Pore filling - 101 - what are the do and don'ts??

[Quinny]

Hi,

Just been reading the post on shellac and pore filling and read the comment suggesting you don't put epoxy pore filler on the soundbaord due to sitffening the board. I was about to do that very thing, so I am enquiring if there are any obvious do's and don'ts?

I have never used pore filler before but posted for advice recently and got recommendations of products and now have both Bote Cote and Aqua Coat. I am going to do test runs with both in 2-3 weeks. I got some good practical advice from this forum and how to apply these fillers.

Are there any other golden rules or things you might think are obvious, but a total newbie to pore filling might not know. For instance, like putting epoxy resin pore filler on the soundboard is likely to stiffen it too much.

Any tips or warnings appreciated, no matter how trivial you may think they are.
PS - its a concert uke with a koa top-back-sides and Aussie blackwood neck.

Andrew

[jeffhigh]

Not so much that epoxy will overly stiffen the soundboard, but that spruce does not have open pores (being a softwood) and so does not need pore filling.
If you have a hardwood soundboard you would still pore fill, but try to avoid buildup and the extra mass involved.

[simso]

I agree, it's not really about it stiffening the sound board up, it's the fact you don't really need to do it as there is not a lot of sink back that occurs due to the grain.

There is also IMO no rights or wrongs, just common sense. Example I would shellac a soundboard if I had rosewood sides, as I know when I start sanding / pore filling the rosewood I risk staining the soundboard, so I shellac a soundboard first purely for its protection. When I later come to spray, having been pore filled the lacquer will sit easier on the surface.

All of course my opinion, and we all do things differently and have different opinions.

Steve

[kiwigeo]

Considerations:

1. how much pore filling is required (ie size and density of pores).
2. Your desire to work with potentially hazardous chemicals...eg filling using pumice and shellac or egg whites entails less exposure to hazardous chemicals than epoxy resin methods.
3. Your skill (and patience) level. Pore filling using pumice entails a bit more skill than epoxy methods. Bleeding of colour from dark coloured woods into light coloured top wood can be an issue with pumice fill method. Ive found pumice/shellac build up an issue at times and avoiding same requires a bit of skill and knowing how hard to work the pad and how much meths to apply to same.
4. the egg white method leaves you with a nice bowl of egg yolks......perfect for a nice big pot of scrambled eggs

[simso]

As uv gets cheaper more people will start using it.

It's so simple to pore fill with, the only thing I use nowadays

Steve

[Allen]

What are you using for your UV filler Steve? Available locally, or not?

[simso]

Nah, still got to buy it from the states, the product is okay priced but shipping is obscene, close to 400 for shipping that I paid last time and the exchange rate was good then.

Steve