# How to artfully abuse a guitar: Nitro Checking Tips



## crann (May 10, 2014)

After some failed deals and implementing mods that created a more pleasant sounding guitar, I've decided to keep my LP classic. The wine red is growing on me, but the current condition is in a weird spot. Not enough wear to have "mojo" but not clean enough to be "nice". I really like the look of checking that runs across the body, almost like checking flame. I've also read that checking creates gaps that allow the wood to breathe and increases tonality by up to 37% (THAT'S A JOKE). There are already a few deep checks (can be seen in the picture). I know the two preferred methods are the heat/cold shock and razor blade. 

1. Anyone done either method?
2. Any tips?

The first pic shows my classic, you can see a few checking lines from the bridge pup to the side of the body. The second pic is an idea of where I'm looking to get to.















P.S. For anyone thinking "why would you do that to a fine guitar?" the answer is, I'm an idiot and bored.


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## HolttChris (Aug 10, 2020)

I’ve done the upside down can of compressed air trick on a few brand new Gibsons and it looked great. The finish does what it wants. Just don’t get super up close or the finish will look “shattered”

The razor blade method is fake and looks like it the majority of the time, also taking longer 🤷🏼‍♂️


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## crann (May 10, 2014)

HolttChris said:


> Just don’t get super up close or the finish will look “shattered”


I'd like to avoid the spider web look. A couple questions:

1. Blow dryer then compressed air?
2. Approx. distance you sprayed the compressed air from?
3. Pics?

Thanks!


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## HolttChris (Aug 10, 2020)

crann said:


> I'd like to avoid the spider web look. A couple questions:
> 
> 1. Blow dryer then compressed air?
> 2. Approx. distance you sprayed the compressed air from?
> ...


Experiment. You can always move closer if the finish isn’t checking. Start a foot away and go from there. Don’t focus on a section for too long, do it quick at first. Kind of like spray painting. I didn’t use a hair dryer


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## terminalvertigo (Jun 12, 2010)

the fact your finish is already cracking on it's own is a good sign.

Know anyone with a chest freezer? you could get natural checking that way perhaps.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

I had an American Original 50's Tele and the brand new look bothered me. I set out to get those finish cracks. I tried everything. I sprayed it with canned air then heated with a hair dryer. Left it outside in -10 in the middle of the winter for a couple hours then brought it in to a toasty heated house. Not a mark on it. Still as new as when I bought it. I'm convinced that if I took a hammer to it, it would have broken the hammer. Maybe it was nitro but it was solid as a rock.
Anyone who says "Relic it natural, like the old days" is a moron. You could tour and play that guitar for 30 years and not age the finish.


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## terminalvertigo (Jun 12, 2010)

guitarman2 said:


> I had an American Original 50's Tele and the brand new look bothered me. I set out to get those finish cracks. I tried everything. I sprayed it with canned air then heated with a hair dryer. Left it outside in -10 in the middle of the winter for a couple hours then brought it in to a toasty heated house. Not a mark on it. Still as new as when I bought it. I'm convinced that if I took a hammer to it, it would have broken the hammer. Maybe it was nitro but it was solid as a rock.
> Anyone who says "Relic it natural, like the old days" is a moron. You could tour and play that guitar for 30 years and not age the finish.


All finishes need time to age in a way conducive to checking. 

I had a 2000s Fender Jag that arrived with checking, but resorbed it on it's own.


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## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

terminalvertigo said:


> the fact your finish is already cracking on it's own is a good sign.
> 
> Know anyone with a chest freezer? you could get natural checking that way perhaps.


that doesnt work on the modern finishes...I tried last winter...left my Trad in the car on -15deg nights then brought inside. repeated. no effect. Tried the opposite, leaving it in a sunny window on warm days. Still nothing. I guess its good?

The GT tribute I had checked from being left alone in my basement for a few years. I think the finish on those is thinner or something, bc none of my other guitars have had that occur, over a much longer period even.


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## Silvertone (Oct 13, 2018)

HolttChris said:


> Experiment. You can always move closer if the finish isn’t checking. Start a foot away and go from there. Don’t focus on a section for too long, do it quick at first. Kind of like spray painting. I didn’t use a hair dryer
> View attachment 365037


This looks a little strange to my eye. Finish cracking generally happens perpendicular to the grain. This checking is parallel to the grain, which should not happen. The wood expands and contracts. It does this perpendicular to the grain resulting in cracks in the finish from where the wood stretches underneath. The finish cannot and then cracks. More modern finishes have plasticizers added so the finish stretches and breaths with the wood. Vintage finish does not do this.

Here is one a friend of mine did for me in which he used the freezer method.









It's actually important that the body wood is parallel, mostly, to the neck because it will not expand and contract in the direction of the grain. If it were perpendicular it could actually change the scale length and intonation could be affected season to season.

