Interesting how the shiny spots in the open pores disappear after the 3rd coat of epoxy.
Fourth guitar - Panama Exocet
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- #82
Epoxy fills the pores and the light sanding dulls the surface so it isn't shiny any more. Some luthiers use simple dry wall compound as pore filler- often dyed to match the wood color. You can also buy paste that is sold as pore fillers, most often for furniture makers who want that glassy finish. We like the epoxy because it's easier, less messy, and doesn't build as much residue. A little harder to sand but also less likely to sand through to bare wood again, which can result in a blotchy finish.
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My guitar coach called me today asking a big favor - he wanted to buy the 000 case I just bought. He sold a left handed cut away he made some time ago and wanted to get it gone so he could get paid. I said sure, just replace it when you can. The timing works great because when I dropped off the case, he inspected the pore fill and gave me the go ahead to start french polishing!! So the body can't be put in a case for some time anyway. I moved one of my mobile work stations inside downstairs, cut a piece of nice clean carpet to cover the top, got my shellac all mixed and filtered (didn't really need to filter but I did anyway), and got my cheese cloth and linen ready to make the applicator pad. So tomorrow I'll start. I'll take some before, during and after pics if anyone is interested.
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Absolutely, pictures are cool ! That's why I don't take many.
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- #85
Had an hour or so before the lasagna was done so decided to get started. The french polish technique starts with lots of very thin layers of 1 - 1.5lb cut shellac. The purpose is to begin building a layer of shellac that will later be polished. One of the nice things about this method is you can start and stop at any time. Just remember where you left off - and even that isn't too important at this stage. All I'm trying to do is build a layer of shellac. Obviously the more even it is the better but streaks and stuff aren't a worry at this point. Here's a shot of the back after I started applying the very first few passes of shellac (the left side has shellac, the right does not). It darkens the rosewood a little but I think it really helps bring out the contrast in the grain and between the rosewood and the cocobolo binding.
First coat on left side definitely shows a depth to it. I’ve read up on French polishing, and it is a process not to be rushed, but the results are amazing. Your first photo clearly demonstrates the initial desired results. Excellent! Chuck
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- #87
Starting to build a nice shellac layer now. I think I've put on 5 or 6 pads worth - you fill the pad, squeeze out excess, then lightly wipe on shellac until the pad starts to feel a little dry or it starts to stick. I really like the color of the rosewood. Much lighter than how dark the epoxy pore fill made it look.
I use a video lesson by a guy named O'Brien as my method. He recommends using just the inner pad for this step, which is just cheesecloth. But my cheesecloth must be cheap because I was getting a few tiny filaments and fibers of cloth, so I wrapped my little pad of cheesecloth in linen and used that instead. Later, that same pad will be what I use to level and polish the shellac layer.
I use a video lesson by a guy named O'Brien as my method. He recommends using just the inner pad for this step, which is just cheesecloth. But my cheesecloth must be cheap because I was getting a few tiny filaments and fibers of cloth, so I wrapped my little pad of cheesecloth in linen and used that instead. Later, that same pad will be what I use to level and polish the shellac layer.
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That’s beautiful.