Fire damage and its potential long-term effects....
Moderator: jingle_jangle
Fire damage and its potential long-term effects....
Mark, one of my best friends(the guitar player in our band) lost everything he had in an apartment fire last weekend. The next day firemen pulled 10 of his 12 guitars out of what was left and surprisingly they seem to have survived with little or no damage, save for the acoustics which got wet(very wet) and all the cases were shot and rendered unusable. What if anything should we look for in terms of long-term effects on the instruments such as the intense heat they were exposed to and water damage? I cant help but think that there could be trouble down the road. Thanks Mark.
With the acoustics ,they need to be dried out ,set them on stands and run a fan at them.
After a few days ,you will need to look inside for loose braces.
You will need an inspection mirror and a flash light .I also use a pair of 2.75 reading glasses from the drug store .This helps in seeing the dark lines under the braces where they might be loose.
Check ALL the glue joints and every brace.
Check the neck joint ...are they USA/Canadian or Asian guitars? Are they made of plywood?
Are they solid tops,laminated sides?
Did the finish bubble?
To clean them ,wash them with NAPTHA .This is a solvent and will remove the smoke damage from the finished surface without harming the finish.
The inside will need to go to an OZONE room.Look under fire damage in the Yellow Pages.This is a standard method on cleaning furniture that has smoke damage.
After a few days ,you will need to look inside for loose braces.
You will need an inspection mirror and a flash light .I also use a pair of 2.75 reading glasses from the drug store .This helps in seeing the dark lines under the braces where they might be loose.
Check ALL the glue joints and every brace.
Check the neck joint ...are they USA/Canadian or Asian guitars? Are they made of plywood?
Are they solid tops,laminated sides?
Did the finish bubble?
To clean them ,wash them with NAPTHA .This is a solvent and will remove the smoke damage from the finished surface without harming the finish.
The inside will need to go to an OZONE room.Look under fire damage in the Yellow Pages.This is a standard method on cleaning furniture that has smoke damage.
So you too want yours "ALAPWOB"?!?!
The heat will blister the finish and could cause neck warpage ...this will show up immediately.
The necks need to have the frets checked for seating (loose frets) and make sure the electronics work.DON'T turn the pots,there is crud in them! Go to radio Shack and get a can of 'tuner cleaner with lubricant.Spray a small amount into the cans of the pots and then turn them.You don't need to flush/drown them.And keep a towel handy ,this stuff reacts with some finishes.
Don't run out and sell everything ...you are not cursed and there is no gremlin that will show up later.If everything is properly looked at and assessed...you will know the answer at that point .I have done this for many unfortunate peoples over the years .Most of them still have those instruments today.
The necks need to have the frets checked for seating (loose frets) and make sure the electronics work.DON'T turn the pots,there is crud in them! Go to radio Shack and get a can of 'tuner cleaner with lubricant.Spray a small amount into the cans of the pots and then turn them.You don't need to flush/drown them.And keep a towel handy ,this stuff reacts with some finishes.
Don't run out and sell everything ...you are not cursed and there is no gremlin that will show up later.If everything is properly looked at and assessed...you will know the answer at that point .I have done this for many unfortunate peoples over the years .Most of them still have those instruments today.
So you too want yours "ALAPWOB"?!?!
Mark, as far as I know the oldest in the bunch is a 1974 Fender Stratocaster. He told me the solid-body stuff looks pretty decent from the outset..everything else is relatively new(10-15 years old). Since the Hannabach is kinda old-world craftsmanship I think he's a bit worried about that one but we'll see. He is very grateful for all the tips you've given. So we shall see what is happening----we have a job Sat. night so I'll get my first look at them....
The Hannabach needs to be looked at by someone that is a really good acoustic repairman.Sort of ...old world themselves.
They need to check the inside for hide glue crystalization and any loose components.An inspection light and a couple of mirrors and some minor torture (flexing ) will find out what ity or is not doing.Did the finish blister?It may have either a nitro Cellulouse lacquer finish ot a varnish finish.Depends on when it was made.It is an easy to figure out test.I remove one set of tuners and with a 'Q-tip' ,swab some denatured alcohol ,Naptha,and Lacquer thinner in thre spots that will be covered by the tuners.This will tell you what finish is on it .And, what to do about it.
