Fix a big paint chip?

[bry4321]

Is there any way to repair a chip like this, either DIY or by someone who knows what they're doing? Pretty sure that anything I try based on some internet/youtube search will make things worse than just leaving it as is. The checking is OK. It's not as noticeable in person and I kind of like it. But not the chip(s). I am in the DC area in case anyone has recommendations around here. Thanks for taking a look. 

 

[Dave Scepter]

You can get that touched up by a pro or go and find/have mix color match paint and do it yourself... via airbrush or spray can... professional auto paint stores will color match the paint and put it in a spray can all charged up with air... then carefully mask off the area "use low stick tape or tape that you've stuck to your jeans first" to avoid additional paint lifting... depends how much you want to spend 

[bry4321]

Thanks Dave, that seems much more reasonable than the super glue or fingernail polish advice I found online. If I spray it myself, would I do multiple layers to try to bring it up to the level of the existing paint, or just get some white down so it doesn't stand out so much? Probably will try to find someone who knows what they are doing, but just in case....

[Dave Scepter]

I don't know the level of your craftiness but It can be done…Those cracks are on your side as is the light relic look... good luck in your quest 

[Stike]

I'd be very cautious using tape, even low tack on that finish. I've seen some older, nitrocellulose lacquer era Hamers with opaque color where the color coat didn't have a good chemical bond with whatever material they were using as a primer and I think there's a possibility you could cause more chips like the one you want to fix.

[hamerhead]

Left-handed Les Paul pickguard.

 

........ducks......

[bry4321]

Thanks @Dave Scepterand others for the knowledge/courage to tackle this. It's by no means perfect but I think it's "ok" or at least no worse than when I started, and should prevent future flaking. 

 

[Dave Scepter]

10 minutes ago, bry4321 said:

Thanks @Dave Scepterand others for the knowledge/courage to tackle this. It's by no means perfect but I think it's "ok" or at least no worse than when I started, and should prevent future flaking. 

 

Looks great!.. what did you do to repair the chip?

[bry4321]

1 hour ago, Dave Scepter said:

Looks great!.. what did you do to repair the chip?

Thanks and since you asked....first I asked around and no one wanted to repair, just to refinish the whole thing.

I then took guitar to nail salon to match color/test on small chips. They thought I was crazy. Woman at the counter misunderstood and started to apply nail polish to guitar. This is when I learned nail salons do nails, the don't sell nail polish. But they sold me some anyway. 

I wasn't happy with the match so took guitar to auto paint supply place. They thought I was crazy. Woman at the counter said if I left the guitar for a couple of weeks she would try to match it. In retrospect I probably should have done that, but didn't want to leave it sitting around a paint supply store.

I used paint-color chip from there to order paint from myperfectcolor.com. I hesitate to mention them because while they gave a good color good match based on what I supplied them with, I found their paint to be difficult to work with. That may be my entirely my fault but I had problems with multiple coats. I guess it worked out in the end. 

There was a similar chip on the back of the guitar that I was able to practice on. Advice from @Stikekept me from taping things off and possibly pulling off more of the finish. Rattle can application didn't work great so I just brushed it on then hand-sanded, mostly Meguiar K1000/K2000 polishing blocks after using rougher grit to get close to level. No idea how it will age compared to the rest of the finish or if it looks better or worse than when I started. It's far from perfect but in my opinion the color matches well in most lighting, especially from a distance and given that I couldn't match the checking in the surrounding finish. 

 

 

 

[Dave Scepter]

1 hour ago, bry4321 said:

I used paint-color chip from there to order paint from myperfectcolor.com. I hesitate to mention them because while they gave a good color good match based on what I supplied them with, 

Awesome!.. do you remember the name of the paint color?

[bry4321]

It was Sherwin Williams, and as I recall because it was an automotive paint instead of their residential paint it had a number instead of a name. If it had a name, I forgot it. 

 

[planetgaffnet]

Just saw this thread.  Was going to suggest nail varnish.  Had some success with a fairly large ding on a Precision bass.

[hamerican gigolo]

Taking a guitar to a nail salon just cracks me up. 🤣

[bry4321]

On 3/20/2023 at 4:42 PM, hamerican gigolo said:

Taking a guitar to a nail salon just cracks me up. 🤣

I would have saved myself a bunch of trouble if I’d just let her touch it up 🤓

[HSB0531]

On 10/7/2022 at 2:30 PM, bry4321 said:

Is there any way to repair a chip like this, either DIY or by someone who knows what they're doing? Pretty sure that anything I try based on some internet/youtube search will make things worse than just leaving it as is. The checking is OK. It's not as noticeable in person and I kind of like it. But not the chip(s). I am in the DC area in case anyone has recommendations around here. Thanks for taking a look. 

 

How big is it?

 

Bruce Willis can fix it!