-poly/p1

thegummy said:

If you're saying that a thinner coat of polyurethane would ding more like nitro, any idea why Fender put it on so thick that it doesn't? Is it still the same dilemma of "won't ding as much" vs "will look better when it does ding"?

There is more than one type of polyurethane and application process, to be fair. It can be thin and quite soft very like nitro, or hard and glassy almost like polyester. Fender do mostly use it thicker.

I think one reason your guitar has chipped like that - which I agree is a bit ugly - is that there's a hard sealer coat under the topcoat. The polyurethane finishes in my pics don't have that.

thegummy

ICBM said:

thegummy said:

I wouldn't mind seeing your pics again if it's not too much trouble. It does ring a bell that I've seen them but can't remember the pics themselves.

Pics here - https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/156874/nitro-vs-poly/p1

thegummy said:

If you're saying that a thinner coat of polyurethane would ding more like nitro, any idea why Fender put it on so thick that it doesn't? Is it still the same dilemma of "won't ding as much" vs "will look better when it does ding"?

There is more than one type of polyurethane and application process, to be fair. It can be thin and quite soft very like nitro, or hard and glassy almost like polyester. Fender do mostly use it thicker.

I think one reason your guitar has chipped like that - which I agree is a bit ugly - is that there's a hard sealer coat under the topcoat. The polyurethane finishes in my pics don't have that.

Any tips to hide it or make it look better or anything?

ICBM

thegummy said:

Any tips to hide it or make it look better or anything?

Probably the best is to try to find some ink of a similar colour - at least it's on the solid edge colour rather than across a shaded part - that will take to the wood, or sealer coat if that's still there, and then seal it with some clear nail varnish.

thegummy

ICBM said:

thegummy said:

Any tips to hide it or make it look better or anything?

Probably the best is to try to find some ink of a similar colour - at least it's on the solid edge colour rather than across a shaded part - that will take to the wood, or sealer coat if that's still there, and then seal it with some clear nail varnish.

I'd wondered about that but too worried that it would look much worse if I attempted it.

Just for interests sake, if they'd used a thinner coat of the same paint, would the ding look more like a relic style?