I picked up an No-Jive that I can only assume was found under a bush or something. The clear finish failed in many areas and there were areas of mildew discoloration. I scrubbed it with mild, natural, hippie soap and a horsehair brush and happily got rid of most of the mildew staining and all of the stank.
I’ve smoothed out the edges of the failed clear coat with a green scouring pad and it plays well. I’d like to remove the remaining areas of clear coat and either play it natural or with a non-color changing oil.
I’m thinking oil to prevent my oils from attracting dirt and discoloring but I love the smooth feel of the raw wood. I had an 80’s Superstrat shredder (in the 80’s!) with a raw maple neck and it got a little nasty.
Thoughts? Thanks!
Ted
Pics of its current state after I hit it w/ the green pad:
I hear you man; I’ve been throwing it for the last year-ish like this b/c busted-up finishes do look cool. I’d rather the finish damage be the result of my own use though.
Just out of the picture in the first one is one of those 2014 clean machines. It just has the standard satin oil finish that Brad was using at the time.
Acetone is completely harmless to wood and will take off any clear coat or contaminants. You can either soak it or apply it to a paper towel and wipe it down. Acetone evaporates quickly so the wood will dry pretty fast.
The acetone worked a charm. Wearing solvent-resist Nitrile gloves, I used a cotton make-up-removal pad and just wiped all over it. Two passes and it was done. Once dry I hit both halves once more with the Scotch pad to lightly smooth a couple of areas with raised grain. A water rinse for dust and a little bit next to a radiator (my house has steam heat) and I put’er back together.
Man, does it feel good in the raw! Smooth as silk. Per Ed’s rec I just leave it this way. Feels great in the hand and with fresh Zipline Kot-n broken in, it play great too.
Thanks everyone for chiming in! It was super easy to use acetone; I really wish I’d started there instead of sanding first.
Pretty wacky how different the branded graphics are, no?
