Paul,Can you tell me about Scratch-X and Zymol?

octagon · Post by **octagon** » Sat Jul 02, 2005 9:07 am

I know that you have written about these products before and I am interested in learning more.My Jetglo 330 is brand new but because I bought it from a guitar store where it had been played there are 2 or 3 small and very light scratches on the back(probably only visable to Obsessive Compulsives like me and Monk).I wanted to know how I could eliminate them,however I don't want to cause more problems by using these products incorrectly so if you have any advice I would appreciate it.Also,is it possible to play a Jetglow Ric WITHOUT get some light scratches from rubbing against clothes etc or is that just part and parcel of owning one?

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Sat Jul 02, 2005 10:07 am

I use recycled cotton diapers, which I purchase from a diaper service for $5.00 a pound, to apply Scratch-X and wax. I have to buy 50 pounds at a time, incidentally.

An old t-shirt without printing is best if you can't find diapers (printing ink is abrasive and will scratch!). Check the label and make sure that there is NO SYNTHETIC content to the fabric. (A cotton-poly t-shirt will not work properly.) Under no circumstances use any kind of paper product to apply Scratch-X or wax to your guitar.

Place just a small, toothpaste-sized dab of Scratch-X onto a soft cotton cloth. Be sure to apply the Scratch-X to only a small area of the guitar at a time, and RUB. You will see the Scratch-X gradually break down and dry a bit. Take another soft cotton cloth and wipe the area lightly to remove the residue. Look at it under a strong light source (halogen desk lamp is best, flourescent is no good--you need a point source). You should see the difference immediately.

After you've gone over the whole instrument, the pores in the varnish will have been opened and need to be re-sealed, and that's when you need to apply wax. Readers will know I recommend Zymol for its 100% natural content and solvent-free chemistry, but there are a few others that are nearly as good. Meguiar's used to make a product called "Medallion", and do sell an equivalent product. I like water-based waxes like Zymol because you can buff the wax and apply a second and third coat to build up a nice coating.

I've had some Forumites mention a "greasy" feeling to their guitars immediately after applying Zymol and buffing it off. The solution to this is to keep buffing with a clean area of the cloth or a new cloth. It helps to slightly dampen the second cloth with a spritz of clean water. Let the guitar sit for a couple of hours, and re-buff. The greasiness will go away--that's just some of the natural oils which need time to be sublimated by absorption and/or evaporation.

This treatment should be all you need to keep fabric scratches off the back of the JG guitar's surface, and will actually help to prevent minor buckle rash. I would suggest re-waxing the back only every 4 episodes of Monk or so, to keep a good coating on it where it contacts the fabric.

Just do not use any wax with an abrasive or silicone in it! This will probably undo all the work you did with the Scratch-X.

BTW, the factory recommends Turtle Wax #123, and they use it themselves. It is a solvent-based wax, so you can't build up coats with it. (The solvent in the wax strips the previous coat when you apply it.) But if it's good enough for them, if you don't need or want to build up several coats, use it by all means.

Good luck.

octagon · Post by **octagon** » Sat Jul 02, 2005 11:23 am

Thanks Paul!

clearblue · Post by **clearblue** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 5:50 am

Paul, can a man made product be used instead of the cotton diaper? I use Viva brand paper towels for cleaning my prescription lenses which are not really made of glass. I wipe off my flat panel LCD screens with it as well. I've been doing this for several years with no noticable scratches. When I look for scratches on my 330 I wear 2.5X lenses and illuminate it with a 4 LED flashlight so I really scrutinize whatever I'm inspecting. I'm sure the cotton diaper is better but was just wondering... Thanks.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 6:17 am

This is really a no-no, Dan. Even Kleenex is abrasive on a fine finish. Flat panel LCD screens usually have a glass overlay, and prescription lenses are hard-coated. If they weren't you wouldn't be able to see through them in a few weeks.

If you have a dark painted object (like a JG Rickenbacker), just scrub a small area of it with a paper towel, wet or dry doesn't matter. Look at it in a strong light, and you'll see lots of scratches.

Soft cotton cloth. That's the ticket!

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 6:19 am

If there is a harder finish to keep new looking, it would be Jetglo or black. Every little smudge and scratch shows. They are cool looking but, for me at least, are hard to keep.

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 6:21 am

Paul: Have you ever considered using the diapers more than once? It may save you $249.

clearblue · Post by **clearblue** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 6:27 am

Paul, thanks for the info. I better stick to the RIC polishing cloth and abstain from the man made stuff.

Found a diaper service that sells Polishing cloths - Cotton diapers

link

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 7:23 am

Good one, Peter!

Yep, I launder a couple of batches a week.

Perhaps I wasn't clear. The diaper services here in the bay area that I've found, will only sell 50# minimums. Hence the price. It works out to about 75 cents per diaper, and this many lasts me about a year. I use them around the house and to polish my cars, too.

ken_j · Post by **ken_j** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 7:30 am

I purchased 100% cotton polishing cloths at a auto parts store. They are made by Viking.

admin · Post by **admin** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 7:56 am

You were clear Paul. I was just trying to pin you down. Now a key question, how do you get the Zymol and other waxes and compounds out of your diapers. Tide?

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 8:52 am

All and very hot water, no fabric softener. Gas dryer with no dryer sheets either.

Ken, if those polishing cloths are white, OK. If they are a color like a reddish-pink, gray or a bluish-grey, use them on your hands but not on paint.

ken_j · Post by **ken_j** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 12:37 pm

They are white. It says "diaper soft, polishing cloths, extra soft to polish and buff surfaces, lint free, 100% cotton". I bought them when I did the finish work on my home built neck through. here's the link, click on diaper soft polishing cloth: http://www.vikingcarcare.com/vikingcarcare/products/polish/pol-clths.aspx#

Here's the guitar.

jingle_jangle · Post by **jingle_jangle** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 1:02 pm

Ken, the link won't work from either of my computers, Mac or Windows. Anyway, if that's what they say and you're getting good results, fine. I'll keep an eye out and give them a try, too, just for reference sake.

The reason I mention the red, gray, blue cotton rags is that, although they are 100% cotton, they are very rough and scratchy and would do more damage than good.

ken_j · Post by **ken_j** » Tue Jul 05, 2005 1:57 pm

I just tried it, and it works for me. Here is their site. You will have to look around from there.
http://www.vikingcarcare.com

If they were colored I would also be concerned with color transfer.