Collings Mandolin Finish

Several weeks ago, a customer brought by a Collings MT-2 mandolin that was losing its finish. The damage had emanated from a clamp that used to hold the pickup jack in place. Sometimes, if the initial bond between sanded, stained maple, and the thick lacquer above is compromised by an impact or pressure, it can begin to bubble. And where does it stop?

Luckily these instruments are finished with Nitrocellulose. This lacquer is a type of spirit varnish, which means that it is comprised of solids dissolved in a solvent. As the solvent evaporates, the finish hardens leaving only the solids behind. The good news for us is that the process is reversible. I can brush the solvent from this lacquer around the perimeter of the damage, and dissolve this bubbled area, blending it into the surrounding finish.

But as you can see, this won't be enough. Sure, the unsightly light pockets are gone, but this only accentuates the missing layer of lacquer. Now additional clear coat will be carefully brushed on. Many, many coats to build the finish up to and slightly beyond the surface of the intact lacquer.

With all the lacquer on, things are looking better, but still not quite right. The finish surface, though thick, is not smooth and mirror like to match the original lacquer. It must be flattened and polished with a series of specialized abrasives.

And voila! The finish has been repaired.

Bicentennial Firebird

This is one of the coolest guitars I've seen in a little while. It is a bicentennial edition Gibson Firebird made in 1976. Gloss black Nitro and some beautifully aged gold hardware. The owner wants a matching Bigsby tremolo system installed, and roller bridge so as to maximize tuning stability.

After a ton of digging, I was able to find a period correct gold Bigsby from 1970. That wasn't cheap! The patina and feel were so perfect though, nobody minded. The only sticking point was the roller saddle, no pun intended. We wanted a modern roller bridge to keep the strings from binding when the vibrato is used. The new ones all look new!

No problem, though. I mixed up a batch of secret hardware aging mix and shook it around for a few days. The oxidation nicely matches that of the authentically old hardware, leaving behind the factory shine.

Because the guitar strings ordinarily ground through the tailpiece stud, and the tailpiece is being removed, a new ground wire must be run to the saddle post which will remain. Check out the long drill bit we have for that.

Here's a shot of the bicentennial badge, not faded away yet!

And the finished product! A tasteful addition to a rare, player-worn guitar!