dansk Posted July 16, 2005 Report Share Posted July 16, 2005 hey everyone, i've been lurking around for a while, mostly reading and checking out the great work that's being done here on pg (although i have posted on some ocasions).. a while ago me and a friend decided to try and build ourselves a couple of guitars (actually, just the bodies). so we went out and got ourselves a nice imbuya board long enough to do two two-piece bodies. we got the blanks glued up fine and cut out the outline. as of now we're not having much time to get on with the build (he goes to university a few hours away), so we're stuck on the routing (which started out pretty good for a first time). so, while we don't have time to actually make some dust, i'm stuck doing research for the next steps.. the one i know the least about being the finishing. well after all this babbling, here's my actual question(s): - after being planed down to thickness and lightly sanded the wood feels pretty damn smooth (imbuya is an awsome wood). anyone know if imbuya needs grain filling? my guess would be no. - there are a few small knots and a superficial cracks that we have no idea of how to fill... my friend suggested we make a mixture of epoxy and imbuya dust and apply that with a syringe or something. does that sound reasonable? - finally, the finish itself. i want to go as close as possible to the natural feel of the wood, so i thought of an oil/wax finish - anyone know if it would be suitable with imbuya? any products you could recommend? i just went on and on about that didn't i? well that's something i do every now and then, hope someone reads it anyway thanks in advance for any help and for all the great information that floating around on this site! -daniel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted July 16, 2005 Report Share Posted July 16, 2005 - after being planed down to thickness and lightly sanded the wood feels pretty damn smooth (imbuya is an awsome wood). anyone know if imbuya needs grain filling? my guess would be no. - there are a few small knots and a superficial cracks that we have no idea of how to fill... my friend suggested we make a mixture of epoxy and imbuya dust and apply that with a syringe or something. does that sound reasonable? - finally, the finish itself. i want to go as close as possible to the natural feel of the wood, so i thought of an oil/wax finish - anyone know if it would be suitable with imbuya? any products you could recommend? ← - I have no clue whether or not it needs grain filling. Look at it from an angle, in good light; if you see pores, they probably need filling. HOWEVER, since you want a 'natural' look and feel to the thing, I'd say don't fill it, no matter whether it needs it or not. - Superglue works nicely for fixing/zapping cracks, knots, etc. Try packing in some imbuya dust, and then dripping some water-thin superglue on it, waiting until it dries, then sanding it back. This can end up looking a bit too 'dark'. I'd 'zap' cracks with water-thin CA on their own first, though, to help stabilize them, then fill the gaps with whatever method you want. Two seperate issues. Other gap filling method: mix up some epoxy/sawdust. Try various amounts of epoxy and dust, until you get the 'right' colour when its dry. Should be able to simply apply it with a spatula/old credit card; probably too thick and goopy for a syringe. Test the 'look' of whatever you do on some scrap first though, to see what works for you in terms of looks. I really don't know how big/small the cracks are. - Oil and Wax is great, the ultimate finish for a 'natural' feel, and the only real way to test if it'll stick is to try it on scrap. Like any other finish, really. I'd probably go with Tru Oil, or a similar polymerized oil finish, over raw tung or similar. If you do decide to oil, ignore any statements about stopping sanding at 320 or 400 grit; the finer you go, the nicer the oil finish will look. I usually go up to 1200, or 0000 steel wool (which can be a pain, since you really, really don't want any steel particles remaining in the finish, oxidizing, and staining the heck out of everything) and then apply oil, maybe 5-8 coats (depending, really. Wipe on, let set, wipe off excess, scrub down between coats with fine steel wool or better, synthetic steel wool), then a coat of paste wax (carnuba/beeswax blend works well, make sure it's got ZERO silicone in it), and buff with an old T-shirt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dansk Posted July 17, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 17, 2005 hey mattia, thanks a bunch dude yeah, i was thinking about just not filling the grain at all. i suppose it just might work out better with a oil/wax finish... about the oil.. is there a generic name for tru-oil (i'm guessing that's a brand name right?). i'm from brazil and it might just be kinda hard to find around... carnauba wax it readily available, since it's commonly used to buff furniture and whatnot... anyone else got any ideas? thanks yet again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted July 17, 2005 Report Share Posted July 17, 2005 hey mattia, thanks a bunch dude yeah, i was thinking about just not filling the grain at all. i suppose it just might work out better with a oil/wax finish... about the oil.. is there a generic name for tru-oil (i'm guessing that's a brand name right?). i'm from brazil and it might just be kinda hard to find around... carnauba wax it readily available, since it's commonly used to buff furniture and whatnot... anyone else got any ideas? thanks yet again ← Ah....TruOil is a gunstock finish that most people in the US reccomend. Sports/Hunting stores have the stuff. Personally, I've used Liberon's Finishing oil, which looks to be more or less the same stuff. Go to a finishing place, and look for something based on tung or linseed oil that provides protection/finishing. As said, pure oil can work, but can take forever to dry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.