Official Luthiers Forum!

I had a young man call me and ask how he could ensure an autograph on his Yamaha acoustic could be covered so it wouldn't rub off. He wants it visible though.

Signature was done with a sharpie on a Yamaha acoustic (not sure of the finish, but probably poly).

I searched the archives with no success. Can anyone help?

Thanks

_________________
My Facebook Guitar Page

"There's really no wrong way, as long as the results are what's desired." Charles Fox

"We have to constantly remind ourselves what we're doing....No Luthier is putting a man on the moon!" Harry Fleishman

"Generosity is always different in the eye of the person who didn't receive anything, but who wanted some." Waddy Thomson

Rod,

I had a young man bring my a guitar like this a couple years ago. I used a small piece of clear pick guard to cover the signature. It is quick, simple, cheap, and will protect it really well. The guitar was a cheaper electric.

Josh

_________________
Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

Won't the sharpie ink set into the finish with time? I think the sharpie carrier is pretty harsh and probably cut into the finish. Kinda like a tatoo, no?

Although the clear pickguard is a great idea!

The Sharpie ink is alcohol soluble. So, any polar solvent is a no-no. I would test a water based finish over a sample and see if that works. I also like the plastic film/pickguard idea, but that may not be an option depending on where the signature is.

_________________
"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

Something like the adhesive on some plastic sheets might slowly move the sharpie ink and spread it out.