Cleaning up after a pickguard removal (nitro)

Tannin

I just got this left-handed guitar which I am going to play upside down. (See the thread in the acoustic forum for details.) The pickguard was a tiny bit loose and I didn't want it anyway, so I gently peeled it off. Easy-peasy! (It was a hot day which might have helped.)

Then I  applied polish all over as the guitar had been neglected and I think the finish needed it. So far so good. It's never going to be a bit of hang-on-the-wall art but it will be serviceable, and perfectly decent for a $500 (£250) cheapie. 

Two questions: 

(1) What do I use to get rid of the slightly sticky residue where the pickguard was? Metho? (It is a nitro finish.)

(2) If I just leave the guard off, will the spruce gradually darken and match the rest of the top? And how long is that likely to take? 

If all else fails, I could always put the guard back on, but I prefer it off. 

PS: I have no idea what that tattoo thing is. It is the Maton symbol often seen on headstocks and pickguards, but I've never seen one applied at the factory, not there on the wood. I haven't had a proper look at it yet to work out what it really is.




EDIT: Opps! Forgot to attach the picture.

Mellish

I'd say Virtuoso Cleaner. That's what a tech I used to go to uses to remove old glue, though I don't know if it's stocked in Oz guitar stores. If not, try Amazon. Can't help with (2), sorry  

professorben

Are you going to flip it and play it Right handed in a Hendrix stylee? 

Won’t the bridge be slanted the wrong way to intonate? 

Devil#20

professorben said:

Are you going to flip it and play it Right handed in a Hendrix stylee? 

Won’t the bridge be slanted the wrong way to intonate? 

And also you'll need a new nut. 

Tannin

Thanks @Mellish, I'll have a look for it.

Cheers @professorben and @Devil#20 Neither of those, It is tuned EADGBE but with the strings just as you see them (low E at the bottom). See https://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/222193/ngd-upside-down-leftie

meltedbuzzbox

professorben said:

Are you going to flip it and play it Right handed in a Hendrix stylee? 

Won’t the bridge be slanted the wrong way to intonate? 

It will indeed. 

Mellish

If you want a cheaper alternative to Virtuoso Cleaner mate, naphtha (lighter fluid) will remove old glue and it's safe on nitro  

Tannin

Cheers Melish, I'll give that a go.

Tannin

I rang my local luthier. He said he uses turps, which is very effective at taking off the goo but leaves its own residue, followed by metho to remove the (different) residue the turps leaves. There is a bottle of each in the laundry cupboard so I tried that and it worked well. I think I might need to repeat to get it perfect, but 90% of the stickiness is gone now.

TRANSLATIONS:
"Metho" = methylated spirit (UK & Oz) = ethanol (everywhere) = denatured alcohol (US). 
"Turps" = turpentine (Oz & NZ)  (which it actually isn't - real turpentine comes from trees and is seldom used) = mineral turpentine (Oz & NZ) = white spirit (UK) = mineral spirits (US). It is not the same thing as naptha (UK) which we call shellite in Oz and the Americans call something else I forget, and also different to "white spirits" (AU & NZ, UK and US names unknown to me).

Isn't it great to be divided by a common language?

BillDL

Beware of some of the Methylated Spirits you can buy these days.  It isn't all the same.  I've always used meths to clean off sticky residue, sanitise 2nd-hand guitars, clean really grungy fretboards prior to re-oiling, etc, etc.  It evaporates very quickly and I've never had a problem with it affecting "poly" lacquer or guitar plastics (would never use it near "nitro" finishes though).  The stuff I just bought a week ago from a DIY outlet in the UK (Screwfix "No Nonsense" Methylated Spirits) contains more than just alcohol.  I know that Meths contains dyes and other chemicals that make it poisonous for winos, but this stuff has acetone or something similar in with the alcohol.  Although it is dyed purple and smells generally like Meths, you can smell other harsher solvents from it and it's not the sweet alcohol smell I've always been used to.  I love the smell of meths even though it reminds me of having my arm or ass cheek wiped in a clinical environment before being jabbed with a needle, but the meths I bought recently smells quite different.  I bought a lower priced 2nd-hand guitar with a satin "poly" neck and gloss "poly" body.  I knew something was off as I wiped down the neck and saw a light haze develop for about 30 seconds, and during that time the lacquer took on a "softer" and "stickier" feel than it had been before I wiped it.  The body lacquer was unaffected.  I'm sure whatever is has been added to this batch of meths is a proper solvent of some kind and it softened the lacquer.  I left the guitar for a day untouched and the lacquer feels "hard" and "slidy" again as though it re-hardened.  I certainly won't be using this meths again to sanitise guitars.  It gave me a fright.

Mellish

On a hot day I forgot to wipe down a D-35 after playing. Next morning, on opening the case, I was greeted with an ugly, very dark stain where my forearm had touched the guitar body  . I got it off with a combination of naphtha and Virtuoso Cleaner. But it took an awful lot of elbow grease and I learned the lesson. Glad to hear that you've found what works for you @Tannin  

thermionic

I’ve found that WD-40 is very effecrive at removing adhesive residues. I haven’t tried it on a nitro finish though.

elstoof

Tannin said:

"Turps" = turpentine (Oz & NZ)  (which it actually isn't - real turpentine comes from trees and is seldom used) = mineral turpentine (Oz & NZ) = white spirit (UK) = mineral spirits (US).

We still get real gum turpentine in the U.K. 

Andyjr1515

Just read your other thread, @Tannin ; - your more detailed explanation clarified to me what you are planning.  Fascinated to see how that sounds.  Trust you will be posting some sound clips

Ref your question about the uncovered spruce now darkening - yes it will...but the rest of the top will also continue to darken, albeit more slowly. 

The under-pickguard patch will probably be the same as the present body shade after around a year (assuming it is generally kept out of a case) but the rest of the body will probably have darkened a touch more over that same time.  I suspect that the pickguard shape will still be visible but less so the more time that goes by.

WezV

Have you considered going for a pickguard on both sides?

Tannin

@WezV - no. I'm a fingerpicker and don't need a pickguard at all. And it remains to be seen how long I'll keep the guitar for. 

@Andyjr1515 - be a while before I'm recording again. I spent up and bought the kit for it a year or two back, but I don't have anywhere to put it yet. We need to build an extension on this little house so I can have a music room.