Minwax Products

[angry_jeremy]

Anyone used these before? I was thinking the wood putty might work as a grain filler (over mahoghany), then using one of the polyshades for colour then finishing up with either the wipe-on poly or the can poly. I'm having a hell of a time trying to find something good for grain filling. I've looked at the 2-part epoxies but either they're the wrong colour or they're the 5 minute type.

Thanks.

[jamesj]

Anyone used these before?  I was thinking the wood putty might work as a grain filler (over mahoghany), then using one of the polyshades for colour then finishing up with either the wipe-on poly or the can poly.  I'm having a hell of a time trying to find something good for grain filling.  I've looked at the 2-part epoxies but either they're the wrong colour or they're the 5 minute type.

Thanks.  

←

Whats wrong with the 5 minute type? Thats what I'm using. If your "ready" 5 minutes is plenty of time to put it on.

[Doc]

The polyshades products are the moral equivalent of paint. The natural grain and color of the wood will be buried. Bad idea.

You can use five minute epoxy, but you can also mail order either epoxy wood filler or traditional wood filler on line. The five minute type can be tinted to any color that you want, but it's really glue not filler. I know lots of the folks here swear by it as a filler, but not me.

I haven't used the wipe on poly, but last month's Fine Woodworking rated it as the best of the wipe on products that it tested and their articles are usually spot on.

Look at the Guitar Re-ranch web site. They ship to the frozen North.

[angry_jeremy]

but last month's Fine Woodworking rated it as the best of the wipe on products that it tested and their articles are usually spot on

Yeah, I read that article which is what made me think about it. With the five minute stuff, sure you can glomp it on in 5 but to get 'er smoothed out so you don't have to sand for years would take more than a few minutes I would think. I've looked at online stuff but I'd really like to find stuff locally, which is proving to be a pain.

[gripper]

The wipe on poly is a very good product for people like me who don't have much equipment to do anything else. I used the Minwax stain, altough I can't say if it was Polyshade, and it got dark and blotchy in a hurry. Who could ask for anything more? That was the look I was after. Minwax rocks!

[angry_jeremy]

gripper: don't happen to have a pic of the wonderful blotchiness do ya?

[Ledzendrix1128]

I'm about to start clearcoating with minwax. Im hoping its pretty forgiving, does it do well in cold weather? Im gonna try to wait for a nice day, but its only gonna get colder and i dont know how many more opportunities im gonna get till it starts freezing.

[TeiscosRock]

What can you use for color under poly besides stains and dyes?

[vaughn]

im finishing up my project bsb body......i used minwax water stain....and im using the polyurethene minwax brand clear coat spray can......its pretty easy to use.... i have sprayed 7 coats so far.and its starting to feel thick....probably going to spray atleast one more......

two cans for one body.........plus i found..if something gets in it while your spraying.....including a nat or hair.........if you let it dry for about thirty minutes....you can take your wet finger..and rub against the problem spot lightly to remove whatever it is....worked good for me

you can spray it.... outside ....but after a few sec's to let the fumes go...i take mine inside and leave it hanging on the shower rod.i think the cold might make it cloudy looking

Edited November 26, 2005 by vaughn

[thrakkor]

i'm by no means an expert but....

are you set on a poly finish? if not, what about a wet sanded danish oil finish? wet sanding with the oil will create a slurry of oil and wood to create a paste that will be the correct color and can fill whatever pores you need......

my steps doing this so far are:

sand 60 grit

rub in oil

let stand for a bit

wipe off oil

let dry (1 or more days)

repeated with 100, 150, 220 grits.......

then wet sand (oil) with 320 and 600 grit (already as smooth as h$%l)

note, this is NOT a glossy finish, but very satiny.

next step will be the watco satin wax and then Howard's carnuba/orange and beeswax

i'm using this method on a Jazz bass clone with a brazilian ash/flamed lauro canela body and a mighty mite maple/maple neck........yes my first is an "assembly" and i plan on working up to scratch builds as my confidence grows.........

i found this (or similar methods) online in various places.

otherwise i've had good luck using Minwax satin poly (wipe on) on a couple refinishes... i've had blotchy results with a cherry stain and that bass is on the list for the danish oil treatment....

anyways, HTH

jackie

[angry_jeremy]

yeah, kinda looking for a shiny finish I think

[GodBlessTexas]

I've used the wipe-on poly for refinishing a few necks, and I liked it, though I used the satin variety. The feel of the necks I've refinished in it have been really, really smooth and fast, so I'm happy. I sand to 320, then apply the first coat, allow to cure for 2 hours, then rub down with 0000 steel wool or 1000 grit sandpaper and then apply another coat until I've achieved 5 coats.

Remember the Alamo, and God Bless Texas...

[ddgman2001]

If there's a Benjamin Moore dealer in your area, they make a grain filler.

[angry_jeremy]

Benjamin Moore, eh? It's just called grain filler? I thought they were more into house paint stuff. If that stuff works, I could prolley get a hold of some. Have you used it before?

[MzI]

the way I do it is take some 5 min epoxy is I mix the color I want with alcohol based dye or a compatiable paint, last time I used testors model paint and it worked fine. Then I thinned the mix with acetone to make it easier to spread and gives it a longer working time, this also increases the dry time but its easier to work and less sanding afterwards. As for Minwax poly on a guitar Id recommend not using it. Using the satin for a neck is fine it actually works quite well but using the gloss out of a can for the body not such a good idea. The last build I did I used it, I will be stripping the guitar this summer and spraying it properly. The stuff is increbily soft scratches easily chips dents and its really not that easy to fix you cant just put more poly on because the layers dont blend together they just lay ontop of each other.

MzI

[angry_jeremy]

Ah, I like the model paint idea as well as the acetone. These are all things I have. I'll be trying that on some scrap as soon as I can. Thanks MzI.