Finishing Update

Questions and answers for beginners. If you have a question, so do most other people.
Diane Kauffmds
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Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Re: Finishing Update

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

As John pointed out, you must let the sealer dry completely, then the AC coats must be thoroughly dry. When I use the squeegee, I allow it to dry overnight, just to make sure. But I like using the paper towel. You can accomplish your goal either way.

But as long as the wood is sealed first, you won't get shrinkage with shellac or nitro.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
TEETERFAN
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Joined: Fri Sep 07, 2018 12:43 pm
Location: Kansas City, MO

Re: Finishing Update

Post by TEETERFAN »

Sounds good. Over the years, when I shoot nitro, I apply thin coats, which gas out quicker, and double or triple the advised drying times between coats. Sounds like a similar strategy with the Aqua Coat works well. Thanks for the advice.
Kevin Doty
Kansas City
tippie53
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Re: Finishing Update

Post by tippie53 »

nitro formulas vary a bit from one manufacture to another.
I stopped using Mowhawk and wend with AKZO I found out Martin uses this one and shirwinn williams
I has some issues with Mowhawk lately .

I spray a good wet coat but allow 2 hrs between coats agree too heavy a coat isn't good. Apply about .012 before leveling. I use tape at the fretboard extension and place peel offs to measure build that way
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
TEETERFAN
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Re: Finishing Update

Post by TEETERFAN »

Tape on the fretboard extension area is a great idea. Shooting an electric body or a neck is easier, because thickness won’t hinder the sound, just spray on plenty. Can’t do that on a acoustic body, so your tape method will certainly help me gauge what is actually on there. Thanks
Kevin Doty
Kansas City
Stray Feathers
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Re: Finishing Update

Post by Stray Feathers »

This has been a very timely thread for me. Apologies for this lengthy post: I am using AquaCoat for the first time, and put some questions to the forum in the Finishing section ("Pore Filling Bubinga") but I will continue those thoughts here. I had problems with grain lines that had solid whitish residue in them. I followed instructions carefully, let the AC dry a couple of hours at least, and often overnight. Weather here has been hot, and I wonder if the AC skinned over quickly, leaving uncured stuff underneath? I also wondered if it was glue smears (from binding) that I could not remove from the grain lines. In any event, I picked out and blew out the sanding dust, and picked and scraped out the hard stuff. I thought maybe some of the lines were too big to be filled with pore filler, so I mixed epoxy with bubinga dust and filled some of those. I decided to try tinting the AC to cover and maybe stain the residual white stuff, so I used Mixol black, which worked. I just did touch ups, not the whole surface - I was afraid of staining purflings. I used a flexible plastic mixing stick (a bag full came with some epoxy I bought). Still there were open grain lines after sanding. I probably did a total of six or more coats, using a cloth, a credit card, the touch up stick and the yellow squeegee thingy in one photo (which is nice to use but not sure it does any good . . .) Then I found some hazy spots, I think improperly sanded AC from the surface, so I sanded that all back, redid some of the filling, touched up again with stained AC, more sealer coats, etc. etc. etc. I feel like there was no simple perfect way to do this, but a little perseverance and flexibility helped, and I feel a little more in control. Hearing how other people handle it has been VERY helpful. The bubinga back is not primo tonewood; maybe it just was cranky wood. The second guitar I was working on, a rosewood dreadnought, was much more straightforward, with only a little white streaking, which was covered with stained AC easily. Today, both guitars finally got their first three coats of lacquer, so I'll see what the future holds! Bruce W.
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Diane Kauffmds
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Re: Finishing Update

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

I'm glad it's working out for you.

I've learned to pretty much ignore the directions on the container for the AC. It never worked out for me. I had those darn white specs which never seem to go away, unless they're sanded out. I quit using it for a while.

The only time you can sand after an hour or two is if the AC is applied very, very thinly. It works to use a squeegee or credit card, if you take off as much of the surface AC as possible. If the pores are deep, I allow it to dry overnight. I'm cautious now.

A paper towel, even dampened, works for me. But, you just can't rush finishing.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
phavriluk
Posts: 554
Joined: Mon Jul 09, 2012 9:49 pm

Re: Finishing Update

Post by phavriluk »

Diane, I agree. I've found that you can't rush anything. Sometimes (like EVERY time) the shortest path to accomplishing what I want is to do what it takes to do a step right and then walk away. Go read a book, go to bed, pet the cat. Pick up the next morning with the prior step finished and the project waiting for the next step after that. If I want to do more shop time, I work on other projects and wait on the prime project to lose its anxiety edge. I've saved a whole bunch of guitar building time by reading my books and practicing playing.
peter havriluk
Diane Kauffmds
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Re: Finishing Update

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

Peter, ain't that the truth. The fastest path to finishing is to do it at the pace that it needs to be done. I'll guarantee that if you try to rush it, or skimp on a step, it'll take 2x as long to correct it, or you'll end up starting over.

Patience is a virtue.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
MaineGeezer
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Joined: Wed Aug 13, 2014 12:14 pm

Re: Finishing Update

Post by MaineGeezer »

"There is never time to do it right, but always time to do it over." -- Somebody or other
Don't believe everything you know.
Anything is possible if you don't know what you are talking about.
When things are bad, try not to make them any worse, because it is quite likely they are bad enough already. - French Foreign Legion
sjhouska
Posts: 19
Joined: Thu Feb 24, 2022 1:09 pm

Re: Finishing Update

Post by sjhouska »

Kevin's finishing booth looks workable and roomy. For my booth, my wife indulged me and allowed me to use our guest bathroom - I hung the body and neck from the shower rod. Worked great for my Tru Oil applications because the Tru Oil was not messy.

I had the misfortune of discovering what may be an excellent booth idea. My misfortune is/was water damage to drywall on my TV room ceiling. The company doing the abatement/restoration installed a floor-to-ceiling containment area to prevent mold spores from escaping while removing damaged drywall, spraying anti-biologic chemicals on the joists, etc. They dispose the containment room after a single use, due to mold, chemicals, etc.

Anyway, the product they use for the containment would make an excellent temporary finishing booth. It's fairly thick plastic that could be put up and taken down multiple times without damage, zippered doors for easy entry/exit, and you could make it as large or small as you'd like in a basement, garage, etc. I am not sure where you would purchase such a containment room product, but someone is selling them to the restoration companies (Service Master, Rapid Response, ServPro, etc). Perhaps a local restoration company would be willing to sell one of theirs out of inventory?

I completed my Martin 000 kit build last summer. It's not much to look at, as I have never done any wood finishing before and didn't fully appreciate the objective of pore filler, nor what pore-filled wood should look like before applying the finish. In hindsight the 5 coats of Aqua Coat did not adequately fill the rosewood's pores, despite my following the Robert O'Brien video and also the instructions on the Aqua Coat container re application. I am also a bit disappointed in the Tru Oil finish. I am not necessarily blaming the product, as I am sure my applications of the 10+ coats on the body and 9 or so coats on the neck, could have been done much better. Perhaps one day I will sand it down and re-finish.

But, other than some slight string buzzing when I do "drop" tunings (I am going to solicit some advice in a separate posting), I am very happy with my guitar's sound. Yay! I truly am very grateful for all of the support and input I received from this forum and its members.
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