Regards Peter.


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## crann (May 10, 2014)

Silvertone said:


> Here is one a friend of mine did for me in which he used the freezer method.


I know this is not an exact process but I'm a science nerd by trade. Roughly how long did they leave the guitar in the freezer for? I'm guessing a few cycles? Thanks!


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## Silvertone (Oct 13, 2018)

I do not know the precise schedule but he does this really quickly. He sprays his usual number of coats over a couple of days then level sands and sprays another coat the following day and then into the freezer that night. I believe he takes a couple of days of in and out until he gets the desired effect and then it's ready for hardware. 









Just a regular standup freezer works. I'm looking for an inexpensive one on Kijiji right now. I will be testing this method in the coming months. Obviously the type of lacquer is key. It needs to have no plasticizers, so it will check.

Regards.


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## HolttChris (Aug 10, 2020)

Silvertone said:


> This looks a little strange to my eye. Finish cracking generally happens perpendicular to the grain. This checking is parallel to the grain, which should not happen. The wood expands and contracts. It does this perpendicular to the grain resulting in cracks in the finish from where the wood stretches underneath. The finish cannot and then cracks. More modern finishes have plasticizers added so the finish stretches and breaths with the wood. Vintage finish does not do this.
> 
> Here is one a friend of mine did for me in which he used the freezer method.
> View attachment 365065
> ...


LOL


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## Silvertone (Oct 13, 2018)

HolttChris said:


> LOL


Did I say something funny?  Maybe I shouldn't have said "should not happen" but I have not seen many guitars that check like that. I have seen some acoustics and a few electrics but the vast majority check perpendicular to the grain.

I may be mistaken and would love to be enlightened if I have been ill informed.

Cheers Peter.


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## numb41 (Jul 13, 2009)

Silvertone said:


> Did I say something funny?  Maybe I shouldn't have said "should not happen" but I have not seen many guitars that check like that. I have seen some acoustics and a few electrics but the vast majority check perpendicular to the grain.
> 
> I may be mistaken and would love to be enlightened if I have been ill informed.
> 
> Cheers Peter.


you mean LOL wan't enlightening enough ?


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## HolttChris (Aug 10, 2020)

Silvertone said:


> Did I say something funny?


A few things but I think we view this topic a little different


Silvertone said:


> Did I say something funny?  Maybe I shouldn't have said "should not happen" but I have not seen many guitars that check like that. I have seen some acoustics and a few electrics but the vast majority check perpendicular to the grain.
> 
> I may be mistaken and would love to be enlightened if I have been ill informed.
> 
> Cheers Peter.


The fresh 2018 model full of the current plasticizers did its own thing with the shock treatment of compressed air so saying it’s wrong for checking in that specific direction made me laugh lol

The OP’s guitar already has checking going a specific way so I would think it would continue. My 82 Standard has the same checking

Between you, the OP and my 2018 example, these are probably 3 different types of nitro with different effort levels/time dedicated to checking


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## Powdered Toast Man (Apr 6, 2006)

guitarman2 said:


> I had an American Original 50's Tele and the brand new look bothered me. I set out to get those finish cracks. I tried everything. I sprayed it with canned air then heated with a hair dryer. Left it outside in -10 in the middle of the winter for a couple hours then brought it in to a toasty heated house. Not a mark on it. Still as new as when I bought it. I'm convinced that if I took a hammer to it, it would have broken the hammer. Maybe it was nitro but it was solid as a rock.
> Anyone who says "Relic it natural, like the old days" is a moron. You could tour and play that guitar for 30 years and not age the finish.


I know a touring musician who has been playing an early 80's 52RI Tele for the last 20+ years. The fingerboard has wear but the body looks brand new.


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## Silvertone (Oct 13, 2018)

HolttChris said:


> A few things but I think we view this topic a little different
> 
> 
> The fresh 2018 model full of the current plasticizers did its own thing with the shock treatment of compressed air so saying it’s wrong for checking in that specific direction made me laugh lol
> ...


I guess it's not wrong but one would have to admit the vast majority of examples of "real" vintage checking specifically on Gibson guitars using nitro are perpendicular to the grain. The OP's examples both have checking like this. Google vintage finish checking and you will find about 95%, or more, or the examples are similarly checked. He asked if anyone has done this, and I have had it done and showed an example, as you did. I might still be missing the funny side of my post? 

I think the "finish does what it wants" comment may be very true when using the compressed air method. I think understanding why those vintage guitars check the way they do is very important. As noted above the wood expands and contracts, almost always, perpendicular to the grain. The finish does not resulting in cracks in the same direction. I believe the best way to get a realistic checked finish would be to use the freezer method as it most closely duplicates the conditions for which those "real" aged finishes were produced.

