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Topic: Preserving the paint on a National metal fretboard |
Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 17 Aug 2020 12:34 pm |
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I needed another old National like a hole in the head, but as we all know, buying a Dynamic identical to David Lindley's automatically imbues you with Mr. Dave's talent. Right? Guys?
Anyway... The fretboard is painted metal and the paint is not adhering too well. To prevent any more from flaking off, I'm thinking of spraying it with a thin coat of clear acrylic. Has anyone tried this? Any better ideas out there?
 
Also, the tuner covers are upside down on this one. They look like the original tuners underneath, and I tried swapping them around, but the only way it works is if it left the factory like this.
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John Mulligan
From:
Ontario, Canada
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Posted 18 Aug 2020 4:48 pm
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| Wow. So, somebody just painted that? I have one of those that got left in a pawn shop window in direct sunlight. The plastic fretboard is warped and the paint is in terrible condition. It never occurred to me to just brush paint it with a random color. That's kind of liberating! |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 18 Aug 2020 5:00 pm
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| Sort of... National called it a "durable etched and enameled metal" board. Unlike the lucite boards, which are painted on the back, the paint's on the top of this one and exposed to the elements. There's a faint 3D texture that originally served as a painting guide. |
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Glenn Wilde
From:
California, USA
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Posted 22 Aug 2020 3:38 pm
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Beautiful! As you know, paint is only as strong as its base coat so if that is flaking off, more paint on top wont help it. What about a clear lucite cover over it?
Or you could just play it and let it age gracefully  |
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Noah Miller
From:
Rocky Hill, CT
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Posted 22 Aug 2020 5:25 pm
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| Glenn Wilde wrote: |
| As you know, paint is only as strong as its base coat so if that is flaking off, more paint on top wont help it. |
That's not always true. Depending on how bad the adhesion is, an additional top coat can seal the edges of what's underneath and prevent flakes from starting to peel. |
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Paul McEvoy
From:
Baltimore, USA
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Posted 23 Aug 2020 2:51 am
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| I'd suggest looking at an art or furniture conservation forum. I imagine it's very specific to the type of paint. |
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