GluBoost Filler

The Achilles' Heel of Luthiery
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Bob Gleason
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GluBoost Filler

Post by Bob Gleason »

I've seen some people talking about using GluBoost as a grain filler. I use it to save my behind during lacquer finishing, and it's pretty good for that. Seems like it might be a little pricey to use as a filler. Their Fill n' Finish is a very strange product and certainly not like super glue, but it certainly has some good uses. I'm interested in any creative way you might be using it.Thanks-Bob
Diane Kauffmds
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Re: GluBoost Filler

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

It's awful expensive for pore filler. I've just used the accelerator. It works great after using ca glue. But, if I have a repair or a specific thing I need glued, like a nut, I use ca on the wood and gluboost on the nut. It makes it self clamping, even long after the accelerator is dry. I think it makes the ca even harder.

I have a bunch of mop and abalone veneer sheets. They're too thin to inlay and sand. I've experimented with inlaying it below the surface of the fretboard, then filling with ca glue over it. The gluboost was indispensable. It set up the layers of ca glue covering all inlays (I filled 3x, covering all inlay). You'd never know that the inlay is below the wood surface. So far, after a good 18+ months, it's not scratched by strings. It polished right up.
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Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
carld05
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Location: Forest Ranch, CA

Re: GluBoost Filler

Post by carld05 »

Diane,
What CA did you use over the inlay, brand and consistency? I've got some side purfling that is recessed and I don't want to sand the side and binding down anymore (the side was laminated). Thanks, Carl
Bob Gleason
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Re: GluBoost Filler

Post by Bob Gleason »

Diane-I had a friend, who has passed away, who routinely did his ab purfling using those super thin sheets and filling over it with superglue in the manor you described. Always seemed like a lot of work to me, but it made the materials very cheap and that worked for him. GluBoost accelerator is a great product compared to other ones I have tried. The non foaming aspect, the fact that it seems to work across brands, and that it does not do anything weird to lacquer are all things I appreciate about it. I still use regular accelerator quite a bit because it is way cheaper, and works fine for many projects.For many things, I use Starbond superglue, which is also a great product, but for repairs on finishes the various Gluboost products are pretty cool. Hard to tell what all this stuff actually is. I just saw an ad for someone marketing "Luthier's Super Glue" at a crazy price. I guess the secret is out. All luthiers are rich!-Bob
Diane Kauffmds
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Re: GluBoost Filler

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

carld05 wrote: Fri Apr 23, 2021 5:34 pm Diane,
What CA did you use over the inlay, brand and consistency? I've got some side purfling that is recessed and I don't want to sand the side and binding down anymore (the side was laminated). Thanks, Carl
I use Stick Fast thin ca glue.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B009356B92/re ... VZ668KWZS2
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
Diane Kauffmds
Posts: 3246
Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Re: GluBoost Filler

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

Bob, boy isn't that the truth! Anything marketed for luthiers is astronomically priced.

I bought quite a few veneer sheets a long time ago, when I first got started doing this several years ago, not realizing how hard they were to work. They're more for overlaying, not inlay. The upside is that I have a lot of different types and colors of shell for design that I wouldn't otherwise own.

First, I tried gluing the sheets to thin wood which stabilized them for cutting, but any amount of sanding went right through them. I finally got the idea of inlaying below the surface, then flooding with ca. It works.

I have Starbond accelerator, which works great with no foaming. But it contains acetone, which will damage finishes. I have to cover any finish before spraying. For inlay on a fb, it's fantastic. But, Gluboost doesn't damage finish, even old lacquer. I've decided to keep both in the shop.

I buy laminated pearl sheets now, which are basically the same thing, except they consist of several sheets bonded together. It's much cheaper than solid pearl, but I can still get different colors and patterns of shell. They come in sheets, just like the veneer, usually ~ 9" x 5", and I can choose thickness on a lot of it. They can be sanded a little without ruining their patterns or color.

This is a good source. They have good customer service. I find the 1mm to 1.3mm sheets to be plenty thick.

http://mopsupplies.mobile034.com/c/1719 ... heets.html
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
Bob Gleason
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Re: GluBoost Filler

Post by Bob Gleason »

Diane- Interesting site. Cheap prices. I buy from MOP Supplies in Australia. Just an interesting side note. 10-12 years ago Fish & Wildlife stopped one of my shipments and gave me the choice of a stiff fine or get a legal an import license. I am the only person that I know that has happened to. So now I'm paranoid about importing any shell with out using my license. It costs me $100.00 per year for the license and $93.00 per shipment import fees no matter how large or small the order is. As long as I keep my orders to $1000.00 or so, it still works out price wise. So, I had to develop a little side business to allow me to make orders that big and get what I need for myself. Hopefully that does not happen to anyone else. F & W is not all that friendly!
Diane Kauffmds
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Re: GluBoost Filler

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

Bob, I'm experimenting with coloring resin to look like mop or abalone, specifically for this reason. Yours is not the only story I've heard, esp since MOP has been added to CITES and Lacy.

I'll do a write up for the forum when I figure out the right way of making it. The resin I have is good for filling, but it's not the right type to make a sheet to cut shapes, like traditional shell. I have to get a polyester or polyurethane resin. I'm ordering some this week.

If it works out as it should, I won't be buying shell anymore. It's almost indistinguishable from mop or abalone. I'll have to see how it cuts.

Here's a YouTube video of what I'm talking about. He's making pen blanks. I'm making sheets that are 1.5 to 2mm thick. I have the different interference powders and black coloring for "abalone". I also have a large set of different colors of mica powders for a more monochromatic look.

I'm getting ready to do a vine inlay that I've designed. I'll be using these materials, so we'll all see how it works out.

https://youtu.be/kzfDMmRz_9U
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
Bob Gleason
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Re: GluBoost Filler

Post by Bob Gleason »

Diane - I have a friend who does exactly what you ae talking about. He can make very realistic waterfalls, lava, ocean water, and other things. Opens up many possibilities. He's pretty secretive about the process, but the results I've seen are spectacular and impossible to pull off by inlaying just natural materials. Good luck!-Bob
Diane Kauffmds
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Joined: Sun Mar 09, 2014 8:13 pm

Re: GluBoost Filler

Post by Diane Kauffmds »

I won't be quite so secretive Bob. I'm designing a fretboard that will use all of these techniques. I plan on writing an article for ASIA, which I'll share here. I'm still learning the ins and outs. But, I'll be blogging the fretboard soon. The concept drawing is done, but needs cleaning up.
Diane Kauffmann
Country Roads Guitars
countryroadsguitars@gmail.com
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