If you have information to the contrary or want to elaborate why you thought my post was funny, I am more than willing to learn.

Regards Peter.

PS - Gibson guitars used nitrocellulose lacquer earlier models used lacquer without pasticizers which would check. Modern Gibson guitars do not check because the finish "breaths" with the wood.


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## Silvertone (Oct 13, 2018)

Powdered Toast Man said:


> I know a touring musician who has been playing an early 80's 52RI Tele for the last 20+ years. The fingerboard has wear but the body looks brand new.


Fender switched to Polyeurathane in the 60's which will age much differently and although I know nothing about those Fenders. I have heard they do not check. The Fenders prior to those years used nitrocellulose lacquer like Gibson so those earlier guitars age similarly. The formula may have been different or possibly a different pore filler made them check differently?

Regards Peter.


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## guitarman2 (Aug 25, 2006)

Silvertone said:


> Fender switched to Polyeurathane in the 60's which will age much differently and although I know nothing about those Fenders. I have heard they do not check. The Fenders prior to those years used nitrocellulose lacquer like Gibson so those earlier guitars age similarly. The formula may have been different or possibly a different pore filler made them check differently?
> 
> Regards Peter.


Those 52 reissues are supposed to have a nitro finish but its not the same thing as whats on my custom shop 52. The vintage series nitro are as tough as the poly finishes. The only exception I've seen is a Wildwood 52 thin skin that I once owned.


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## Silvertone (Oct 13, 2018)

guitarman2 said:


> Those 52 reissues are supposed to have a nitro finish but its not the same thing as whats on my custom shop 52. The vintage series nitro are as tough as the poly finishes. The only exception I've seen is a Wildwood 52 thin skin that I once owned.


Yeah I've heard they were nitro but who knows how thick and what the formula might have been. If you want to find out head over to the TDPRI forum. Those guys know everything there is to know about those guitars. I find it interesting that both Gibson and Fender and probably others make re-issues of vintage guitars and historic replicas but still do not really go very far to faithfully recreate those guitars. I would not be surprised if they used modern lacquers. I guess that's why there is a 3rd party replica market out there for people that do not mind dropping five figures on something that is close as possible to those "unattainable" guitars.

Cheers Peter.


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## Powdered Toast Man (Apr 6, 2006)

guitarman2 said:


> Those 52 reissues are supposed to have a nitro finish but its not the same thing as whats on my custom shop 52. The vintage series nitro are as tough as the poly finishes. The only exception I've seen is a Wildwood 52 thin skin that I once owned.


I've got a Wildwood thin skin 2008 52ri and the finish is pretty hardy on it. The only wear on the body is where it's been hit with things.


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## HolttChris (Aug 10, 2020)

Silvertone said:


> I guess it's not wrong but one would have to admit the vast majority of examples of "real" vintage checking specifically on Gibson guitars using nitro are perpendicular to the grain. The OP's examples both have checking like this. Google vintage finish checking and you will find about 95%, or more, or the examples are similarly checked. He asked if anyone has done this, and I have had it done and showed an example, as you did. I might still be missing the funny side of my post?
> 
> I think the "finish does what it wants" comment may be very true when using the compressed air method. I think understanding why those vintage guitars check the way they do is very important. As noted above the wood expands and contracts, almost always, perpendicular to the grain. The finish does not resulting in cracks in the same direction. I believe the best way to get a realistic checked finish would be to use the freezer method as it most closely duplicates the conditions for which those "real" aged finishes were produced.
> 
> ...


You’re actually right. I quickly read and took the OP post as “how do I check the finish on my guitar” and did not enlarge the reference pic he posted which clearly shows a specific pattern. My bad. Thought your post was overkill for a LP classic at first 

In that case, it depends how picky you are and how much effort you want to put into it I suppose

Without hearing from someone with a newer (90’s?) Gibson doing the freezer method and successfully achieving the results you want, I would question if it’s truly going to achieve that uniform pattern. I do see potential for different results by deep freezing the wood and not just the finish. This would all make for a great in depth YouTube video 🤔


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## bluehugh2 (Mar 10, 2006)

I had a Dakota Red Xotic Strat ... and I put the body in the freezer overnight... took it out and gently banged it with a rubber mallet ... the result was brilliant and looked real. Mostly it checked before I “shocked” it. Then I got a Daphne Blue Xotic S and tried the same thing... no result! So it’s all about the lacquer! “Rubber” lacquer like some of the Gibson finishes will not check.


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## Jam-Lin (Mar 9, 2019)

This is the results of the air duster on a mim road worn tele. The factory relic was just shy of being enough, but the checking was lacking a bit. Now it’s very similar to the checking on a custom shop strat that I have. The duster method works very well, but seems to do what it wants. I’ve done this on a Les Paul in the past and the checking went against the grain so it’s definitely possible with duster.


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