Firstly, I'd like to make it clear how stupid I feel for getting in to this situation!
I wanted to remove the remains of a sticker from the body of my Telecaster ( http://www.fender.com/products//search.php?partno=0131600305 ) and for some reason chose a slightly abraisive cleaning product. I didn't realise how much damage this was doing until I wiped the body down, and now the shiney polyester finish on my guitar has a horrible dull spot just below the bridge :(
Is there any way I can get rid of this dull area? I thought about looking into guitar polishes, but am worried that I've taken off too much of the coating to make a real difference. I also don't want to use a polish that might make things worse, does anyone have any experience of buffing up a finish like this? Is it even possible?!
For the next time, most stickers will come off if heated with a hair dryer. Do not use a an electrically heated paint stripper - it WILL strip the paint as well as take the sticker off.
I started with nothing - and I've still got most of it left.
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For the next time - The BEST thing for removing sticker residue is "Butter". Yep, hands down. Peel the sticker off, butter the remaining sticker, residue, whatever is left over, & in a couple of hours it will peel off very easy. I always use this method for removing sticker "gunk" from just about anything. :)
I've got a couple to remove from an old bass, I'll give that a go Kat.
(...and add it to my top tips list right under wrapping an egg in clingfilm when you poach it ;))
Thanks for the advice everyone, at least I know what to do next time :)
I've picked up some Gibson polish to see if I can do anything with the dull patches....
I wonder if rubbing compound or some type of wax would buff the shine back up; Just a couple of suggestions - Don't go on my word alone, but maybe ask around, maybe a local luthier would have some comments on it. As long as the topcoat isn't completely removed, I feel that the shine would still be there, under the dull abrasions; it just needs to be brought back out...
Micromesh touch-up stick up to 12000 grit, followed by Meguiars ScratchX followed by Meguiars Deep Crystal Paint Cleaner Step 1. Use a microfiber cloth for the ScratchX and Deep Crystal applications.
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