Drop Fill Ding Repair

[Bo]

I recently put small finish ding in the side of my 914ce V-Class.  It's a 2018 model with the 3.5 mil Gloss finish.  I can see a tiny bit of bare wood where some finish material flaked off and I am thinking a drop of super glue would seal it off nicely.  Does anyone here know if super glue is safe to use for a drop fill on Taylor's polyester finish?       

[TLAW]

I have no idea what the chemicals n superglue are of if they would be safe or not but I would guess it would probably driy to a milky finish?

[Earl]

I know that drop-fill with CA glue is used all the time.  But any finish work is trickier than it seems, if you want it to look good in the end.  Take it to a professional who is confident they can do it well.  With bare wood showing the biggest thing is to seal the area so that dirt, oils, etc don't get in there.  Once the wood fibers are contaminated, the repair becomes far more difficult.

[Guitar Cowboy]

 I have a similar issue with my 816  with a ding on the sound board  near the neck. I have been thinking of a drop of polyurethane  off the end of  a pin . If it doesn't look good or I miss,  I can  wipe it off with  a little mineral spirits and try again... or not. 

[jpmist]

I recently put small finish ding in the side of my 914ce V-Class.  It's a 2018 model with the 3.5 mil Gloss finish.  I can see a tiny bit of bare wood where some finish material flaked off and I am thinking a drop of super glue would seal it off nicely.  Does anyone here know if super glue is safe to use for a drop fill on Taylor's polyester finish?       

I was curious about that myself so I'll share the links I saw

Some good general tips https://www.premierguitar.com/articles/24478-guitar-shop-101-using-super-glue-in-guitar-repair

From Stew-Mac on a poly finish (of course by the time you buy all their stuff you could have paid a pro to do it for less  . . . ) What's good here is the idea that you may have to stain the bare wood before the superglue for an invisible repair.
https://www.stewmac.com/How-To/Online_Resources/Learn_About_Instrument_Finishing_and_Finish_Repair/Super_glue_drop-fill_quick_fix_for_finish_chips.html

And finally a Forum discussion https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/threads/59084-Scratch-to-catalyzed-polymer-finish

I may be confusing the terminology, but are you sure your Taylor doesn't have a catalyzed finish? If so, the main problem is that nothing dissolves it so there may be a faint interface line where the superglue rests on the original finish. If your concern is covering the bare wood from the elements I'd consider staining it first. Art supply stores may have the shade of felt tip pen that will be a good match.

I feel your pain, my beautiful Larrivee gloss top lost a fight with a falling mic stand and half of the reason I sold it was cause it just broke my heart to see the scars.

Good luck with it!

[Bo]

I have no idea what the chemicals n superglue are of if they would be safe or not but I would guess it would probably driy to a milky finish?

Super glue and CA glue are both Cyanoacrylate adhesives and commonly used in woodworking and guitar finish repairs.

I have never owned a guitar with a Polyester finish before, so was uncertain about using CA on it.  I am not trying to make a perfect repair.  I just want to apply a tiny amount to stabilize the small ding and seal it up.   

[DO18]

I recently put small finish ding in the side of my 914ce V-Class.  It's a 2018 model with the 3.5 mil Gloss finish.  I can see a tiny bit of bare wood where some finish material flaked off and I am thinking a drop of super glue would seal it off nicely.  Does anyone here know if super glue is safe to use for a drop fill on Taylor's polyester finish?       

Check out GluBoost website.   They have special products just for repairs like this that says leave no witness lines.   I've got a ding on my bee 814ce Dlx that I have no idea how it happened.  Guess there is always the first.  For now I will just play and ignore.   

https://gluboost.com

[Bo]

Thanks for all the good feedback and useful links.  This definitely helps me make an better educated decision about the repair.  I've decided to let my luthier take a look at it.

[Bo]

jpmist,

No, I'm not sure that it doesn't have a catalyzed finish.  I am just calling it polyester because the Taylor website says it's UV-cured Polyester.  I have no idea if or how the two are different.

The Taylor link is: https://www.taylorguitars.com/guitars/acoustic/features/finish

[jpmist]

"I am just calling it polyester because the Taylor website says it's UV-cured Polyester."

My chemistry degree is pretty rusty, and this is a pretty general description, but there are two basic types of modern guitar finishes, one where you have solids dissolved in a solvent which evaporates after application and the other where you have a finish that is chemically hardened by exposure to a specific UV light. What Taylor does is the later.

The light cured stuff is a remarkable material and finish in that it's perfectly clear and extremely durable but it's not easily touched up as it resists dissolving so any repair will leave a finish line. Light cure resins are used in Dentistry as well for sealants and white fillings.

Hope your luthier takes good care of it.

[Strumming Fool]

"I am just calling it polyester because the Taylor website says it's UV-cured Polyester."

The light cured stuff is a remarkable material and finish in that it's perfectly clear and extremely durable but it's not easily touched up as it resists dissolving so any repair will leave a finish line.
Hope your luthier takes good care of it.

I would regard this as generally true. However, Taylor has done finish repair on several of my guitars where you cannot find evidence of the repair - it looks like new. Not sure what method they use but I would term it a small miracle. YMMV....

[Earl]

Yes, the factory can repair the UV cured finishes, and I've read that certain repair stations can do it too.  You might have to call the Mother Ship to see where those are.  I can only speculate about what they do, but many owners have reported very good results.  I am the original owner of my 2001 built 414ce and it has a few minor bubbles in the finish.  I could send it back and they would likely repair those, but the cost of shipping both ways is a fair percentage of the used value of that guitar.   Maybe someday I'll get down that way for another factory visit.

[jpmist]

"Not sure what method they use but I would term it a small miracle. YMMV....'

Good to hear! Thx. Seems likely Taylor would have a lot of practice with the material and they have special variations of the resin that will blend with the existing surface.

My guilty secret is that I used some dental sealant and light cure wand to patch a ding on my Larrivee and it went pretty well. The surface is perfectly flat, however the dent shows under it.

All of which is to say that an experienced tech often beats a newbie every time on do it yourself repairs. A new $3000 guitar isn't one I'd experiment on, but I'm content with how mine turned out.