How to polish the matte-finish nitro on a Highway One strat?

[elicious]

hi all,

I've got a lovely seafoam green Highway One strat. I love the color but am not so turned on by the matte finish of the body. Is there a simple way to polish the finish without a high probability of screwing it up?

[9fingers]

Couldn't help but notice the thread a few lines down-"Dulling guitar finish". Sounds like you two should trade! (Sorry to not really answer).

[daddyo]

Paste wax furniture polish and a soft buffing cloth.

[elicious]

Paste wax furniture polish and a soft buffing cloth.

the finish on my guitar isn't just dull, it's a textured matte...would furniture paste help?

[mmarconi]

I have not done it, but I have seen it done on a "faded" finish Gibson and it worked great...they basically "finished" the job..use polishing compound w/ a buffing wheel or by hand then move on up to swirl mark remover-finishing glaze..finish off after it's polished w/carnuba wax..worked on the Gibson. Mike

[plexirocker 68]

Virtuoso brand polishers. That will do the trick. That will make the matte finish glossy and is cheap and easy to apply.


plexi

[Mike9]

I've done two Highway 1 bodies and you really need to sand. 600, 800, 1000 right on up to polish. The finish is thicker than it looks, but you still need to let the paper do the work. Unless you want to fill all the holes with wax for wet sanding I'd go with the 3m micro dry papers. Once you get it smooth you can move on to the shine part. They look really good when they are buffed. I use an old die grinder with a speed controller and buffing wheels. You can use a variable speed 1/2" drill, but keep the speed under 600 RPM's so you don't burn the lacquer - trust me on that one. ;)