Warwick cosmetical fixes (oil finish)

[Knettgummi]

I am about to receive a used Warwick Corvette $$ that has a red oil finish with some scratches/bumps on the back of the body (I might post a pic once it gets here). I don't really mind small, cosmetical flaws on a used bass, but I've heard that it's very easy to restore these oil finishes. Anyone have any simple tricks for smoothing over a scratched oil finish?

I heard somewhere that dents on the body could be "steamed out" - is this a legitimate technique? And, if so, how would you go about doing that?

[ga_edwards]

Apparently small dings/dents can be steamed out with a wet cloth around a soldering ironm but I've not tried it myself.

As for smaller scratched or rough areas. Buff them out with fine grit wet n dry paper or fine steel wool. Then coat liberally with Warwick Wax. If you taking off a fair amount of finish, you might want to oil first before waxing.

Any rough spot on the back of the neck, again buff out with paper/wool but then treat with lemon oil (not 'lemoil'* rather than wax).

If it's a particularly well used bass, you might want to de-crud the fretboard too. My method of doing this is as follows:
Oil the fretboard judiciously with 'lemoil', this helps soften the crud and finger-poo.
Use the edge of a credit card - or if you're very careful, a blade - to scrape the crud from around the frets.
Using low tack masking tape (or indeed, regular stick tape detacked a little by sticking and peeling off your jeans a couple of times), tape over the fretboard leaving the frets exposed. Leave enough extra tape hangin off to peel off again.
Clean/polish the frets with metal wadding polish.
Carefully peel off the tape. This should pull out any remaining dirt - Wenge is quite an open grained wood.
Re-oil with lemon oil, leave to soak in and wipe off excess.
Buff to shine with soft cloth!

*Kyser 'lemoil' is lemon scented naptha, not proper oil. Good for cleaning, not for feeding the wood.

[Knettgummi]

Hey ga_edwards, thanks for the reply! I would otherwise be hesitant to use sandpaper or steel wool directly on the body, but I feel confident to give the "buff and wax" approach a go now.

Those are some good tips on cleaning the frets and fretboard too. Cheers!

[Turnaround]

Originally Posted by ga_edwards

Kyser 'lemoil' is lemon scented naptha, not proper oil. Good for cleaning, not for feeding the wood.

Here's a myth that doesn't die - the one about needing to feed wood. Sure we've all heard about wood drying out, but it dries out by losing WATER, not food, not oil. The oils found in wood are not particularly volatile, in fact they can be hard to get rid of - just ask anyone that had to create a strong glue bond on rosewood. Water, on the other hand, moves in and out of the wood with every change of relative humidity in the atmosphere.

Adding oil to the surface of dried wood will mildly inhibit both the uptake and the output of water as the humidity levels change in the instrument's environment. "Inhibit" is the key word, it's not "prevent". The effect is pretty mild. Oil makes the wood look richer, but most oils don't actually help the wood much.

[Musiclogic]

Originally Posted by Turnaround

Here's a myth that doesn't die - the one about needing to feed wood. Sure we've all heard about wood drying out, but it dries out by losing WATER, not food, not oil. The oils found in wood are not particularly volatile, in fact they can be hard to get rid of - just ask anyone that had to create a strong glue bond on rosewood. Water, on the other hand, moves in and out of the wood with every change of relative humidity in the atmosphere.

Adding oil to the surface of dried wood will mildly inhibit both the uptake and the output of water as the humidity levels change in the instrument's environment. "Inhibit" is the key word, it's not "prevent". The effect is pretty mild. Oil makes the wood look richer, but most oils don't actually help the wood much.

+10 Something a lot of us try to convey to customers and query's, that is rarely understood or believed.

[ga_edwards]

I stand corrected.

[El-Bob]

I have some similar scratches on the back of my streamer $$, with the nirvana black oil finish. So is the consensus basically that the soldering iron wrapped in a wet rag is the best solution?

[ga_edwards]

Originally Posted by El-Bob

I have some similar scratches on the back of my streamer $$, with the nirvana black oil finish. So is the consensus basically that the soldering iron wrapped in a wet rag is the best solution?

Although that is a technique I have mentioned, I haven't tried it myself and would be quite cautious in doing so, however, it's quite a well know technique: just google 'remove dents with soldering iron'.

Personally though, I think small dings and dents give the instrument character. Sure, the first time it gets scratched or dented hurts you emotionally more than the bass - that a lot of money you've invested. But it is a tool, it's meant to be used. If you want it to look mint condition, factory fresh, keep it in a cabinet and never touch it.

I just think of knocks and dents as battle scars, and wear them with pride!

[Means2nEnd]

I own a bunch of Warwicks some oil only some stained like the little red corvette. The hand rubbed oil finishes on bubinga and ovangkol do well with the dent removing but I just put the end of a q-tip in boiling water and apply it immediately to the ding. Works great with small dents and dings but scratches or gouges where material has been taken away is another story. You can do the heated water treatment first and then fine sand paper or even steel wool and buff and re oil or wax. I actually have a 6” electric orbital sander buffer just for my Warwicks.

Your Corvette is stained red and this makes matters a bit different. Yes the heated water treatment will still work as long as there is no thick clear coat but fixing or blending the red will be another matter. I buy all kinds of products at a high end wood workers shop called Wood Craft there are some here in PA they have stains and dyes but I would proceed with much caution there…