# Repairing a finish chip (PRS S2)



## dbouchard (Nov 29, 2015)

Hi all,

My PRS S2 got banged up pretty good and a chip from the finish came out.

The finish looks rather thin on the guitar, and because of where it's located (right under my arm when I play), I am worried about the chip getting larger over time. I don't mind some wear and tear on my instruments but on this particular one (solid white finish), the whole relic thing doesn't really work too well 

Does anyone have experience with doing spot repairs and could offer some advice? I am not necessarily looking to match the white, but I want to stop the bleeding and prevent the paint for chipping further / getting worse.


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## markxander (Oct 24, 2009)

If you're just looking to stop it from getting worse, I bet a dab of superglue would seal it up 

(please note: i am apparently a ******* and not a guitar repairman)


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## KapnKrunch (Jul 13, 2016)

Bathroom enamel touch-up? I dunno... just another *******.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

Leave it.


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## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

All guitars develop war wounds.


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## player99 (Sep 5, 2019)

You could go for some automotive glazing putty to build up the divot. Then some auto touch up paint and clear coat. A good buffing and it will all but disappear.


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

As a few have said, a little ding here and there is just part of the 'life' of a guitar.


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## Swervin55 (Oct 30, 2009)

I've gone down the "chip rabbit hole" way too many times to mention. For the time and effort vs the final outcome, I'm finally starting to learn that most of them are best left alone.


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## JBFairthorne (Oct 11, 2014)

If all you’re worried about is the paint flaking off, enlarging the chipped area, a little sanding to smooth the edges out may be all you need.


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## Granny Gremlin (Jun 3, 2016)

Is it nitro? If so tip from an old pro (not me, told to me by one well before relicing was a thing) - use nail polish (should be able to find a colour match for that). Go for the cheap stuff not the high end, especially not newer 'gel' formulations. Then spot buff it.



> Nail polish consists of a film-forming polymer dissolved in a volatile organic solvent. Nitrocellulose that is dissolved in butyl acetate or ethyl acetate is common. This basic formulation is expanded to include the following...


from: Nail polish - Wikipedia

Did that on my vintage RD Artist bass which came to me with a lot of pick wear on the front between the pickups. It's black so was easy to match the colour.


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## dbouchard (Nov 29, 2015)

Thanks everyone for chipping in 

I'm hearing a strong "leave it alone" trend so I guess that's what I'll do. It also happens to be the easiest solution. (I liked that nail polish idea though...) 

Sent from my CLT-L04 using Tapatalk


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## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

dbouchard said:


> Thanks everyone for *chipping* in


GROAN!


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## Markus 1 (Feb 1, 2019)

Granny Gremlin said:


> Is it nitro? If so tip from an old pro (not me, told to me by one well before relicing was a thing) - use nail polish (should be able to find a colour match for that). Go for the cheap stuff not the high end, especially not newer 'gel' formulations. Then spot buff it.
> 
> 
> from: Nail polish - Wikipedia
> ...




YES Indeed.+1
If it is Nitro the Nail Polish will merge into the paint


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## AJ6stringsting (Mar 12, 2006)

I used finger nail polish to touch-up a finish chip and it worked very well.

Just don't tell you girlfriend or wife ...


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## Gitguy (Dec 13, 2020)

Player 99 has it right, do not sand, clean 1st with a bit of varsol or alcohol, mask off area and with an old ccard shuffle the glazing putty in, now lite sand and apply a 2nd coat if necessary or more until it matches contour, final sand 400 grit, prime and paint. Only use acrylic or enamel based paint, dont use nail polish (acetone) or lacquer based products you can make prob worse. Also note white is not just white, I have 30 diff whites for guitars and even with those I still have to adj color matching, bad match can look worse than initial prob.

_Lovin the Blues, Livin to Cruz_


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