Guitar tech here. This is a method I was taught in Luthiery school, but it's a very risky method. With Nitro finish like your reissue if done incorrectly it can cause the nitro around the ding to yellow or worst case chip off. You did it well in this vid 👍. Id usually advise my customers with nitro finish that it's like leather, it'll ding and scratch which ads character to your guitar.
Thanks for sharing! I would have left it alone, but the ding was so deep that I felt it whenever I played. I'm happy that I was able to lift it out a bit.
Let it go, man! It's called "honest wear." It does not hurt the value of your instrument, and it gives it character that only your instrument has. People PAY EXTRA MONEY for fake honest wear! You got the real thing for free! lol
Beautiful finish. Nice work. I can see how that would drive you crazy on your right arm. Fender would say that’s not repairing a ding, that’s reversing a light relic.
Great video! Love the art and the filters in your intro. I saw on New Egg that soldering irons are not that expensive, but I'd imagine it would get quite spendy shipping to Japan ;) Could you do a followup video about how this restoration process might change on an acoustic guitar?
Great tip, Bradley! I bet you can find an automotive touch-up paint that will match the paint on your guitar very closely (even the metal flake). You know, I felt terrible about the ding. This is a very nice Custom Shop instrument, and it's only a couple of months old. I don't have to imagine how you feel, because I've done it too. I'm glad you were able to steam it out (mostly), a little bit of sanding lacquer and some paint will make it nearly invisible. Good luck with the rest of the repair, if you decide to go further with it. It's certainly not undoable. I used to stress way out over dings and scratches, and I still do a little bit. I always wear a strap, even when sitting down to play, and this has gone a long way in keeping my instruments nearly ding free. Unless they are really bad, I have come to accept the little imperfections as part of the guitars history. They become milestone, that I always remember, and they help me to remember to be CAREFUL! These kinds of things can happen regardless of how careful we are, and knowing how to mitigate the damage are skills we all might want to have. Thank you for sharing your soldering iron and wet cloth method with us, Bradley, I'm sure many of us have never seen this done before. You're right about not attempting this on instruments with a polyurethane finish. Those will probably need to be filled with wood filler, painted or dyed, and a few coats of brushing lacquer applied to the surface.
Oh dear god, before you do anything else watch the Boggle episode of King of the Hill. You don’t need the whole thing, just the subplot where Bobby and Luanne deal with forgetting to use a coaster.
Just part of guitar ownership getting chips and dings. It sucks, but if you play your guitars it's gonna happen. A perfect guitar is one that is not played.
Ouch! Whelp... the guitar's ruined Bradly. So all that's left to do with it is to play an awesome epic guitar solo and at the end smash it on the ground to pieces like a good rocker does... Just Kidding! Don't do that, It's a beautiful guitar. Are you gonna try and repaint the chip on it? Would make a good video.
Guitar tech here. This is a method I was taught in Luthiery school, but it's a very risky method. With Nitro finish like your reissue if done incorrectly it can cause the nitro around the ding to yellow or worst case chip off. You did it well in this vid 👍. Id usually advise my customers with nitro finish that it's like leather, it'll ding and scratch which ads character to your guitar.
Thanks for sharing! I would have left it alone, but the ding was so deep that I felt it whenever I played. I'm happy that I was able to lift it out a bit.
That's an old cabinet makers trick for lifting hammer blossoms. We often used an old clothing iron set on steam. Nice Tele, love the colour.
Let it go, man! It's called "honest wear." It does not hurt the value of your instrument, and it gives it character that only your instrument has. People PAY EXTRA MONEY for fake honest wear! You got the real thing for free! lol
What if you have a satin finish? Could I still apply the method?
Is there a way to do this with poly finish?
Beautiful finish. Nice work. I can see how that would drive you crazy on your right arm. Fender would say that’s not repairing a ding, that’s reversing a light relic.
Very true!
