Strange Smears? on a Satin Finish

[Bear R.-]

hi Barry here..man,I got a strange problem goin on..i have a guitar w/a black satin finish and these smear or splotches it was just a couple of em and now there all over the guitar..i use a fender cleaning cloth soap and water occastionaly.but mostly just wipe it down dry.its so easy to clean its awesome..but I have even tried the Dunlop 65 on the back of the guitar in just one little spot just to see if that would get it off but nothing..didn't touch it a bit..these smears or splotches can only be seen in the brightest of light..I cant pick it up in a photo to show you guys but just wondering if anyone here has had the same issue or heard of it..als,any solutions to this crap..its freakin driving me nuts..its deff..not cool..its not that big of a deal but it is in a way..any help would be appreciated..thanks all.God Bless..Bear R.-

[pianoguyy]

I am wondering if something is going on from the inside of the guitar and soaking outwards.
Like mold, or a nest of scorpions that have started hatching in the hot Arizona desert.



Scratch that...
You said satin finish. So its not glossy. And probably wasn't primed, or at least, not as much as other finishes?
If we're talking about the same thing, I used to see it all the time at the store on the pianos.
Don't know what it is, but its common on satin finishes.

[Bear R.-]

hey pianoguyy..wow I bet your right..the scorpion thing that is.ha,ha..but on a real note.i agree w/ya.they do look like wipe marks or somthing they sprayed on there and didn't get it all off.somthing bleeding through makes sense.i bet your right..thanks bud..at least it wasn't me that caused this..i hope anyway.ha,ha..take care pianoguyy..God Bless ya..Barry...you'd think for the quality of this guitar they would watch for this kinda thing..what a bummer...see ya man...

[toejam]

It just happens with a satin finish. When it gets rubbed in certain spots for awhile, it tends to get glossy. You can buff it back to satin with some light steel wool or scotch brite pads, or you can just buff the whole thing to a full high gloss.

[leftykingv2]

I personally would NEVER use soap and water on a guitar no matter what kind of finish it had on it. I use a microfiber cloth that I got from my wife's optician on all my guitars after I am done with my polish and the Fender cloth rag. It's great for getting finger prints and smears off of the wood in between cleanings.

[xenophobe]

Satin finishes aren't smooth, they're satin, which is porous, so fingerprint oils will show up relatively soon, and not much after repeated contact will buff that satin finish smooth. That's just the nature of the finish.

To get fingerprint oils off a satin finish, you're gonna need to use some sort of cleanser. I like to use Tuff Stuff, it comes in a yellow can... you can get it at Walmart or an auto parts store. You can also get Sprayaway Glass cleaner at Walmart. That's good stuff, you can use it to clean just about anything as well. It's made by CRLawrence, a company that specializes in glass and glazing products. You can clean walls, carpets, tile, glass... it's a little more versatile than Windex. Windex will also work.

I personally would NEVER use soap and water on a guitar no matter what kind of finish it had on it.

Must take you a long time to clean your car!

[leftykingv2]

Satin finishes aren't smooth, they're satin, which is porous, so fingerprint oils will show up relatively soon, and not much after repeated contact will buff that satin finish smooth. That's just the nature of the finish.

To get fingerprint oils off a satin finish, you're gonna need to use some sort of cleanser. I like to use Tuff Stuff, it comes in a yellow can... you can get it at Walmart or an auto parts store. You can also get Sprayaway Glass cleaner at Walmart. That's good stuff, you can use it to clean just about anything as well. It's made by CRLawrence, a company that specializes in glass and glazing products. You can clean walls, carpets, tile, glass... it's a little more versatile than Windex. Windex will also work.




Must take you a long time to clean your car!

I wash my car and my balls in the car wash. That's why all my cars have sunroofs.

[xenophobe]

I wash my car and my balls in the car wash. That's why all my cars have sunroofs.

Gotta love that bristle action?

[leftykingv2]

Gotta love that bristle action?

My favorite part is the hot wax before the bristles but let's not forget about the over sized bottle of lemon oil I take in with me.

[Bear R.-]

hey thanks guys but I really think what (pianoguyy) said is true..i will try that windex type stuff but it looks to be coming from the inside out.like the movie aliens.ha,ha..and hey..go wash your nuts lefty.at .ha,ha..thanks all.and God Bless...Barry

[xenophobe]

Well, I've owned two CJ's with a satin finish... one was a CS Charvel, and the other was a MIC Desolation. Just posting from my experience with both of them.

[toejam]

Well, I've owned two CJ's with a satin finish... one was a CS Charvel, and the other was a MIC Desolation. Just posting from my experience with both of them.

And my experience is with my "Vintage Mahogany" faded/worn cherry Les Paul Studio. Where my arm rests on the body has gotten a little shiny, and pretty much the whole back of the neck is shiny from my hand. And if you're going to polish it, it's just going to get more shiny over time unless it's buffed out back to satin.

[straycat]

Never use soap and water any where on a guitar.Causes more damage than anything out there.
Satin finishes do that sometimes I think its in the prep work and bleeding thru.

[toejam]

I think you're overthinking it. The satin finish is just not buffed out to a high gloss shine, but it tends to get glossy over time from being rubbed. I've heard of people that just decide to buff their matte satin guitars out so it's a uniform high gloss all over.

The reverse has been done by some people over the years on this forum on their Jackson neck-thrus and other guitars with painted necks... they lightly scuff the high gloss clear coat on the back of the neck down so it's matte, and then when it gets shiny again from a lot of playing, they buff it out again so it's back to satin.

[Matt_B]

Toejam is correct. I own a couple a couple of guitars with satin finished necks and over time they become glossy form my hand moving up and down them. If you want the satin back you're going to have to rough up those spots.