Removing furniture polish from guitar?

Some of you may have shuddered reading the title of this post...I purchased a Gibson Blueshawk on ebay quite a while back, and the finish is coated with what I believe to be some kind of furniture polish. This gross coating has made polishing my guitar all but useless, as it merely makes the finish disgusting and cloudy. My luthier has offered to refinish it for me, but I want to use such a drastic measure as a last resort. Any suggestions on how i may be able to get this gunk off without stripping the finish?

Mineral spirits... very safe... test on a small area of course... just to be safe. You might look for "odorless" paint thinner as well. Be sure to use 2 rags: 1 to wet, and another to dry (the drying rag is that one that actually carries the gunk away... so change it often).

You might also try name brand PINE-SOL (straight outta' the bottle)... also very safe.

Mineral spirits... very safe... test on a small area of course... just to be safe. You might look for "odorless" paint thinner as well. Be sure to use 2 rags: 1 to wet, and another to dry (the drying rag is that one that actually carries the gunk away... so change it often).

You might also try name brand PINE-SOL (straight outta' the bottle)... also very safe.

That should do it. Might try naptha depending on what the original finish is, but I would definitely try the mineral spirits.

I believe the original finish is Nitrocellulose. I believe we may have tried mineral spirits in the past to no avail, but I suppose theres no harm in round 2

Naphtha. I'll be safe if it's nitro.

Windex, 409,,,,

If the furniture polish had wax in it, which it sounds like it did, you may need to scrape it off.

I once got wax on a guitar I was finishing by (stupidly) handling it with gloves I had used to remove the wax ring when replacing an old toilet. That stuff is NASTY.

I hit it with naptha and that didn't completely remove the wax, but it helped loosen it. I VERY gently scraped the wax off with a razor blade, then polished out any fine scratches left by the blade.

Just hope if it is funiture polish, it didn't have silicone in it. Many do. It will be very difficult to remove and can be very problematic to refinish.

Mineral spirits and naptha are kissing cousins, with naptha being the more refined of the two. Either will dissolve most paste/spray furniture wax. But as you noticed, if the wax is hardened/dry it can be a slow process.

409 is an excellent grease cutter and can be used safely on poly, acrylic, or nitro (work quickly.)

About the only way to reliable remove silicone (if present) is to burn it away. If present it can wreak havoc with just about any finish (fisheye, pinholes, cratering, etc.) Sometimes you can seal it off with shellac, but even that is a crap shoot.

^^ +1

Dawn dishsoap is also right up there with 409.

Situation update: My luthier has established that it isn't furniture polish, but most likely years of built up cigarette tar. NOT cool. Completely explains the stench of stale cigarettes though. haha any suggestions based on that?

again, naptha.
may take some work, but it wont harm the finish.
i once removed a coat of film from a guitar that was sitting for some 30 years in a living room heated by an open fireplace.
took maybe 8 hours, all told, with rags and naptha-
but the finish was intact and beautiful underneath.

Denatured Alcohol

Situation update: My luthier has established that it isn't furniture polish, but most likely years of built up cigarette tar. NOT cool. Completely explains the stench of stale cigarettes though. haha any suggestions based on that?


Any name brand (du pont, turtle wax, etc) rubbing compound. There will be differen't degrees of abrasive so look for one thats for removing fine scratches, dead dull paint, cloudy lenses etc. It's real hard to screw this up, just apply and remove like you're shining up your car.

The problem with smoke residue is that it is not just one, or eve a couple different substances, it is a bunch of different things - aromatic hydrocarbons, oils, soot, etc.

Try the 409, Windex, or even straight ammonia (test that somewhere inconspicuous first.) Rubbing compound is a good idea also. Be aware that at least some of what you are seeing may be permanent discoloration of the finish.

Once all that is done go buy a large bag of odor adsorbing kitty litter then place the guitar in a box/sealed bag with a heft amount of litter and let it sit for a few days. Repeat as necessary. If the case also smells bad then fill the case with a layer of litter and leave it someplace warm and dry for a few days. Again, repeat as necessary.

Denatured Alcohol

Alcohol will damage a lacquer finish.

Alcohol will damage a lacquer finish.

...and leave divots where it dissolves the nitro, and white marks where it doesn't. Don't ask me how I know that.

I'd go with the naptha on this one, though you could try some of the other solvents mentioned. Mineral spirits, or turpentine, if you've got it, would be next.

I use alcohol for dissolving shellac flakes, or maybe thinning canned shellac, and nothing else. It will wreak havoc on lacquer.

There's stuff called "Wax Remover" for erm, removing wax from furniture.
It appears to be a mix of solvents and milder than the naphtha lighter fluid.

Wax also dissolves off in soap and water you know, rather well actually, I would always try that first.

BElieve or not, GHS Guitar Gloss is the best thing I have ever used in situations like this. I used to use naptha....but Guitar Gloss beats naptha hands down. Guitar Gloss has some naptha....or very similar petroleum-based cleanser in it....and the polishes in the Gloss support the 'naptha' by keeping it from drying out while it is cutting through the oils and grime. To get the guitar really clean, you might have to remove pickups and hardware. IF you get the guitar 'bare', don't be afraid to use a buffer with some finish treatments...auto paint stuff. TAke care with the buffer speed, right?
That finish can look new again with the correct treatment, ime. AFter you get the guitar clean, use Gibson polish. IT contains a bit of lacquer and helps to keep the Nnitro finish from checking over time.
RE: the refin idea???? LOL.....

Goof Off worked great for me, don't know how nitro friendly it is

I'd just take a razor and scrape it off. Kidding of course! I'm just wondering who would play a Gibson, but not know how to take care of it!?

Got it back from my man Dan today, used some naptha and buffed it right off. Thanks for the tips guys, got her looking bright shiny and new again!