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Hi, guys. Hope you're all well. Customer brought in a fairly new Tele that has been stored badly and has been subject to big temp and humidity changes. The neck lacquer is badly checked. Wonder if this is a candidate for reamalgamating the finish?

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FF's got a good chunk of info on frets.com...  (can't paste it for some reason, but search "lacquer check" and it'll pop up).  Or maybe it'll become the first phase of a good relic'ing job?

Here you go Mike...

http://www.frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Technique/Finish/Lacquer/Am...

Copy the web page address and attach it using the chain link symbol button above.

Keith did you test the finish with lacquer or acetone to see if the finish is indeed lacquer? Pull a tuner or the neck, put a drop of solvent where the sun doesn't shine and see if it dissolves it. The images you posted look more like a poly finish where it is lifting, could also be a cross-linked lacquer which does not behave like nitrocellulose lacquer. I have done minor repairs to poly finishes, fills, gluing flakes back down, with CA but this project has the cooties bad. Even if it is nitrocellulose lacquer, the lifted areas may not bridge the gap and heal back together.

Frank shows brushing on the Butyl Cellosolve, I use a small touch up spray gun to apply it. Nasty stuff, wear protection on you're hands and use a good paint respirator. It's not a Silver bullet and may require more finish work be done. The newer the lacquer, the better it works. If you're project is a nitrocellulose lacquer and not one of the newer cross-linked lacquers, it may improve what I see in you're images but I have my doubts that it would completely fix the problem.

Simplest way in a small  shop would be to strip the entire thing, and redo with maybe Gunstock Oil.

I used to do this work a ton. Good for 'Speed Necks' too... It's super easy, and only takes a few hours.

 Keith, I  doubt that what you have there can be saved under any circumstance. I'm just guessing though...

Hi Keith,

whats the peg head face like and confirm it’s a rosewood board neck.   I presume you have respray facility/access to spray mobs. 

Regards,

Rusty

To no one's great surprise, cellosolve had no effect on the finish! Customer doesn't really want to pay for a respray. Guess I'll just leave it. 

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