Saving a sunburst

[u/Brilliant_Tourist169]

Hello. I'm a collector of banjo ukuleles, and I've recently been working on one with a sunburst neck, possibly maple, finished in what appears to be nitrocellulose lacquer.

While adjusting the nut, I put some hobby masking tape on the back of the neck, assuming it would be safe. Unfortunately, when I removed it, it pulled off two small paint chips from the black section of the sunburst. Thankfully the chips were quite small.

To repair them, I used a Hycote Gloss Black Touch-Up Paint (brush applicator) to fill the chips. After it dried, I lightly levelled the repairs with very fine-grit sandpaper, but this has left a few lighter patches around the repaired areas, as shown in the photos.

I'm wondering if there's a way to improve the appearance of the finish now. The original "sunburst" wasn't particularly refined to begin with, so I'm open to carefully blending or refining it rather than simply hiding the repairs. Given that the finish appears to be nitrocellulose lacquer, I'd appreciate advice on the safest way to restore the gloss and blend the repaired areas without causing further damage.

[u/TheHandsomeLiar]

This looks like a post broken headstock repair burst. When using tape always first tack it on a piece of clothing first. Less likely to peel paint on removal.

[u/Jobysco]

Sand it smooth and get a can of Colortone nitro.

You could very easily just spray over this provided you find a good color match. I can’t tell if this is black or tobacco brown, but you can tape a soft line across the neck and a bit removed from the transition line and tape off everything you don’t want lacquer on. Don’t press the tape down fully, you kinda want it to roll up a bit for a softer line. Then you can just apply a couple light coats. Let it cure for a day or two and asses if you need more coats.

This is a pretty easy one. Just gonna be sure to aim the spray well and practice on a test piece to see where the spray line stops. Honestly you can probably just spray slightly over the transition, it might move the transition down an inch or so, but it won’t really affect anything substantial.