Best way to fill a chip in a poly finish?

[RockStarNick]

So I just got a neck in the mail from someone, used.

Looks great, except for ONE section on the back of the headstock where there's a chip in the finish, and the finish has flaked off.

What is a good product to fill this area, then sand down level with the rest of the finish?

 

[dmraco]

photo please....If is not too deeep, best is to scuff sand, fill with a brush on poly...its thicker.  Lets it cure...lightly sand an polish

 

[blue313]

+1 to the photo.  How big of a chip are we talking?

 

[tfarny]

It's just the back of the headstock?  Magic marker in the approximate color! Nobody will notice.

 

[RockStarNick]

It's just the back of the headstock?  Magic marker in the approximate color! Nobody will notice.

hahaha. Not a bad idea... i've done that before on other guitars.

This is a maple tele neck. So it's a clear satin poly finish. I'll try to get a photo asap.

 

[dbw]

Superglue.

 

[Rick]

Nail polish.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

If it is a satin finish, just use the wipe on poly.  Then sand or steel wool the entire area so that no one can tell the difference.
Patrick

 

[Rick]

Thin super glue.

 

[stubhead]

The industry standard is to drop-fill it with super glue and use a superglue accelerator to speed it up (if you want....). I would use the medium-thick glue, myself. Google:

"super glue drop filling chips"

and a half-dozen explanations pop up. The accelerator comes in a spray bottle but it's better to drip a tiny bit off a toothpick (same with the glue). The glue will shrink, so you want to get the fill higher than needed and leave it overnight before leveling. It's really pretty easy to fix this way in an undetectable way. There's a full explanation in Erlewine's book "Guitar Player Repair Guide."