Stopping finish chips

[Aceldama]

I'm looking at a Hamer with some finish chipping along the headstock and the body. There also seems to be some finish cracks along body. I've never had a vintage instruments with this type of damage. Is it normally stable? Is there something you should do to prevent the finish from flaking off (it doesn't seem to be flaking at the moment).

Ace

[Feynman]

I'm certainly no expert on the subject, but I have fondled many a beater guitar. I don't think chips tend to 'spread,' but hopefully others will weigh in .

I think it would be akin to a rash - my mother told me not to pick at them.

Got any pics of the guitar?

[zenmindbeginner]

The finish is checking and that is something that many people desire in vintage instruments, believe it or not. The finish has just lost some of it's amalgamation and has what appear to be little slices in the finish. It's not like a broken window which has no structural integrity if sliced, the finish has just developed little separations between itself and is still adhered to the wood in most cases. The finish damage along the fretboard (if you are unlucky enough to have any) was most likely worn away (from humidity heat and friction) and didn't flake off.

Hameritis is what it is referred to around here. Most of the old Hamers eventually develop Hameritis from being hauled around to gigs and exposed to changes in temperature and humidity over the years. Most of the older Hamers without Hameritis are the ones owned by collectors and not players. There's also the guys like Serial who are players and collectors... he has some mint older Hamers without Hameritis I believe.

The only thing that you could do is use a solvent to re-amalgamate the finish.

You will most likely kill many brain cells doing this.

[Aceldama]

Ahh, the infamous Hameritis. I had a 93' P-90 Special that just got worse as it spread farther and farther down the neck. My question is that this beast has some fierce chipping. I've had poly guitars that never had issues with the rest of the finish around the chip flaking off, but this is "might" be my next beater Hamer. Here are the pics:

81 Special

[zenmindbeginner]

Ahh, the infamous Hameritis. I had a 93' P-90 Special that just got worse as it spread farther and farther down the neck. My question is that this beast has some fierce chipping. I've had poly guitars that never had issues with the rest of the finish around the chip flaking off, but this is "might" be my next beater Hamer. Here are the pics:

81 Special

I've seen that guitar before and it is beautiful. I have one just like it in a '59 burst but it has checking that is a bit worse than that. lol!

That 81 Special is actually in great shape and the checking is rather "cute" and friendly. You will have stolen that guitar for anything under $700, it's easily worth $800.

My 81 Special looks like it could have been kept in the House of 1000 Corpses.

[Aceldama]

Ahh, the infamous Hameritis. I had a 93' P-90 Special that just got worse as it spread farther and farther down the neck. My question is that this beast has some fierce chipping. I've had poly guitars that never had issues with the rest of the finish around the chip flaking off, but this is "might" be my next beater Hamer. Here are the pics:

81 Special

I've seen that guitar before and it is beautiful. I have one just like it in a '59 burst but it has checking that is a bit worse than that. lol!

That 81 Special is actually in great shape and the checking is rather "cute" and friendly. You will have stolen that guitar for anything under $700, it's easily worth $800.

My 81 Special looks like it could have been kept in the House of 1000 Corpses.

$825 Local Sale.

[BadgerDave]

You can touch up the headstock chips with an ebony lacquer pen. Gibson sells one under their brand name and I think you can get it at Guitar Center. Stew Mac sells them too.

Or you can leave them be if you like the battle-scarred look. Nice natural relicing, IMO.

[Aceldama]

I jumped. I've had JohnnyThunders beaten-to-death 80? Special for about a year and wanted to try something with original pups and wiring. Loves me them sustainblocks!!

[zenmindbeginner]

I jumped. I've had JohnnyThunders beaten-to-death 80? Special for about a year and wanted to try something with original pups and wiring. Loves me them sustainblocks!!

Does that mean that you bought it?

[Aceldama]

Yep. Unless the seller falls through of course...

[tbonesullivan]

was hamer using nitro then? or maybe polyurethane?

anyway, keeping the finish polished puts solvents and plasticizers back into the finish that can prevent checking and chipping. I try to do a full-body polish on my nitro-finished guitars at least twice a year, and poly finished guitars about once a year.

[Aceldama]

I brought her home today. I don't know why I fretted the chips. They are stable. No finish flaking at all. The top has zillions of line that you can't feel when touching the top. Actually I nice look. There are some worn spots in the top, but the sound smokes! I had my Fender Princeton Reverb cranked and the thing just growls and cleans up nice. Didn't get much time with her since the wife had a headache. Hope to put it through it's paces tomorrow. Niiiiice neck on this thing for an 81. I got it for $775. Already like it enough that I put the my beater for sale locally.

[serial]

Get clear (or slightly ambered if you can find it-I made my own) nail polish. Your 81 Hamer was finished in nitrocellulose and nail polish is...yup-nitro cellulose-based. I've used nail polish for years touching up old Hamer instruments up until they started using the newer finish for the topcoat in the 90s. My best success was on an '85 SS1 and a 1991 Cali Custom setneck. The SS1 was white and the Cali ice pearl. I got white nail polish, a whitish clear pearl topcoat and a clear topcoat that I yellowed with Transparent Amber Tamiya paint (acrylic, but it worked like a charm) from a hobby shop. I picked that up when I was buying a set of super fine wet/dry sanding cloths called Micro Mesh (sold in most hobby shops probably). Model car builders use them to polish finishes to a high gloss and the grits go from #0080 to #12,000. Yes-12k! That stuff REALLY makes the difference to my mind. No one was able to see 95% of my touch ups. The 5% that were visible were usually either only visible in the light or because they were a slight bit less aged than the surrounding finish. It takes patience and numerous applications to build up the finish in a deep chip (usually only two or three color coats, but many clear coats) and they have to thoroughly dry between applications (at least 24 hours), but the results were fantastic. I couldn't find most of the repairs after I was finished.

I've used the Gibbo black lacquer paint pen on the headstocks, but it looks even better with clear topcoat.

For sunburst finishes to the wood, I'd clearcoat, then add the Tamiya Amber or Transparent Red to match and then topcoat with amber clearcoats until the finish was level.

Takes some stones to put sandpaper to one of these guitars, but by careful not heavy-handed technique and patience, by the time you get to 12,000 grit paper (actually rubberized cloth), it shines brighter than the surrounding areas.