Lacquer Fix?

[elysee]

I am not putting this post in the Repair forum as this is not really a repair question but rather a lacquer-finish protection question. There may be no solution but I figured that it would not hurt to ask, and by putting this post in the "First Stop - Frequently Discussed Topics" forum, I thought that I might get more help/suggestions than by posting in the repair section.

 

 

I received a nice pen with a lovely lacquer finish that has a small knick/divot in the lacquer. I am sure that the person who gave me the pen did not notice it (but I did); the pen is lovely and I am looking forward to using it. While the knick/divot does not reach the brass base of the pen, I would like to add a little protection so that the knick/divot does not grow over time.

 

Has anyone added any sort of protective covering to a knick/divot in a lacquer finish? That is, does anyone know what I might be able to put over the knick/divot in order to prevent it from further damage? I do not want to affect the rest of the pen by putting anything on the pen that might ruin the lacquer finish and, while I have considered the simple fix of using clear nail polish, I am not sure how the nail polish might affect the lacquer.

 

Any help or suggestions that you can provide will be greatly appreciated.

[warblerick]

Nail pollish might melt the lacquer, so proceed with extreme caution! The solvent for nail polish (acetone) will certainly melt the lacquer. You might try buying a can of spray lacquer from a hardware store (most Ace hardwares carry it), and spray it into the cap (or something else you don't mind ruining), and very carefully apply it with a toothpick to fill the ding. You might have to let it dry for a day then apply some sort of polish to smooth everything out. It might take several small coats with the toothpick.

[elysee]

Nail pollish might melt the lacquer, so proceed with extreme caution! The solvent for nail polish (acetone) will certainly melt the lacquer. You might try buying a can of spray lacquer from a hardware store (most Ace hardwares carry it), and spray it into the cap (or something else you don't mind ruining), and very carefully apply it with a toothpick to fill the ding. You might have to let it dry for a day then apply some sort of polish to smooth everything out. It might take several small coats with the toothpick.

You confirm my concerns about using nail polish.

 

Have you done any lacquer protection/repairs on your pens?

 

Could the lacquer available at a hardware store be equally caustic for the lacquer as nail polish? I ask because the pen's lacquer is actually Chinese lacquer.

 

Have you used an lacquers from an art store?

Edited August 21, 2013 by elysee