Great video! Love the art and the filters in your intro. I saw on New Egg that soldering irons are not that expensive, but I'd imagine it would get quite spendy shipping to Japan ;) Could you do a followup video about how this restoration process might change on an acoustic guitar?
Thanks! It would be similar, depending on what kind of finish you have. With a light finish on an acoustic, you should be able to do it!
Ahh man.. I just can’t do it 😩 I’ve got some dents on my les Paul custom and I just can’t, I can’t..
Very nice. I use the same technique when restoring an estate pipe to raise a ding. 👍👍
Good idea!
Great tip, Bradley! I bet you can find an automotive touch-up paint that will match the paint on your guitar very closely (even the metal flake). You know, I felt terrible about the ding. This is a very nice Custom Shop instrument, and it's only a couple of months old. I don't have to imagine how you feel, because I've done it too. I'm glad you were able to steam it out (mostly), a little bit of sanding lacquer and some paint will make it nearly invisible. Good luck with the rest of the repair, if you decide to go further with it. It's certainly not undoable.
I used to stress way out over dings and scratches, and I still do a little bit. I always wear a strap, even when sitting down to play, and this has gone a long way in keeping my instruments nearly ding free. Unless they are really bad, I have come to accept the little imperfections as part of the guitars history. They become milestone, that I always remember, and they help me to remember to be CAREFUL! These kinds of things can happen regardless of how careful we are, and knowing how to mitigate the damage are skills we all might want to have. Thank you for sharing your soldering iron and wet cloth method with us, Bradley, I'm sure many of us have never seen this done before. You're right about not attempting this on instruments with a polyurethane finish. Those will probably need to be filled with wood filler, painted or dyed, and a few coats of brushing lacquer applied to the surface.
Thanks! I'm okay with the chip. I just didn't want to feel that deep dent. I'm fine with it as it is now though. Cheers!
Bradley, couldn't a heat gun do the same thing or would that be too much direct heat?
It’s the steam causing the wood fibres to swell not the heat. This method means the steam is focused on a very small area.
Gosh, I knew that. Thank for pointing that out,@@drrev40!
@@odysseusjak You are most welcome!.
Yep! I Reveley has it right!
Use the tip of an iron
So, are you going to touch up the paint in that spot?
Nah. I'm just happy not having such a big indentation on the edge.
If your guitar doesn't have a ding or two in it. Means that your not playing it much
But his guitar is an expensive custom shop guitar. I would be careful with it even if I play it every day
@jogmas12 I always try my best to take care of my 7000$ suhr custom, but shit happens, bro...
What about a real indentation in the field where it is still painted?
Maybe a needle hole right in the center and then a seringe with water and maybe an clothes iron?
I just bought a black Squier Jaguar bass and it's like someone dropped a marble a few times on it or something; on the fret board as well. It sucks.
Great video thanks!
You're welcome!
That is very cool! Good to know, thanks for sharing that!
Thanks for watching!
Now it needs to be sanded, filled, primed and painted. A guitar that nice deserves to be protected.
Must of be really soft wood there Brad
Alder, so yes, quite soft!
Wow, nice. Damn, I already regretted selling my telecaster years ago.
Dinged a friend's guitar while we were recording
Still nawing at me so I'm here
That sucks! I hope they were cool about it.
@@stuffandthingsyoutube I don't think he even noticed
Oh dear god, before you do anything else watch the Boggle episode of King of the Hill. You don’t need the whole thing, just the subplot where Bobby and Luanne deal with forgetting to use a coaster.
Just part of guitar ownership getting chips and dings. It sucks, but if you play your guitars it's gonna happen. A perfect guitar is one that is not played.
Damn isn’t that true
Ouch! Whelp... the guitar's ruined Bradly. So all that's left to do with it is to play an awesome epic guitar solo and at the end smash it on the ground to pieces like a good rocker does... Just Kidding! Don't do that, It's a beautiful guitar. Are you gonna try and repaint the chip on it? Would make a good video.