fixing a chip in my strats finish

erik · August 10th, 2008, 07:56 PM

I recently noticed a small chip in the back of my stratocaster which i have no idea how it got there. Its the first thing ive had happen to this guitar so im having a hard time dealing with it because its been my main guitar for over a year now and ive taken great care of it. The guitar is a 2004 Transparent Butterscotch Blonde finish, so im not sure if it would even be possible to fix. I am mainly concerned with the finish now becoming weaker in that area and maybe breaking more, its still beyond me how it got there in the first place seeing i dont remember banging it recently and it seems like a very strong finish....I just would like some input on what i should do, how i should fix it or if i should just leave it alone, everyones telling me it adds character to the guitar but its got such a beautiful finish that its bugging me alot.

Also, i bought the guitar used over a year ago and was wondering if maybe it had been fixed there before being re-sold and it somehow just fell out if anyones ever heard of that happening before...becuase i really have no idea how it got there. I know ill get many more scars on it due to how much i play it but ive became really attached to this guitar, so its hard for me to not want to fix it.

bobthecanadian · August 10th, 2008, 08:43 PM

hi erik,

welcome to strat talk.

i'd sure like to see a picture before making a suggestion.

bob

erik · August 11th, 2008, 01:08 AM

its very small and on the back of the guitar but i just hope it wont cause a problem...i didnt hit the guitar against anything recently that i can recall and no one else has played it so it is beyond me how it got there the only thing i can think of is maybe my ring scraped against it (its just a band, no stone or design on the ring) and took a chunk out while picking the guitar up, but id think that it would need to already be weakened there for it to have damaged it......

bobthecanadian · August 11th, 2008, 07:56 AM

It doesn't look too bad to me. It seems that the piece that came out came out cleanly. I don't see any loosening at the chip.

I guess the first questions to answer is 'if' you want fix it. If you leave it alone it will probably not change. However, there is a chance that it will.

If you choose to fix it, it shouldn't be too difficult. The first thing would be to determine the type of finish so you know what to fix it with. There are a couple of different ways of doing this, but I don't remember (sorry!). When you determine the type of finish then I think adding a couple of drops (drop filling) of a clear finish, repeating until necessary, should fix it. The first drop or two should fix any minuscule cracks that may be there. The next few, or more, will build up until it levels off. For finishing I think it would be good to check out the tutorials at the reranch site.

Good luck!

Bob

PS - All the regular caveats apply! YMMV, MHO, etc...

meekblu · August 11th, 2008, 03:04 PM

Hey man it's a strat, it can take it, chill out. Even if it does spread, which it won't, who cares? It's not gonna sound or play any different. It does add character by the way. My advice is to keep playin more than ever.

bobthecanadian · August 11th, 2008, 06:22 PM

hi erik,

i forgot to mention, if it were me i'd probably just put a drop of clear nail polish on it and then forget about it.

bob

aznrambo481 · August 12th, 2008, 01:46 PM

Erik... I'm pretty sure that little chip will not lead to a weakness there. Nor will it spread. I have multiple chips in my strat even larger than that (my brothers are the most idiotic beings and like to throw my guitar around), and they have not gotten worse over time. If you are really worried about it... a drop of nail polish or a dab of superglue should do it. But I really think that there is absolutely no problem. Poly = a rock.

gaddis · August 12th, 2008, 08:57 PM

For the record, I have a similar chip on my '62 RI strat that I bought in 1996. I discovered it a couple of days after buying it. I suspect it was probably there when I bought it but I didn't notice it at the store. Probably could have knocked a few bucks off the price if I'd seen it and pointed it out. In any case, after 12 years, it hasn't changed any. I've thought about getting it fixed but I've never really pursued it.

thaus · August 13th, 2008, 07:50 AM

I agree with everyone about not worrying about it but if it does bother you, lot's of well-known techs use crazy glue!! (yes, the stuff in hobby shops!). PM Rob DiStefano or Ron Kirn and I think they can tell you exactly how to repair it. I also have read a few books by Dan Erlewine and he also recommends crazy glue.......

jcwu · August 13th, 2008, 02:29 PM

Welcome to the relic club!

Zman · August 13th, 2008, 06:27 PM

OK, so far nobody has told you what to do other than live with it. I agree with you I could not live with it.
To fix it. Go to your local hobby shop and match up the paint as closely as possible. You will be able to get very close. Then the big thing here is patience.
Take an ultra fine paint brush and dab a small amount of paint into the chipped area.
make sure you have a small cloth with alcohol or mineral spirits, to wipe off any excess around the chip. Then LEAVE IT ALONE TO DRY. Let it dry for a couple of hours then apply a little more until it is flush with the rest of the paint. Then let it dry for a day or so and polish it with a fine polish. You will be hard pressed to see the chip. The big thing is to get a close match. I have done this with white pearl metalic and you could not see the fix.