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I've just polished up my third, the first I've done with a gloss nitro finish, and it's squeaking really badly whenever it touches anything! Is that normal? Is there any way to stop it? It's really annoying

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In what little experience I have it's not the Lacquer it's what you polish it with that's the problem.

I had the same problem with a guitar when I used a particular car polish (autoglym super resin if I remember) as a final hand buff.

Dang thing slid off your leg as well as squeaked. It eventually wore off.

Thanks. It could well be - I used normal furniture polish, maybe I should have got some special guitar polish.

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Why would you use polish on a guitar you just buffed?
I'd run away from furniture polish...
What did you buff it with anyway. I've always used Menzerna and never had a problem.

I agree... Almost all furniture polish contains silicone and that is the very last thing you want in your shop... well maybe next to a fire. Silicone will contaminate everything you touch and you will be plagued with fish eyes in your finishes. That is where you end up with little spots where the finish will not flow out leaving little pock marks. The only way to stop them is to put silicone in your finish when you mix it up which contaminates even more.

I never use polish on any guitar I do. I do however use 3M Perfect-It as my last stage of buffing. That is a swirl mark remover and is basically a ultra fine compound that leaves the finish looking like it has been waxed but it doesn't contain any wax or silicone.

So yea, I would run from using furniture wax or car wax.

Bob

Where do you buy 3M Perfect-It? I once looked for it a while back and couldn't find it.

Like I said - it's the first time I've done a lacquer finish. I thought giving it a polish afterwards would make it shinier! I used meguires mirror glaze medium and fine on a handheld buffer. I don't see how it could affect the finish at all as it's been sitting hardening for over a month.

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It won't affect the finish, but that is not the issue. The issue is that you can't recoat over something that has silicone on it. The finish will fish eye. Let me tell you a story about the guy who used silicone on the deck of the table saw....he is no longer employed. The silicone contaminated all of the plywood we cut on it for months and made finishing incredibly difficult. We had to get fish eye remover and put it in everything we sprayed. It was a disaster, you may have contaminated other stuff in your shop with the silicone as well.

http://www.amazon.com/3M-39009-Perfect-It-Polishing-Glaze-Dark/dp/B0002MSWU6

I buy all my 3M stuff at a local Auto Body Paint supplier but I am sure anyone that carries the 3M line of Auto Body supplies will have it as well.




As Robbie stated it won't effect your finish unless you have to refinish something on it. But it will effect other stuff you have in your shop.

I would suggest you go to an Auto Body paint supplier and get some wax and grease remover and get the silicone off of your guitar. How you do it is this:
First take a clean rag and wet it down with W&G remover. Wipe it down carefully and throw that one away. Do that at least twice throwing the rags away each time. Then take a new rag and get it damp with water first and then put a little W&G remover on it. They won't mix but wipe your guitar down a last time with it. When you are done it should not feel slippery at all, If it does then do it again until it doesn't feel slick anywhere. Be sure to throw the used ones away.

Fortunately Furniture polish usually doesn't have as much silicone it as car wax but even a small amount can cause painting issues.

If you can't find Wax and Grease remover you can use Naphtha but it doesn't cut wax as well as actual automotive W&G remover. Neither one will harm lacquer so you don't have to worry about it dulling the finish.

I would get it off as soon as possible because wax on a fresh lacquer finish can end up checking the finish. That is where the wax seals off the lacquer so it can't dry properly and the finish will develop very fine cracks in it. It usually happens when you use car wax that actually gets a build-up of wax sealing off the finish. Your case is not the same since furniture polish is not a paste wax, but I would still get it off of the finish.

Hope this helps,
Bob

Does Meguire's mirror glaze contain silicone? I thought it was just a very fine polishing compound.

I was going to ask the same thing. I don't think Meguire's has silicone in it.

You don't even want to put furniture polish on furniture, let alone a guitar. Most of them claim to replentish the "natural" oils in the wood, even though there is a finish on the furniture, and they actually degrade the finish.

Alex

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Peter, did you use a classic filler or some kind of epoxy or such?

Meguiars Mirror Glaze is not a furniture polish. It is a car polishing product. It was recommended by the Milburns in their French polish tutorial and I have used it for years with no problems. I don't believe there is silicone in it.

I've been using Novus products and having great results. While buffing I will use #3 to remove any heavy scratches, then after buffing I will do a good rub down with #2, and finish up with #1. Novus is designed for plastic polishing not furniture. It contains a trace amount of silicone but apparently they offer a non silicone version, or the silicone can be easily removed should you need to refinish. Novus is awesome stuff. I even use #1 on my mid/high gloss oil varnish finishes with great results. Makes it smooth as a baby's butt. Link to site, and a link to discussion about silicone in Novus:

http://www.novuspolish.com/
http://collingsforum.com/eve/forums/a/t ... m/99300333

I've also been using Novus products for 4 or 5 years. They work very well.

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So I've wondered what the best thing to do with a guitar is after polishing. I know the squeaks you talk of.

What I've found best is the Stew-Mac preservation polish. It seems to take off anything left behind by the polishing compound, and leaves a thin oily coat which seems to almost lubricate the finish, and protect it from bottoms on your shirt, small scratches from things in the case that people don't realize will scratch finish, etc. So I would give that a shot.

If you want your finish to feel silky smooth to the touch, a satin or semi-gloss is the way to go if you don't want to keep it waxed. Just a few coats of shellac aren't durable but are beautiful and just wonderful to run your hands over. The dipped-in-plastic look might look fantastic but often translates into the feel of a guitar wrapped in a sticky rubber suit IMO.

And yet just yesterday I sprayed the last coats on two more gloss nitro guitars because my customers specifically asked for it. Bah humbug.

"Meguiars Mirror Glaze is not a furniture polish. It is a car polishing product. It was recommended by the Milburns in their French polish tutorial and I have used it for years with no problems. I don't believe there is silicone in it."

+1

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