LUTHIER QUESTION...ding repair

mc2 · February 3, 2016

I've got a 40 year old Ovation Anniversary acoustic/electric.

The only mark on it after all these years is a fisheye ding I put in it decades ago after restrngng it and laying it upside down on a bed.

Just my luck...my aim was off and the top hit a saddle setscrew head and dinged it about a month after I'd bought it.

it is a weird dng...like one you would get in a windshield. The actual surface home is the size of a pinhead, with what looks like and air gap or hole under the finish the size of a pencil eraser.

it has bugged me for years and I recently saw a video of someone repairing dings with Super Glue.

can I inject Super Glue into the pinhole to do a fix? Or will it strip the Orange finish or melt the clear?

Studio Custom · February 3, 2016

I've only seen super glue used to replace missing clear coat, but if melting was an issue, I'd imagine the areas surrounding repairs would be effected, which they are not.

Victor (Fret Friend) · February 3, 2016

A picture would help! I see no problem using super glue. Dan Erlewine had a good video on YouTube for this kind of problem. Also, for dings, I steam them out with a damp (thick) cloth and a soldering iron. I'd need to see the damage before advising...

tbonesullivan · February 4, 2016

you can use lacquer with thinner. superglue also works.

The hard part will be getting it under the finish, and having it dry/cure/whatever.

mc2 · February 4, 2016

Here is a photo of the ding. The surface/clear is smooth with no piece out of it.

The damage is all underneah the hit, except for a very, very tiny hole.

http://s1359.photobucket.com/user/mc2NYNO/media/image_zpssfvlvcxs.jpeg.html

Jeff R · February 4, 2016

If it were mine, I wouldn't mess with it. You say it's been there for decades, so it's apparently not expanding. I think you can get some CA under and into the lifted area through the little hole but I don't think it will be invisible when all said and done, again because it's been there for decades. Keep in mind too that any finish fix attempt runs risk of doing more not-good than good visually.

If I had a client asked me to take this on (after I told them what I just said in the first paragraph), I'd use a very thin CA glue and a controlled applicator. I use one of these. Before I went to the bulbs, I would dip an Exacto blade tip in CA and roll the glue down and off the blade's tip. If you use a bulb device like this, DON'T SQUEEZE THE BULB. It is the glue's reservoir, but it can act as a pump if you squeeze it and it will "sneeze" CA in places you don't want it. Tilt the bulb or the Exacto, and let gravity flow the glue through/down the shaft to the tip.

I'd also mask the area liberally around the wound with a low-tack tape so that CA is only going where it needs to go. Don't remove the tape until the CA is dry inside the wound.

Whether you go with a bulb-like device or an Exacto tip, VERY, VERY, VERY IMPORTANT! ... PRACTICE, practice a few times, on some scrap to get an idea of how much glue is moving (you won't need as much glue as you might think), how it's moving and displacing, and to get an idea of how quickly the CA sets. This will help you get in and out of the fill as quickly and efficiently as possible.

After the fill, there shouldn't be much, if any, overfill or mess if you practiced . If there is, then do the taped razor blade scraper trick, and/or ultra find sanding and buffing, etc., all as needed to finish things out.

Others may have tweaks/suggestions/a better way before, during or after, so give a few others guys a turn to put in their two cents before you go a-gluing. Good luck!

Victor (Fret Friend) · February 4, 2016

I've done this a few times with fantastic results;

tbonesullivan · February 4, 2016

The "razor blade" scraper "trick" is pretty dang useful.

Steve Haynie · February 5, 2016

I have some gear related stickers I could send you. Just pick one and put it over the ding.

tbonesullivan · February 5, 2016

Thinking about it more, that is an OLD ding. In the decades since it happened, oils, dirt, etc have seeped into the cracks, which is why they look darker. If you really want to make it go away completely the only real way would probably be to remove the lifted finish and replace it.

Jeff R · February 5, 2016

That's why I said I don't think it will be invisible when it's all said and done. There is likely stuff in there that will either be coated by or suspended in the CA.

tbonesullivan · February 7, 2016

What do you guys use to clean the area before applying any touch up glue/finish etc?

mc2 · February 7, 2016

That Dan Erlweine video is the one that got me wondering again if I could fix my ding.

But, as you can see, all the clear is still on mine and I guess I would have to dig it out and make it worse

before I could try to fill it.

Maybe I'll just leave it.

Victor (Fret Friend) · February 8, 2016

On 07/02/2016 at 1:30 AM, tbonesullivan said:

What do you guys use to clean the area before applying any touch up glue/finish etc?

I use a but of naptha (or Zippo lighter fluid as we call it in England) to clean the area and remove grease etc beforehand...

Victor (Fret Friend) · February 8, 2016

On 07/02/2016 at 9:51 AM, mc2 said:

That Dan Erlweine video is the one that got me wondering again if I could fix my ding.

But, as you can see, all the clear is still on mine and I guess I would have to dig it out and make it worse

before I could try to fill it.

Maybe I'll just leave it.

Don't dig the damage back out. Just fill with superglue and it will hardly show. Or... leave it be

tbonesullivan · February 8, 2016

3 hours ago, Vic Croll (Concrete Sox) said:

I use a but of naptha (or Zippo lighter fluid as we call it in England) to clean the area and remove grease etc beforehand...

Now I just need to find some in a canister that isn't around two gallons. Probably have to buy zippo fluid.

It looks like Coleman "white gas" fuel is actually 100% naptha, which if of course just petroleum distillates of a certain weight.

Jeff R · February 8, 2016

I buy it in this sized container. Big enough to have plenty for my jobs, small enough container that I can pour with one hand, hold cup/rag/whatever with other hand.

http://www.homedepot.com/p/Klean-Strip-1-qt-Varnish-Maker-and-Painter-s-Naphtha-QVM46/100122813

Duplex Dave · March 6, 2016

You can flush it out with some De-natured alcohol. It will also show you what the ding will look like when you fill it with CA glue. (so will Naptha)

tbonesullivan · April 13, 2016

I've been doing a bunch of touchups lately, and finally got to one that is a bit more "advanced", because it's both a chip and a dent, however there is still finish inside the dent.

I have thought about trying to steam out the dent, but it looks like the grain sealer is still intact, so I don't know if that would work. Also, I don't want to kill what finish remains in the dent. I guess I'm looking more to stabilize the finish that is left and keep it from chipping more.

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LUTHIER QUESTION...ding repair

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