Help with Sticky Nitro Body

[jasper383]

I received a new nitro finished bass in the mail today. The bass was wrapped in bubble wrap, then placed in the box.

Upon unwrapping the bass, the bubble wrap was stuck to the body so much that it was like the bubble wrap was tape.

Now, there are bubble imprints in the finish over about 2/3 of the body, and the bass is really sticky wherever the bubble wrap was.

What can I do here? Polish? Steel wool? Is the finish defective? I have little experience with nitro finishes--was this a finish that hadn't cured yet/reacted with the tape?

[Daveomd]

3M Finesse-it II rubbing compound and a soft rag might work. Nitro takes a VERY long time to dry, I have seen it get permanent fingerprints after it has dried for almost a week, but they were easily buffed out.

[praisegig]

^ +1. Polishing compound should get the imprints out. Using a wipe down of naptha should get rid of the stickiness

[jasper383]

What kind of cloth do I use? Will this shine the bass? At this point, the bass having a shine would be a good thing.


How much buffing will this take?

[SurferJoe46]

Be careful you don't cut through the final finish. It will be pretty thin - which is the appeal of a nitro finish, and even though nitro-cellulose is easy to refinish and blend, it is still professional work.

I still advise and supervise refinishing of antique aircraft at a private airport (I raced '20s Era Replica Pylon Racers) and we use a lot of nitro-laq and nitro-cellulose and plain ol' dope and Ceconite, and this is obviously not the norm.

I'm surprised that someone would ship a bass with a finish that was still gassing. Very poor ethics indeed.

You didn't put the squeeze on them to ship it too early - right? Was this a custom refinish or just the way the new bass came?

I've also seen extreme heat cause things like this. I wonder if it sat in the sun somewhere in the box and this happened when the nitro softened up?

Prolly never really know. Either way I wouldn't accept this as your responsibility. Take lots of pictures and document - document - document this problem.

[jasper383]

Originally Posted by SurferJoe46

I've also seen extreme heat cause things like this. I wonder if it sat in the sun somewhere in the box and this happened when the nitro softened up?

Prolly never really know. Either way I wouldn't accept this as your responsibility. Take lots of pictures and document - document - document this problem.

The bass came FedEx; I believe heat was involved. Georgia to North Carolina all day Monday and Tuesday on FedEx trucks.

The seller has been very professional and gotten back to me. He said that I should try a bit of naptha and a soft rag to smooth out the surface. He will also send me a shipping tag so that I can send the bass back to him if I want. I think he would refinish it, although he didn't say that.

This is a very cool bass, and I'd like to keep it if I can.

Should I try the naptha?

[SurferJoe46]

Originally Posted by jasper383

The bass came FedEx; I believe heat was involved. Georgia to North Carolina all day Monday and Tuesday on FedEx trucks.

The seller has been very professional and gotten back to me. He said that I should try a bit of naptha and a soft rag to smooth out the surface. He will also send me a shipping tag so that I can send the bass back to him if I want. I think he would refinish it, although he didn't say that.

This is a very cool bass, and I'd like to keep it if I can.

Should I try the naptha?

With the EPA and Homeland Security rules, I'm not totally sure that naptha is naptha any more.

It may have MEK, Tric 1-1-1, or anything in it by now, so I'd try a small spot that you cannot see and check for crazing or any untoward reaction for a minute, then two minutes and finally for a full five minute contact.

No problems - then go for it.

I think I would tend to move toward xylene first, but use the same testing procedure to make sure that you don't remove any gobs of nitro finish first.

Xylene is very noble and non-reactive.

[RustyAxe]

Originally Posted by jasper383

I received a new nitro finished bass in the mail today. The bass was wrapped in bubble wrap, then placed in the box.

A new bass? What you need is a return authorization and your money back. The bubble wrap must be vinyl ... vinyl and nitro are a bad combination, eats right through the finish. Many guitars have scars from being stored in a case with a vinyl strap. Naptha won't hurt it ... Ronsinol lighter fluid is naptha, btw. Just use it sparingly on a moistened soft cloth, don't get lots of it into screw holes and such (it'll soften the wood) ... but really, naptha is just a cleaner.

It'll rub out if it's not too bad, and a good builder would know how to do this (I like to use a series of MicroMesh pads up to 12000 grit) ... but really, a NEW bass? Send it back, make sure the builder picks up shipping BOTH ways, and that he doesn't wrap it in bubble wrap again!

[timmus]

bubble pack and nitro? Yikes! Whenever I shoot nitro it has a cure time of at least month. no one touches it except for light wet sanding between coats.

Like mentioned above, I'd send it back...why should you risk losing any warranty by trying to fix it?