Official Luthiers Forum!

With urethane, it is possible to get a very good repair. I don't think nitro repair is mindless -- it takes skill too and as mentioned, you can have more shrinkage with new material and may need a quick level and buff if the repair becomes visible again. But I don't think anyone can debate that nitro has the potential for the best repair work if done correctly. With urethane, you want to sand the area a bit and then add the CA glue -- then level and buff carefully. It can be a very good repair but I think I could probably notice any repair work done with urethane -- fortunately, most customers and players won't be able to notice it.

I prefer urethane but the finish must be very thin -- and I think it is much harder to do a thin urethane than it is to do a thin nitro finish. So nitro is definitely superior in that regard.

As always, take proper safety precautions with any of these finish materials !!!

I sometimes sand through the lacquer, especially at edges.
I bought Mohawk pre-catalyzed lacquer in a rattle can for touch ups.
I cut a slit in a pice of paper, hold it above the sand through spot and spray a few coats on.
This stuff is dry enough to polish in one day and looks great.
Just wanted to pass this on.

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Another way to minimize "sand through" on the edges is to "band in" the edges and then spray the rest of the surface. This puts a little more material on the edges. Also when using a ROS to level sand I stay off the outer inch of the surface and level sand that by hand with a sanding block. The little bit of extra time hand sanding saves the aggravation of touching up the edges.