Question on nitro finish

[Joshmc5150]

I'm pretty sure I have aftermarket tele body.. its Sea Foam green with some relic mojo going on..

Anyways.. The clear coast is flaking off pretty easily.. So I'm thinking its not nitro.. and some other type of clear coat. But the finish is better without the clear coat some I'm gonna leave it as it is after i peel away the clear coat.

So what does a bad job of nitro clear coat end up doing? Peeling and flaking like mine or else??

[soulman969]

Can you verify whether or not it's an aftermarket body and if so whose? A poly finish would tend to peel since by in large it's somewhat like a plastic protective coating over the finish. Is that's what it's doing.

[Arbiter]

Originally Posted by Joshmc5150

So what does a bad job of nitro clear coat end up doing? Peeling and flaking like mine or else??

Ho boy, yes, it sure can and that can be a real ugly situation if it happens in a production environment and the cause is not known. Worse still if you don't find out for a while and then get a mountain of guitars that have to be refinished under warranty.

Bad lacquer, bad color coats, bad initial coat, incompatible color coats, wax/silicone contamination....there's a lot of ways nitro can go bad and you're experiencing one of them. Glad you don't mind the look.

Bubbling, checking and clouding can also happen and are hard to fix. There are some other nitro issues that can come up but are pretty rare.

[soulman969]

Originally Posted by Arbiter

Ho boy, yes, it sure can and that can be a real ugly situation if it happens in a production environment and the cause is not known. Worse still if you don't find out for a while and then get a mountain of guitars that have to be refinished under warranty.

Bad lacquer, bad color coats, bad initial coat, incompatible color coats, wax/silicone contamination....there's a lot of ways nitro can go bad and you're experiencing one of them. Glad you don't mind the look.

Bubbling, checking and clouding can also happen and are hard to fix. There are some other nitro issues that can come up but are pretty rare.

IME these are more characteristic of nitro. The checking looks like a spider web of tiny cracks in the finish that come from exposure over a period of time but if it gets bad the finish could crack open. And again IME clouding tends to happen with nitro finishes as well where the finish begins to become opaque.

If you know the source of that body you could probably find out the nature of the finish but it sounds more like a poly coat to me. Most nitro finishes are reserved for high end guitars but you can get aftermarket bodies with nitro finishes as well.

[Joshmc5150]

It's a aftermarket for sure... Has a tummy cut and top mount string on bridge only piece. It's looks like the owner painted it sea foam green and then did a nitro shot over it. The finish isn't a poly feel to it... And peels off like piece of plastic on a pickguard of a new guitar except it's brittle.

I actually plan to peel the rest of it off since its so easily done.

[Sea Devil]

The best way to determine the composition of any finish is to apply various solvents to an inconspicuous area of the guitar until you find the right one. Some contemporary finishes are totally impervious to solvents, however.

It sounds as though you may have a catalyzed finish that will only accept additional coats within a very short time after application, and someone tried to paint clear over it. It could be shellac, based on the description (denatured alcohol is the solvent for shellac).

[soulman969]

Originally Posted by Joshmc5150

It's a aftermarket for sure... Has a tummy cut and top mount string on bridge only piece. It's looks like the owner painted it sea foam green and then did a nitro shot over it. The finish isn't a poly feel to it... And peels off like piece of plastic on a pickguard of a new guitar except it's brittle.

I actually plan to peel the rest of it off since its so easily done.

Sea Devil's suggestion could be spot on. If it's as thin us you say it doesn't sound like a modern poly finish. If it comes off that easy and you like it better without it your problem is solved anyway or try Sea Devil's suggestion to see if that will hurry it along.