Grain/Pore Filler

[needsmorecowbel]

Can anyone suggest a clear grain/pore filler that will not get in the way of a Scandanavian oil that i plan to oil a guitar with once the grain has been filled?

My plan is to oil the solid body guitar, then cover it with an even layer of white shellac...Then use something similar to a Nitrocellulose atop the Shellac. I understand doing it this way is a lot of mucking around...but i much prefer the Oil's lustre and finish over a straight Nitro finish. Does anyone have a suggestion for a Nitro substitute? One guitar is Redgum and Maple and the other Huon Pine. So the Huon pine needs a fairly strong Nitro-esque "shell" to avoid dings as the wood is 'soft'. Would French Polishing be an option with a resin or substitute poured on top????

Stu

[needsmorecowbel]

I understand some of the above mentioned ideas may not work as i have very little experience in finishing...

For example i understand that some plastic/ resins may reject being on top of an oil base/ shellac base..

[Allen]

You will want to consider very carefully putting anything oil on as the first coat and expect any sort of finish to stick to that. There may very well be some that will work, but there are far more pitfalls than benefits gained.

For a clear pore filler you are going to be looking at an epoxy or even CA glue. Epoxy is my choice. CA works on small areas if you are in a hurry, but an entire instrument would be way too much in my opinion.

The only epoxy I've used (and use on all instruments) is WEST Systems 105 with the 206 slow hardener. Shellac has no problem over it at all, as you are most likely going to scrape - sand all of it off, leaving only the pores filled. Others use Z-Poxy but I've had no experience with that product.

Your other choice of finish I don't know about. Virtually everything under the sun will stick to shellac if it's been used as a sealer / tie coat. Don't know if you start to build it up, how successful you'll be.

You can always apply lacquer and then rub it back with 0000 steel wool for a satin look.

[Lillian]

There's always egg whites.

[needsmorecowbel]

Thanks Allen, i may have to just admit defeat and figure out how to make a nice Nitro Finish

Lil...I knew i should have left a few eggs out of my morning 24 egg shake...damn

[Lillian]

2 doz egg shake? Damn! That's impressive.

Robin's or emu?

[Mark McLean]

You could just go with an oil type finish all the way. Scandinavian oil doesn't harden as much as some of the other options such as Tru-Oil or PNZ Hard Oil. I have used Tru-Oil on two acoustics and it hardens up well (after a few weeks of curing). I used the PNZ on the latest one and I think it is even better. I did an egg-white pore fill and then shellac sealing coat under the PNZ and there are no adhesion problems. You can get Tru-Oil or PNZ to give a gloss finish if you build up enough of it and work hard on the levelling - but I think they are best suited to a buffed satin kind of finish, which is dead easy to achieve. True - they will not be as bullet proof as Nitro. But in the end a soft wood is a soft wood and will dent whatever finish is over the top of it.

Here is the thread that put me onto the PNZ stuff, and it was also recommended to me by Gerard Gilet, but he heard about it from Allen so you might as well just read what he says on the thread right here:
viewtopic.php?f=1&t=2558&p=31390&hilit= ... wax#p31390

[matthew]

The other thing is ... do you really expect a Huon Pine guitar to look new forever?

I think a rubbed oil finish will look just fine, protect the pine from grease and chewing gum, and age gracefully. And easy to touch up. I use Cabot's danish oil a lot on both instruments and furniture. It hardens up nicely after a few weeks, you can build it up as much as you want, buff it back, it doesn't chip and if you scratch it badly you can just rub in a little more oil. But I never bother. The little bumps and dings (depending on what sort) become just part of the beauty of the thing.

[needsmorecowbel]

Egg Whites... I legitimately thought that was a joke...but i stand corrected.

[Kim]

The little bumps and dings (depending on what sort) become just part of the beauty of the thing.

Thanks Matt, I will use that one next time I carelessly open my car door on to someones beamer in the car park..

[Lillian]

A few threads worth reading.

Please start with this one. viewtopic.php?f=21&t=1056

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=938

viewtopic.php?f=1&t=879

[Kamusur]

Ahh Eggs..... natures super glue. artists been using them for centuries
Steve

[kiwigeo]

The little bumps and dings (depending on what sort) become just part of the beauty of the thing.

Applies to musical instruments and also to old men.....

[vandenboom]

On my last couple of steel strings, I pore filled with zpoxy, nitro on the spruce top and on headstock veneer to sink my decal (cos' couldn't achieve that with Whittle's oil/wax), and then Whittle's oil/wax on the rest of it. Very happy with the final results. If you do it this way, leave the oil/wax stage until last, for the reasons Allen provided earlier.
Frank