Getting the wax off...

Hamer Dave

Hamer Dave

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OK, just got me a 30-sumthin' year old Sunburst. Looked ok, but when I started to polish it with GHS Guitar Gloss, it started to get a bit yucky. I'm assuming it's breaking down some buildup of old wax polish, or ?. Should I just bathe this thing in paint thinner til I get all this yuck off? Otherwise, I think it'll take a while with the GHS product. Just want to make sure I'm on the right path. I'm guessing I need to strip all the years of wax buildup. Please share your experience. Thanks.

 
I personally wouldn't use any kind of thinners (unless the real experts here suggest it) the old Nitro finishes on these guitars can be broken down very easily so be careful.

By yucky do you mean getting sticky ?

What's in the GHS Polish is it suitable for Nitro ? Check the label.

Pics required.....................

 
Virtuoso Cleaner and Polish is the product you want. I believe GC carries it now, although I ordered mine direct.

 
GC does carry Virtuoso, but HD needs to check with the experts (paging Dr. Murkat- Dr. Murkat to the Hamer Courtesy Phone, please) before doing anything else.

 
The preservation polish from Stew-mac does a good job of cutting through just about everything. It's also designed to leave no residues, waxes, silicones, etc. the GHS "polish" is much more of a wax than a cleaner. You need to have the guitar relatively clean or it just makes a big mess.

 
Thanks guys. I think what I want is Naptha. Was figuring Paint Thinner is the same, but I best get the fast drying Naptha, and probably go through a bunch of clean rags.

Yep, without cleaning off all the existing residual buildup, the GHS Gloss was just making a mess.

 
serial said:
^^^

This. Don't use any of that mess on guitar.
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Serial,

What are you suggesting here. Not understanding if you were referring to the post above, or ?. I'm thinking Naptha should strip all the wax buildup pretty well.

Thanks.

 
I use the GHS guitar polish in the black bottle to pull off old polish/grime/etc. Works great.

 
Jeff R said:
I use the GHS guitar polish in the black bottle to pull off old polish/grime/etc. Works great.
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That is, I believe, the product the threadstarter is having a problem with. If you've got a lot of build up on the guitar, it will not work very well, and can just make a big mess with grime and oils.
 
I have had good luck with Virtuoso as a "one pass" cleaner/polisher, but naptha works great to totally clean the guitar of all the old wax/polish/smegma residue. It works fine on both poly and nitro. Keep in mind that naptha will leave the finish dull, so after cleaning use a good quality paste wax to bring back the shine. Meguiar's perhaps?

 
I used Naptha (Sunnyside, the V,M & P brand was out of stock). Seemed to clean it up. But once I use the GHS Guitar Gloss it starts to get cloudy again. Maybe I haven't gotten all the old stuff off? I can use the GHS product on a small area, and in time seems to get nice and clean/shiny. Just seems it will take forever. I would imagine the Naptha would have stripped off the wax pretty easily? Not sure if there's still old wax, on it or what? Reminds me of an old LP Custom I got many, many moons ago. Kind of the same way. Ended up using a Tres Amigos polishing kit on it. Took a while but got it nice and shiny. Problem is, I think that was more of a rubbing compound process (it included two pastes, and a wool buffing pad). In hindsight, don't know if that was the right way to go. I don't want to be removing any of the finish, just any residues. Had a trans green Special also that I used a small electric shoe buffer on. I was also afraid I was taking the finish off, but I think it was already faded. I've seen some of those green ones fade big time. So... Should I apply more Naptha? I suggest folks don't use wax on their guitars, cause it's a pain in the butt, in the end.

 
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