Nitro finish? Know this before flying with your guitar…

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I just flew across the country and back to pick up a guitar (NGD post coming). At the security check, the TSA agent swabbed the case lining after wanding and feeling every inch of it. He’s a cellist, so he was very understanding and even let me open the case, take out the guitar, and hold it. Then the alarm went off…..

They did everything but strip and cavity searches! When no explosive or drug residue was found, they let me and my guitar in. But it was quite an experience.

I started trying to figure out what could have happened. All of a sudden, I realized that the nitro in nitrocellulose is chemically similar to the nitro in explosives. So I Googled whether nitro guitar finishes could cause a false positive test for explosives…….and they can.

This guitar is 14 years old and was finished the old fashioned way. So I’m sure traces of the finish are all over the case lining by now. I brought my 20 year old El Rey home the same way last year without incident, but that one was in an Ameritage case that was almost certainly not the OHSC. Maybe the volatiles and still-curing surface came off on the first case lining and there wasn’t enough left to grossly contaminate this one. Maybe different case linings contaminate more easily than others.

I don’t know how many variants of nitrocellulose finish and ways of spraying / applying it there are. Maybe some shed molecules more easily than others. I haven’t found any useful info on this yet.

So be aware that guitars with nitro finishes may trigger a search for explosives if you want to carry it onto an airplane. The TSA guys were very nice about it. But it was a bit disconcerting

[Bob_Ross]

I can confirm that the Explosive Residue Detectors used by TSA are very sensetive: About 15 years ago a friend and I were bicycling around West Point (NY) where the US Military Academy is located, and one of our routes took us within a quarter mile of the Army's Ordinance Firing Range.

Two days later my friend flew with her bicycle to California...and her bike frame set off TSA's Explosive Residue Detectors!

[paulkogut]

I've heard of folks playing European concert venues that were munitions storage during WWII and the airports finding residue on their cases. I've been flying for decades with nitro finish guitars and never had the issue come up. Thanks for the warning!

PK

[nevershouldhavesoldit]

I've heard of folks playing European concert venues that were munitions storage during WWII and the airports finding residue on their cases. I've been flying for decades with nitro finish guitars and never had the issue come up. Thanks for the warning!

PK

I never had it happen either. The last time I flew with a nitro-finished guitar was last summer when I picked up my 20 year old El Rey. Eastman used what they call a nitro-over-poly finish on it, and I don't know if or how it resembles the plain old nitrocellulose finish that Benedetto sprayed in 2012. TSA did the same check on that guitar and case, and I came through clean. And as I pointed out in the OP, the El Rey came in a non-original case. I assume that most of the material transfer from a fresh finish occurs early in its life, so the replacement case may not have picked up much (if any) from the El Rey.

Checking for explosive residue at airports is a relatively recent phenomenon. Widespead ETD only began after 9/11, and the sensitivity has significantly increased with evoluition of the testing processses since then. My first flight with a guitar was when I took my 175 to college about 60 years ago. It was no big deal - they put it in the closet that used to be at the front of every full size commercial airplane. Those were the good old days in many (but far from all) ways.

[MiniMerckx.22]

Before 9-11 I was flying home from an engagement party my soon to be inlaws threw for us. A carry on bag was run through an xray machine and TSA agent asked for permission to hand search the bag. We said sure go ahead. They searched, took out a lead chrystal hurricane lamp base, put it back then said thank you, enjoy your flight. I asked, what did you think you saw! He answered.. it looked like an explosive ( or he may have said an explosive detonator) to which I immediately asked...why the hell did you have to ask me for permission to search for a possible explosive device before I get on an airplane? I did not get an answer.

[SOLR]

Before 9-11 I was flying home from an engagement party my soon to be inlaws through for us. A carry on bag was run through an xray machine and TSA agent asked for permission to hand search the bag. We said sure go ahead. They searched, took out a lead chrystal hurricane lamp base, put it back then said thank you, enjoy your flight. I asked, what did you think you saw! He answered.. it looked like an explosive ( or he may have said an explosive detonator) to which I immediately asked...why the hell did you have to ask me for permission to search for a possible explosive device before I get on an airplane? I did not get an answer.

In the early 80's, touring in Istanbul, I was stopped at the airport check in just before boarding by armed guards surrounding me real quick. My bags were searched, the agent on the xray gear had seen what looked like a gun in my carry on, it turned out to be my analyser mic and holder. Something like that:

Had quite a bit of explaining to do. Adding to my predicament, I had a few CDs with me, they were just coming out and were not really all that common over there. Never been so scared as when the border patrol inspector opened the first cd box upside down, as the cd was falling, I lunged forward to catch it before it hit the floor. I heard a whole bunch of clicking noises and yelling. I froze, and, had more explaining to do.

We all laughed after the "incident" when they heard the music from my cd player.

S

[starjasmine]

Wow ... and wow. Some of the most interesting and unusual flying stories I've ever heard!