Advanced sanding?

[deadedith]

Ok, I maybe need some instruction, going back to basics.
John, you mentioned that you never go beyond 220 grit.
At 220, no matter how diligent I am, using the best paper I can get my hands on, if I wet down the wood I will see many tiny scratches.
I usually have to go to 600 or 800 for any satisfaction.
What am I doing wrong?
DaveB

[tippie53]

that won't show up . You are giving the material to bite into. If you make the surface too fine the finish won't hold . The tiny scratches you see will hide under the filling and finish.

[deadedith]

That's good to hear. Thank you John!
DaveB

[Haggis]

Do you sand the body with 120 grit => 180 grit => 220?
Would that be good enough?
/Häggis

[nehsgolfer]

I have a (dumb) question to ask. I don't know a lot about wood, but rosewood, mahagony, etc. are very porous, I know. How deep do the pores go into the wood?? Could you sand enough to get below the bottom of the pores to where the wood is smooth and not have to pore fill???

[deadedith]

Haggis - a good 120-150-180-220 sanding will do the job. You can go higher with some finishes - with the Tru-Oil I go up to 1200 or higher - but 220 will give a dazzling finish with nitro and other finishes.
Always do a test run on a piece of scrap. You don't want to be guessing and saying "I hope this works" - you want to KNOW that it will work, when you start on your instrument.

Golfer - look on the inside of your back and sides. Pores. The dang things do not go away.

[tippie53]

pores in the wood are continuous and you can't sand them smooth. They do need to be filled

[JRHall]

The pores disappear when you come out the other side.

[naccoachbob]

I have a (dumb) question to ask. I don't know a lot about wood, but rosewood, mahagony, etc. are very porous, I know. How deep do the pores go into the wood?? Could you sand enough to get below the bottom of the pores to where the wood is smooth and not have to pore fill???

The pores run in and out and up and down in the wood. They are not on one static surface, so you can't get "below" them.

[Woody OKeefe]

I disagree,

Pores do not need to be filled. It is a personal choice which does not affect the tone of the guitar. The pores are a natural part of wood and filling them with various substances is not necessary. I get a smooth and (according to John Hall) shiny finish and I am happy with that. Bob Taylor said something like. .. If I could fine the guy who came up with pore fill and a gloss (or glass) finish I would shoot him.

Just my .02