I went to a concert last night. Actually, it was the best concert I'd ever been to, even if there weren't huge bands there. Anyway, my favorite band, showbread, came on, and afterwards, I went up to the guitarist and asked him to sign my guitar. He did, and passed it around to the whole band. Its looks pretty cool, but the problem is that the sharpy seems to want to smear. I solved this problem before on things I got signed by puttin contact paper on the signatures, but that would look bad on this guitar. I tested it out(not on a signature, but on the pickguard)
I was thinking that I could spray maybe a clear enamel, or acrylic, but I wasn't sure how that would look, or if would dameage the pickgaurd or distort the signatures. Any suggestions guys?
test the overspray on a sharpie mark you put on something. that way you'l know if clear spray dissolves sharpie.
any tape adhesive will ruin your guitar's finish. and the tape yellows over time. part of the yellowing is from the outgassing of the adhesive (they all do that). that stuff reacts with guitar finishes.
if you really want to save the sigs then pack the guitar away or hang it up. then get another guitar. seriously. there isnt much you can do to keep the sigs from smearing when you play. and any finish ot clear tape will suck.
dont kill the messenger .thanks.
Ok, let me make sure I understand. Your saying that the contact paper, and any adhesive, will damage the adhesive, and your saying that clear enamel will not look good? i just want to make sure i understand.
any adhesive in time will change its properties. masking tape turns to a gooey sticky mess, scotch tape dries out yellow and leaves a stain.
so I am saying any adhesive on a guitar's surface will change it. and usually for the worse.
clear lacquer or a clear sealer, like white shellac or finger nail polis can do the job.
shellac is alcohol based and could be a benign finish . benign meaning harmless.
it could react with sSharpie ink. nail polish is acetone based. a bit more aggressive as a solvent, but nice for a finish.
but again, check to see if dissolves Sharpie ink.
do a test on something.
drw with a Sharpie then experiemnet with clear finishes.
spray on might be better because a hand brush doesnt actually touch the signature; less risk of smearing.
good luck.
Thanks alot dogbite! Should I test the paint or nail polish on the back of the pickguard as well? Or is there any way to purchase the same material that the pickguard is made of locally, such as craft or home improvement stores. Thank you very much!
It hasn't dried yet? Are you sure it was a sharpie?
What type of finish does the guitar have?
Well, the signatures are not on the guitars finish, they are on the pickguard. But the guitar has a poly finish. The sharpies were still smearing the day after i got them signed, and i don't want to try rubbing them to make sure. I called fernandes, but I haven't been able to get a hold of anyone yet.
