GuitarMaestro

Makes sense - good to know that this is not an option with the wipe-on.

Hi Scott! Good tip concerning the witness lines - makes sense. So far I only did nitro finishes where this is not a problem,

Durability sounds good then! Concerning spraying poly i found several tutorials stating the following: If you want to apply several coats and you want them to bond chemically and not mechanically, the timespan between coats has to be short (10-15 minutes for the Spraymax 2K for example). Most of them spray several coats in short succession and then they wait, sand and then apply several coats again, etc. Might be possible with wipe-on as well?

Thanks for your answers. Concerning spraying poly - it seems it can be done in a similar way than nitro: Jeremy sprays about 10+ coats and sands in between. I don't know if the individual layers melt together (probably not) but Jeremy at least does not warn about sanding/buffing through the top coat...

Really well written and great tutorial Andy! Thanks alot for taking the time! You write about the wipe-on poly: It will never look quite the same as a well applied and properly buffed spray finish It isn't as tough as a commercial poly finish - but it is tough! How would you say it compares to a SprayCan 2K poly finish? When you say it will never look quite the same than a sprayed finish - what are the main differences?

Thanks for your answer Scott. I knew that tutorial already - it's great btw. But he writes about the wipe-on poly: It will never look quite the same as a well applied and properly buffed spray finish It isn't as tough as a commercial poly finish - but it is tough! So my question was aimed at finding the best way to get a poly finish without a spray gun / compressor. I will probably get a better finish with the SprayMax 2K spray cans than with the wipe-on I think?

Hi there, What's currently the best option to get a high gloss poly clear coat without the use of a compressor / spray gun? Probably still the SprayMax 2K clear? Or are there better options in a spray can? What about these wipe-on poly finishes? Can they really come close to a proffessional finish? Many thanks in advance!!

Am I right in my assumption that the figure of curly maple looks better/more intense when flatsawn? I am talking about a neck blank here. I have to buy some blanks without seeing them before and I have the choice between flatsawn and quatersawn. I know that quatersawn blanks are more stable for neck use, but I am only interested in the figure here as I use CF rods and bubinga stripes anyway....

Thanks for the answers!

Thanks for your answers. What I get from your answers: It seems you have to be trained as a luthier or at least have more expirience than what I have from building a couple of guitars a year to correctly "read the wood". I'll try to get a sugar maple blank from a seller that I can trust and compare it to a piece of birdseye to make sure it is what I bought. If I build the neck out of curly sugar maple, laminated with bubinga stripes I guess most pieces will be suiltable. If not what do I have to look for?

I was absent from building guitars for some years now and most people I used to buy maple tops from are gone out of business or have ridiculous prices. On the bay for example the only seller left with quality stuff is buzzsaw and they are very expensive. Any recommendations where you can good prices/quality for quilted maple tops at the moment? It has to be online shops as I am in Germany and figured maple is not a very common wood in this country.... Thanks in advance for any hints!

How suited is flame/curly maple for necks? Some years ago I built a neck out of a nice quatersawn curly maple piece laminated with two 10mm stripes of Bubinga. To this day it is not really a stable neck. If the weather/humidty changes I have to readjust the bow of the neck alot....especially between winter/summer. I never found out if the curly piece was bigleaf or rock maple(the seller didn't know), so it could very well be soft maple. I am thinking about building another neck out of curly maple and bubinga stripes. My question: Is curly ROCK maple suited for building necks? Or do I have to expect the same problems again? And how can I determine if a certain piece is bigleaf or rock maple myself without having to trust the seller's claims.... P.s.: I guess there is a reason that most guitar companies only offer birdseye or plain maple necks? I never saw a really curly/flamed maple neck on a production guitar.

Thanks again for the answers! I already read about that in another thread and I think that's what I will try next time. Not a single kerf but a series of parallel kerfs to the underside of the top at the angle where the arm scarf will be bent. I really wonder why this is not recommended as "the" way to do it. This way you dont have to use much force/heat/water to bend the top and the wood is free of unwanted tensions afterwards. @fryovanni: Thanks for that detalied post. Made me think about some things differently. Very informative!

Thanks for the advice. @fryovanni: Good tip, but I wouldn't have any other use for the blanket. Sp do you think it will be impossible to remove the top with a simple electric iron? @WezV: So is "cooking" part of the top for 20 minutes a bad idea in general? It usually worked perfectly for me. Should I have put the whole top in hot water and not only part of it, so that it expands and shrinks the same everywhere? Or is it generally better to use an electric iron with steam function and not to put in water at all? @Guitar WIll: Good idea. I already thought about trying to hide the cracks that way and if I dont succeed in removing the other half of the top without destroying it I will give it a try....

I have never tried to use quilted bubinga for a neck. I laminate most of my necks from figured maple and unfigured bubinga and from that I know that bubinga is a DAMN hard and rigid wood. So I could imagine it is stable enough even with the quilt figure. I myself would take the risk and try it, but I would use CF rods. Another problem might be the weight though. I would definately keep Mattia's advice in mind: Look closely how it behaves. I would plane it to proper dimensions and then let it sit for about a week and check if it has any tenedies to move/warp.