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I know for most of you sanding is something that is very basic, but for someone like myself who does not have years of wood working experience I'm not 100% sure on everything as far as sanding goes. There seems to be alot of discussion on final finish sanding ( and I can understand why) but not much on sanding prep before finish. So here goes some questions.....Sanding blocks. what sizes, what materials and for what part of the guitar? soundboard....when in your process do you sand and seal, and do you use sanding sealers?I've read that for soundboards you don't want to sand directly with the grain, more at a 45 degree angle, correct? And (I know I shouldn't start a sentence with and) I'm considering using Tru-oil for this guitar so I'll probably want to sand to a higher grade than normal. I'm currently looking into what pore filler to use if any one has a suggestion. I've read on here that Jonathan Kinkeade has a great process for using tru oil. Can this be found in his book "Build Your Own Guitar" ?

Kyle - as to the tru-oil
You can sand as high as you want with the TO, since adhesion is not a problem.

As for pore filling, I suggest sanding the back and sides to 150, then using 150 to sand in a mixture of 1/3 TO and 2/3 naptha or mineral spirits - this creates a slurry that, as you sand, will get into the pores. You wipe of the excess with a shop towel, let it dry, then sand dry to 220, the sand in the mixture with 220 and wipe of the excess. Usually the pores are filled by this time but if not, simply repeat the 220 process. The naptha evaporates quickly, and the little bit of TO dries quickly as well, so this is a quick, not messy, exact match process that works great. From that point you can sand to any grit you want and then begin applying coats of the TO.


There will be input from other members as well, and you can trust the sponsors and the real experienced builders, they won't give any bad advice.

thanks for the input Dave.

Kyle: If you are using Tru Oil as a finish be careful about using zpoxy for a pore filler. You may get away with using a shellac seal coat in between. I and others have had a problem of the neck getting rough and fuzzy like after some use. I like oil on the neck but am changing over to a regular pore filler.I use nitro on the body.
Tom

Kyle,

You should always use a block of some sort when you sand. If you sand bare handed, you risk sanding little valleys and such into your work. I use a 3"x5" block of MDF covered on one side with cork. The cork I used is about 1/4" thick and comes in 12"x12" tiles. It gives enough not to mess up my work. I rounded all of the corners of the cork as well so it wont dig into any obstacles on the wood surface. not sure if this was necessary, but I did it. I sealed the block with some thinned lacquer to protect it from water when I wet sand with it.
On the sides, I use a double thick layer of the same cork. I glued two sheets together with some Titebond and cut smaller pieces off of it to fit into the waist curve nicely. The outside curves of the bouts are easy to sand with a flexible or rigid block.
Do not put pressure on your sanding block. Let the weight of the block and the grit of the paper do the work. Pushing on the sandpaper will only cause deeper scratches that you will have to work harder to get out with your next grit. Using a lot of pressure on low grits will cause deep gouges that will show up at the worst time. Like when you start to apply your finish.
I hope this helps.

Tony

thanks Tony. on the first guitar i did I used a peice of 1 1/2 pvc pipe wrapped in cork. work well in the waist area. the double layer of cork sounds like a better option for the side curves on the upper and lower bouts.