waxing painted bodies

[rightintheface]

now i know this may sound silly....
if you havent seen it already, i have a black/white painted tele thinline. the paint is car-style spray can paint, with a satin clear acrylic over the top. i think it looks quite awesome, but the finish is so thin that its starting to take a bit of a beating, and it's not even a year old yet!!

i have seen different "guitar care" products out there, and one that i keep seeing is carnauba wax. now, i still have a bunch of carnauba left over from my first build (danish oiled korina), but i've never waxed over the top of paint before. is it a good/bad idea? does anybody have any pros/cons for this? will it damage the paint? will it help protect it a little? if i do go ahead with it, i'll test it on an inconspicuous area first.

oh and i realise it will add more "sheen"  as well, but i kinda like that idea  :icon_thumright:

 

[whyachi]

According to Warwick, waxing a painted finish will damage it. But I've never tried it. They say wax is for oil finishes only.

 

[rightintheface]

thats odd, i kinda figured it would be the other way around. i mean, don't people wax their cars? (i don't. im lazy)

 

[whyachi]

thats odd, i kinda figured it would be the other way around. i mean, don't people wax their cars? (i don't. im lazy)

Then again, I doubt Warwick used rattle can acrylic. Who knows. I'd test it first, either way.

 

[MattPurland]

I've always been told that wax (or bees wax inparticular) acts as an abrasive on lacquer - though I may be wrong...

 

[Unwound G]

I was given set of Instrument Care made by Planet Waves (the same company that makes tuning keys and D'Addario) for Christmas.  The set consists of two bottles with Step 1 labeled as Restore which is a cleaner which that a very glossy shine to the guitar.  The second bottle is labeled as Step 2 called Protect and it is pure liquid Carnauba Wax.  The bottle says it is a natural protectant and sealer combining premium quality Brazilian Carnauba and advance chemistry.

I am not sure what "advance chemistry" is but the wax does protect my poly painted guitars' shine quite well.