The 1974 Strat is 100% polyester resin .If there is a color ,those are lacquer tints .But it is all polyester.
I'm sure the water is the worst thing to them.Go to A hardware store or paint shop and get some Alcohol and some Naptha for cleaning .
He will need to get new strings for most of the guitars.The great thing about this is the obvious damage.It is right under your nose.Get them cleaned and they should be okay.
I would ask some buddies to come over for a "Amish barn raising"/guitar cleaning .Get some stuff for BBQ and all the supplies ,rally around him and clean these guitars .A lot of unasked for help from friends goes a long way.
They need to check the inside for hide glue crystalization and any loose components.An inspection light and a couple of mirrors and some minor torture (flexing ) will find out what ity or is not doing.Did the finish blister?It may have either a nitro Cellulouse lacquer finish ot a varnish finish.Depends on when it was made.It is an easy to figure out test.I remove one set of tuners and with a 'Q-tip' ,swab some denatured alcohol ,Naptha,and Lacquer thinner in thre spots that will be covered by the tuners.This will tell you what finish is on it .And, what to do about it.
The 1974 Strat is 100% polyester resin .If there is a color ,those are lacquer tints .But it is all polyester.
I'm sure the water is the worst thing to them.Go to A hardware store or paint shop and get some Alcohol and some Naptha for cleaning .
He will need to get new strings for most of the guitars.The great thing about this is the obvious damage.It is right under your nose.Get them cleaned and they should be okay.
I would ask some buddies to come over for a "Amish barn raising"/guitar cleaning .Get some stuff for BBQ and all the supplies ,rally around him and clean these guitars .A lot of unasked for help from friends goes a long way.
So you too want yours "ALAPWOB"?!?!
Oh yeah, we'll look after him....he's already started the process on some of them and remains quite optimistic of the outcome. Its really just good to know he made it out alive. He literally had to run through flames carrying his dog down 3 flights of steps. As much as we hold our instruments near and dear to us, being around to play another day is what really matters. What I think is interesting is that all he DID come away with were his guitars, and didnt know of this until the the firemen pulled them out. Fate in this instance has had a benevolent twist. I shall keep you posted. Thanks man. 
Hey Mark--I saw the Hannabach last night...it has what appears to be the beginnings of some separation at certain points...mostly small areas about 1/2 to 1" long where the top and bottom join the sides--like binding but it's made of wood rather than regular material. You can run your finger around the sides starting where the neck joins the body and follow it around to the other side, and there are intermitant spots; not what I would call uniform separation but you can feel the seam where you couldn't before. I could not get a good look inside of the body....nevertheless it still looks pretty good and plays fine. The finish on the back has taken on a porous appearance on the back in some spots. Other than that, she's still alive.
I am sure that the glue used is ................Hide Glue.
This is to your advantage .
I use bicycle inner tubes to wrap loose acoustics together when I have to reglue wood binding/purfling.
I heat up the hide glue (this smells just awful) and work it into the seams that are open.Wipe off the excess and bind the body up in the inner tube .Let it set over night and it is done .Clean up the ooze out before you clamp up and try to keep it from going everywhere.I wear surgical gloves to do all of this and wear two or three pairs at once ...I just peel off the gooey ones as I go to keep it clean.
The porous finish is blistered....take it to someone that works on old CF Martin guitars.The pre World War II kind .They can assess the damage.
This is to your advantage .
I use bicycle inner tubes to wrap loose acoustics together when I have to reglue wood binding/purfling.
I heat up the hide glue (this smells just awful) and work it into the seams that are open.Wipe off the excess and bind the body up in the inner tube .Let it set over night and it is done .Clean up the ooze out before you clamp up and try to keep it from going everywhere.I wear surgical gloves to do all of this and wear two or three pairs at once ...I just peel off the gooey ones as I go to keep it clean.
The porous finish is blistered....take it to someone that works on old CF Martin guitars.The pre World War II kind .They can assess the damage.
So you too want yours "ALAPWOB"?!?!