Touch-up for scrapes in wood?

[DeArmond Hammer]

I'd like to make the old pick scrapes less conspicuous around the sound hole of my D-25M. I've seen felt-tip furniture touch-up pens, and also waxy furniture touch-up crayons. Would those help or hurt? Is anything made specifically for this purpose? All suggestions are welcome.

 

[davismanLV]

A quick and light wipe with denatured alcohol will show you what color you'll get on the wood if you apply clear lacquer. That finish is such a pretty amber. Amber shellac might help just on the bare spots with an artists brush. Try clear first though. That wood might darken really well.

 

[davismanLV]

Remember that alcohol is the solvent for shellac to thin it down and you can mix amber and clear shellac together with alcohol 4 parts to 1 part shellac to create a spit coat in the right color. That will take care of the color. Then you can touch up the clear lacquer if you wish.

 

[Cougar]

...Would those [furniture touch-up pens] help or hurt?

They wouldn't seal the wood like shellac. It looks like there's missing varnish, but not missing wood. Tom's suggestions sound good, "just on the bare spots with an artists brush."

 

[wileypickett]

Any tint or color you put on the bare wood is there to stay, and if it's too dark, you're stuck with it.

If it were my guitar I'd put a clear coat over the exposed wood first, let it set for a few days, then mix your tint on a piece of plexiglass (something clear) so that you can place it over the top and more easily adjust the touch-up color to match.

Apply lightly with a brush over the clear coat. Don't overlap brush strokes.

If you're uncertain you can pull it off (it's no walk in the park!) take it to a good repair person.

 

[GAD]

Why does it matter to "seal" the wood? The entire inside of the guitar is "unsealed".

 

[davismanLV]

Sealing is only because it's surface and exposed to light and wear and tear. And what Glenn says, you gotta get your color right first. Why you wipe it with alcohol only to see how the wood reacts. If the color gets right just from alcohol, then use only shellac and alcohol spit coat. If when it dries it's too light, then add more amber shellac until you get it right. Shellac is a finish, so no need to seal it. Just don't spill your Whiskey on it or it's gone!! LOL!!

 

[btwood]

thanks for posting this advice, interesting