Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Paul Craig on December 5, 2016 at 8:32pm

I would think that any refinishing on it would decrease it's value. If the value isn't a factor, then you could sand it down and put a veneer on it or paint it with whatever you want.

A google search for a Harmony guitar collectors group/forum may be of more help in this. Stewmac.com would most likely have any materials and equipment you need.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on December 5, 2016 at 11:51pm

William,

Start your research here:

http://harmony.demont.net/faq.php

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on December 6, 2016 at 1:20am

And here:

https://www.facebook.com/HarmonyGuitars/

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Permalink Reply by William E. White on December 6, 2016 at 1:31am

It's not so much refinishing, but preserving the finish already on it. The paint is chipped and cracked in a few places, and I want to make sure the majority of it lasts from here as best i can.

Here is what she looks like after I did some work to straighten out a very warped top and broken bracing.

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Permalink Reply by Grandpa on December 6, 2016 at 2:22pm

Beautiful little parlor rig. My thought on further efforts is,..don't. I enjoy a fine restored git (I know that isn't what you want to do), but a nice patina is priceless to me. You seem like a thoughtful and diligent owner, but I have seen some beautiful old gits (and guns) devalued by well-meaning owners who want to "clean a little and preserve". My .02.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on December 6, 2016 at 6:09pm

Well, OK, my coupla pennies:

It's a Harmony. They were cheap guitars back in the day. The only reason people are collecting them now is that they are still relatively cheap compared to the guitars people really wanna collect. Who can afford a 56-57 Fender Strat, for example? It's simple economics.

Aside from that, when fixed / set up properly, these can be sweet-sounding (and in this case, -looking) tools for creating old timey music. Sure, mend a broken rib or strut. Oil a rusted tuner. Give it a quick polish.

But, re the paint chips, scuffs and scratches: leave 'em be, sez I. They're earned, like grey hairs. Or fading tattoos.

And just remember: Willie Nelson's Spanish guitar has a gaping great hole in it from wear. He has said repeatedly that there isn't another guitar that sounds like it, and he'd never fix it.

You have restored the voice to this box by fixing the broken bracing, allowing that gorgeous top to flex properly. Wipe it down with some good furniture polish, put on some new strings, and call it Done.

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Permalink Reply by William E. White on December 7, 2016 at 1:17am

And that's what I have done. I am hoping that a few coats of guitar polish will protect and preserve the finish.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on December 7, 2016 at 7:21pm

Sure, polish will protect it some. My fear was that you might suddenly get the urge to spray 10 coats of polyurethane on it or something ;-). Question: now that it's strung up, how does it sound? Could you post a quick vid?

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Permalink Reply by William E. White on December 8, 2016 at 10:36am

When I get a free moment, I certainly will upload a quick video. The only place I would like to touch up is the painted white binding on the back from where I separated it from the body to fix the bracing. Any idea what kind of paint was used back then? Acrylic? Enamel? 

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on December 8, 2016 at 4:07pm

Would have almost certainly been a lacquer. In other words, an oil-based or mineral spirit-based finish. Acrylic wasn't available for commercial use until the '50's.

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Permalink Reply by ChickenboneJohn on December 6, 2016 at 8:05pm

I've done plenty of of Stellas and Harmonys - just leave the paint as it is. Overspraying will make it look and feel wrong. The only thing I ever do if there are some really unsightly scrapes or knocks, particularly on the painted-on "bindings"  is to touch these up, but otherwise I leave the finish alone. It doesn't need "restoration", its an old guitar. That reminds me of a client I had,who was restoring an old farmhouse in France and had problems with damp. The French builder (mind you, in France they afford craftsmen rather more respect, and he was addressed as "Monsieur le maçon". When asked what to do, he simply shrugged his shoulders and said "Madame, the house is over 200 years old, of course it's damp!".

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