Yellowing Finish on Silver Sparkle - Solutions?

I may already know the answer to this question, but here it goes anyway.

I added an older used tom to my silver sparkle Yamaha Oak Custom kit. And the clear coat on the older tom is noticeably more yellow than it's newer cousins. I have noticed this yellowing on a silver sparkle bass guitar I own as well. It seesm silver sparkle is more susceptible, or more likely, its just more noticeable.

Is there anyway to restore the "clear" nature of the clear coat finish? My thought is that the yellowing encompasses the depth of the finish and so is irreversible. But maybe I'm wrong and it's just the surface of the clear coat that is adversely affected.

Anyone have any luck with this on a "lacquer" finish?

I know how to unyellow wraps, there's a whole thread on it. I had some badly yellowed lacquer Mapex drums. I tried the same process that I used to unyellow wraps on the yellowed lacquer. Yea, that didn't work one bit. So I don't know of a way to unyellow lacquer.

JCLEMENSFL said:

I may already know the answer to this question, but here it goes anyway.

I added an older used tom to my silver sparkle Yamaha Oak Custom kit. And the clear coat on the older tom is noticeably more yellow than it's newer cousins. I have noticed this yellowing on a silver sparkle bass guitar I own as well. It seesm silver sparkle is more susceptible, or more likely, its just more noticeable.

Is there anyway to restore the "clear" nature of the clear coat finish? My thought is that the yellowing encompasses the depth of the finish and so is irreversible. But maybe I'm wrong and it's just the surface of the clear coat that is adversely affected.

Anyone have any luck with this on a "lacquer" finish?

Click to expand...

You can try Meguirs plastic polish and cleaner,or Novus polish,which comes in 3 different grades.It's made for polishing and removing hazing and yellowing of plastic.

The suff works pretty well on all around.

Steve B

Steve, have you ever used it on lacquer or polyurethane for this purpose? I guess I'm trying to figure out if anyone knows whether the yellowing is a surface issue, or if it extends to the entire depth of the finish. If it's only a surface issue, I think your solution would work. But, obviously, if the entire depth of the finish has yellowed, no amount of polish would work.
Anyone have an idea?

JCLEMENSFL said:

Steve, have you ever used it on lacquer or polyurethane for this purpose? I guess I'm trying to figure out if anyone knows whether the yellowing is a surface issue, or if it extends to the entire depth of the finish. If it's only a surface issue, I think your solution would work. But, obviously, if the entire depth of the finish has yellowed, no amount of polish would work.
Anyone have an idea?

Click to expand...

I've never tried it on lacquer,but it does seem to work on poly and older 60's 70's Italian and Delmar drum wraps.

Start with the least abrasive number 1.Work a small area like under a lug.to see if its working.Ifnot,go to number 2,and so on to number 3 if you have to,which is the heavy scratch remover and polish

Sometime the yellowing or,the depth of scratches is to prodounced,then the entire clear coat has to be finely sanded out,and resoated.

Sometimes the wrap has been stained by too much UV,and is unrepairable.

With true nitrocellulose lacquers,I've heard of using the same process that Gretsch uses,my actually wet sanding,and then usind a very fine abrasive,and a polishing wheel.

That actually melts the lacquer slightly,by burnishing,which gives the finish a beautiful wet like shine.

If the Novus,which is fairly cheap on Ebay dosen''t work on the finish of your drums because the yellowing is too extensice,ot will do the jod on many other plastics,like car headlights.

Steve B

Used to have a granite sparkle Reference kit that yellowed because of cigarette smoke. Dont get how people can pump that stuff into their lungs but I digress. When compared with the finishes of the add- on drums I purchased the difference was striking. When Trick Drum Polish didn't get the yellow out, I gave up. Thankfully my state has banned cigarettes in bars for some time now so this is something I won't have to deal with again.