Fixing heat damage French Polish

VicBulbon · October 24

Hey all, I did a terrible thing today. I left my guitar leaning against a heater in my bedroom that’s rarely used in the summer months, not the smartest i know. It just happens to be that today is pretty cool in Seattle, so I turned it on in the afternoon forgetting the guitar. I just turned it off a few minutes ago and discovered a huge large patch behind the body. I know its not structural, and I’m not in a hurry to fix it or anything, but I was wondering how big of a job is it to fix these kind of things. This is made by Risto Ivanovski, and I believe its French Polish.

Buco · October 25

Oh man, sorry to hear that. It didn't do any damage to the wood? If it didn't, that's what matters the most. Maybe ask Risto if he knows exactly what finish he used. I read that oil based stuff like Tru Oil allows you to add new layers on the existing, after cleaning and light sanding. But repair generally would be to clean up the damage and apply a few layers of additional finish. It won't hide the damage, it's more to cover and protect the wood. I do that occasionally on my guitar where the pick makes a contact with the top, below the soundhole.

Russell Letson · October 25

If it's French polish, it's repairable--but not with non-French-polish materials. I agree that the luthier should be able to describe what flavor of polish he used. Then it shouldn't be hard to replicate the formula and repair the spot. Though from what I understand, it takes some patience. (I watched a friend French polish a guitar--it was a gradual, rather tedious business.)