Safe polishes for satin nitro

[MEII_25th]

Hi guys,

Just after some guidance and hopefully before and after pics of what polishes you have personally used on satin nitro and how "shiny" they made your top, or if it stayed pretty much the same.

I know a lot of people will say not to polish it, but being a guitar it's going to end up with scratches and scuffs so I'm hoping there's something that can be used safely to get rid of blemishes even if it's only used once a year or less.

Cheers in advance!

 

[Michael_DK]

Hmm.. I don't think you can get rid of scratches on a nitro finish :-( There may be somebody who has a magic method though?

 

[grausch]

Here's a link to a thread for Gibson's faded finishes and polishing them - http://www.everythingsg.com/threads/polish-wax-for-faded-finish.24295/. The one poster there has really shined up his SG. I haven't tried it with my guitars, so can't offer any guarantees.

 

[László]

If you want to keep it satin, don't use polish. Polish makes things shiny. That's its essential purpose.

A satin finish appears satin because its surface is less smooth, so it scatters the light more, instead of reflecting it. Rubbing and friction, plus the grit suspended in the liquid in a polish, break down the irregularity of the surface, making it smoother and more like a mirror; the smoothness is what reflects the light in a different way and causes the shine.

However, one of the cool things about a satin finish is that it doesn't show scuffs as easily as a shiny finish. Scratches will still show up of course, but the light reflects differently and the scratches are more subdued.

You will probably notice that a satin finish will even get shiny where your picking arm rests; the neck will get smoother and shinier with play, too.

That's just the way satin finishes are, and honestly, that's one of its charms.