Z poxy as a gap filler

[Zen]

Hi, I have finished binding the back--cocobolo on Rosewood back /sides

It looks good but theres a good few tiny gaps between the binding and the sides and I was wonder will Z poxy fill them in when I do my pore filling ?
Some are no bigger than pin holes but theres a few little gaps about the width of a scalpel as well. I filled the biggest of them with sanding dust from the rosewood mixed with superglue. Its ok but could look better and theres always a pin hole or two when I fill that way. So, whats the verdict od Z poxy as a filler ?

Thanks for all the replies previously
Rusty

[tippie53]

when I have gaps I like to do one this.
I will save some dust from sanding. Then stain the body. Drop fill with dust and shellac , then often a lighter stain can blend the color ,. Then I seal and fill.
I have found that the clear fillers will leave a footprint on a larger gap than a pore. Using dust and glue can do the same thing.
I found the dust and shellac worked the best as I can stain through the shellac and it is easier to blend from light to dark.

[B. Howard]

TheZ poxy will fill them so they are flush. But this may not make them disappear. Small pin holes are usually no problem, but the larger ones may stand out as you will likely see that pocket of epoxy under the finish. CA and dust works for some woods but not all, I typically use a burn in fill that matches the wood I am working on for larger gaps.

[Zen]

Thanks Guys,

John,
What would you use to stain a rosewood body ? I'm a beginner and always thought I should be just using sanding sealer and then either shellac to french polish or spray poly etc. I dont have any stains at the moment but I guess i could order something if it makes it look better.

Brian, Is that a burn stick you are talking about? I saw them advertised on stew mac i think. Is there any alternative as I live in Ireland and will have to wait for ages to get one with shipping times etc.

Thanks
Rusty

[tippie53]

I use a few stains
Minwax special walnut
Minwax Dark Walnut
Minwax Ebony

this is the main stains I use for martin like finishes.

The Minwax also is a stain and sealer so I can fill right after the staining.

[B. Howard]

I typically do not stain the rosewood, I may stain the neck to match the rosewood.

Yes, They are the same as the ones SM sells, but I get mine from someplace else. Does anyone sell Behlins products on your side of the pond? They supply burn in sticks. There are other products that work well also. One is a filler called Famowood, But I only use the solvent based stuff. The WB does not work as well, it is not as invisible. It is species specific though and matching tropicals with it can be a challenge. Another is Plastic-wood, it is a generic filler that accepts stain and finish well. It is best on light woods like spruce and maple but it can be tinted with a few drops of stain to get a good match on darker wood. You could always finish first and then drop fill the remaining gaps before sanding and buffing.

[Zen]

Ahh yes , Good I found a place in the UK that sells Behlin products Brian so i will check that out.
Thanks for the tip
Rusty

[Zen]

Ok, I got out the Z poxy and Pore filled the Rosewood parlor back and sides. It went on pretty smooth and I followed all the available advise regarding its application. It took quite some time to cure and was a little sticky--not wet- even after 6 hours but anyway I left it overnight to be on the safe side.
Today I am sanding it back and hopefully leaving some of the pores filled until I get a second coat on there .--I assume thats the correct procedure ?
It has taken me some hours of sanding to get it smooth as i would like it to be --is that normal ?
There are still quite a few Shiny areas left here and there

My question is -Do I have to completely sand off all of the visible shiny epoxy before applying a second coat ?

Hope there are some expert finishers reading this

Thanks Guys

[B. Howard]

You need to either leave a thin cost of epoxy covering the entire surface or sand it all back so it is only left in the pores. Otherwise your finish will turn out spotty. Two applications is a minimum, sometimes it takes three to get everything filled.

[johnnparchem]

...It has taken me some hours of sanding to get it smooth as i would like it to be --is that normal ?
There are still quite a few Shiny areas left here and there

...

You may be leaving too much on in your application. Use a good squeegee to remove as much of the excess zpoxy as you can. If using a squeegee, clean the squeegee as you go with DA and a rag to help in removing the extra zpoxy. I actually use a straight edge razor blade that I grind back the edge to make a scraper and use in to take away the excess zpoxy. Also my guess is that your shinny areas are low areas in the wood itself basically not sanded flat. If you just have a few areas you will probably fill those areas with zpoxy so the back and sides are level.