Aristocrat Part 2 Blending the finish

You may have noticed in my last post the Bind All glue ate away at the original finish leaving bare wood around the sides of the body where the new binding was adhered. No amount of masking was able to prevent this as the glue seeps under tape.

What this means is I need to re-apply the finish along the edge where the binding was attached blending into the original finish so as to hide the repair as much as possible. This is a long drawn out process.

First I need to match the existing amber body color using tint and mixing with a nitro lacquer that is as close to the original finish as I can get. If the old lacquer is a vastly different chemical mix than the new, the new will soften and bubble the old lacquer making a huge mess. So I tried 3 different brands of Lacquer before going with Behlin Instrument lacquer. It blends really well with the classic finishes and doesn't cause any bubbling. After the initial amber application I went with a darker brown to cover up the wood that was uncovered by the glue. It was a nice match to the existing dark brown and I only darkened it up a little bit more for the cover up. I gave each application about a week to cure before a second or third coat. I lightly scuff sand each coat with 1200 grit sandpaper so the next coat has something to grab and melt into.

The next step is to scrape off the finish that is on the binding.
I created a special tool for this using a thick long wood scraper and masking tape.
Using the masking tape as a buffer to limit how far the scraper cuts, I make my way around the body. Once the binding is exposed all around I will apply a couple coats of clear with a small hint of amber to age the binding back around 30 years.

This is a long and tedious process as you can tell by the dates on the posts.
More to come,