Wattyl grain filler

[vandenboom]

Just wondered if anyone has had any experience using Wattyl's grain filler...

http://www.wattyl.com.au/library/TDS/D1 ... Filler.pdf

Frank

[rocket]

I've had no experience with the wattyl grain filler Frank but in the case of other oil based fillers the oil can bleed into bare timber.
Cheers ,,, Rod.

[Puff]

Frank - may I add a query too please?
Has anyone experience with Cabots Universal Sanding Sealer in this regard.
They (Wattyl and Cabots) may not be Kiwi or Aussie owned but their stuff is fairly readily available and i'm pretty much into keeping the supply lines short and dealing in cash with real people
Cheers

[Kim]

For that kind of paste filling product, it is pretty hard to beat Timbermate Frank.

It is water based and some have reported issues with it not darkening up enough under a finish but I have not experienced this. The manufacturers claim this can happen with highly alkaline finishes aka 'alkaline bleaching'. Most water based finishes do have high alkalinity but I don't use them so can't really comment. The good thing about Timbermate is that it does not sink back, well not on Perth anyhow, and any colour issues can be resolved with the addition of dry pigments such as oxides, or even liquid stains.

Cheers

Kim

[Kim]

Frank - may I add a query too please?
Has anyone experience with Cabots Universal Sanding Sealer in this regard.
They (Wattyl and Cabots) may not be Kiwi or Aussie owned but their stuff is fairly readily available and i'm pretty much into keeping the supply lines short and dealing in cash with real people
Cheers

I would not rush to use any sanding sealer on an instrument Puff. From what I understand these products are no more then a basic clear which has had its adhesion degraded by the addition of fumed silica to aid in sanding. This is what I was told by a paint tech when inquiring as to why the urethane finish I had applied to a refurbished table was peeling off in just over 12 month. In fact the first questions he asked when I finished explaining the problem was "Is it peeling back to bare timber?". A = Yes. Did you use a sanding sealer?" A= Yes. He suggested the problem was probably that the surface was sanded too fine (220) for the sanding sealer to adhere properly to the surface.

To add to that theory, the same finish from the same tin was applied at around the same time to an internal door, only this time 'no' sanding sealer was used, 17 years later and it still looks fine.

Cheers

Kim

[Allen]

Many "sanding sealers" also contain talc as a way of bodying it up. Aid's in it's sand-ability, but has an adverse effect on how clear the finish is.

[vandenboom]

For that kind of paste filling product, it is pretty hard to beat Timbermate Frank.

Me thinks I will try this on my next couple of guitars this year. I want to find an alternative to zpoxy, even though many builders swear by it. I can manage the OHS risk, but have lost confidence with it on a neck finish over the past 12 months, which I have now redone for the third time. Frank

[Stu]

I've used Timbermate as a grainfill then thinned nitro coats on nearly every build I've done. In fact I tried epoxy but wasn't entirely happy with results on the end grain.
I've got nothing but great results with the Timbermate then nitro method entirely.

As Kim alluded to, sealers are a second rate product if your topcoat is nitro clear. and using straight nitro in place of a slightly cloudy formula of sealer will give you a little more richness and depth
to your finish, I've found.

[DarwinStrings]

I enquired about that once Frank, knowing that their Timber Mate is so good I thought it may be better for grain filling but, and even though their data sheet says it is okay with lacquer the guy on the phone said it would soften with the pre-cat so I never bothered with it.

Jim

[Kim]

I enquired about that once Frank, knowing that their Timber Mate is so good I thought it may be better for grain filling but, and even though their data sheet says it is okay with lacquer the guy on the phone said it would soften with the pre-cat so I never bothered with it.

Jim

As far as I am aware Jim Timbermate is a company in its own right, filler is all they make and they are not affiliated in any way with Wattyle. Timbermate has certainly not softened under the pre-cat lacquer I have used or any other finish for that matter.

Cheers

Kim

[DarwinStrings]

Wattlye informed me that their grain filler softened under pre-cat. Oops sorry to the owners of Timber Mate, I had it in my head that Timber Mate was Wattlye.....wrong, thanks for the reminder Kim.

Jim

[Puff]

Hey Jim at least Wattyl were honest about their product - is a start

[rocket]

looks like Timbermate comes up trumps then doesn't it
cheers you lot,,,,, rod