Cracked finish on Classical

[Dominic]

Hey, I pulled out the recently completed classical yesterday to put some news strings on and found a number of fine cracks in the finish on the top. One was about 40mm long. Bugger. The only thing I can think of is that it got really cold. I left it in the car for a few hours when we went to the hospital when Killian was born and it was about -15. I went and got it as soon as I could and didn't notice anything right away but I had other things on my mind so I may have missed them.

The finish is very thin on the top, the grain was telegraphing through after about 2 weeks so I was surprised the see any cracks at all. It thought it would only happen on a thicker finish. Its the first time this has happened to any of my guitars and its gets cold in Canberra but not -15.

Anyone had issues with cold affecting the finish before? Or any other thoughts about what may have happened?

Cheers Dom

[kiwigeo]

What's the finish Dom? Sorry....cant be bothered trawling through your posts to find out info on same.

[Dominic]

Sorry, I should have mentioned it is a nitro finish. The brand escapes me (a bit sleep deprived) but its what most of us here us.
Dom

[Allen]

Mirotone 3220?

I've seen fine cracks show up in it when it gets too thick even when it's warm. I suspect its just from getting too cold. It's just a case of the finish shrinking in the cold faster than what the wood will allow.

There's a lot of talk of this showing up on instruments all over Europe and North America in the last month or so where they'd never seen it before.

[Dominic]

Yes, is Mirotone 3220. Perhaps the forumlation has changed recently. Anyway, nothing I can do about it but its a bummer it has happened while in Warsaw and not while at home where I could have had a go at fixing it. The main worry is that the area of the crack with oxidize and turn darker than the surrounding wood which will make the cracks much more obvious.
Something to be careful about in future.
Dom

[vandenboom]

I trust it is just a crack in the finish, and not in the wood as well.
I got a crack in the finish (and the wood) somewhere back in my learning curve during the curing process. After building in the shed and spraying outdoors, I left it in the centrally heated loungeroom for 2 weeks thinking that the higher temp would be helpful in aiding the curing process. Never considered the incredible drop in RH in a centrally heated room.
Frank