Filling And Staining Question

[Mike M]

I have done many guitars in the past, but the one I am working on could be the best so far. I am taking more time to make sure I don't screw anything up. In the past, I have used Pore o Pac filler for the mahogany. am considering try an epoxy pore filler this time. Is the epoxy stuff any good or should I go with the solvent based product? Secondly, I want to finish the guitar in a tiger eye color for the top and possibly stain the flamed maple neck the same color. I have read different posts here for tips, but never really seemed to find the consensus for that type of finish. I have tried staining scrap with black, sand it back and then going to a medium brown finish, sanding back, apply another medium brown coat, and the finishing it with a yellow/brown . It gets close, but not close enough. Any thing I am doing wrong? The color comes out more red/brown than the tiger eye color. Thanks for any tips you can give me.

[mikhailgtrski]

To quote Rodney, the Stain-Master:

"To get tiger eye, you do dark brown, sand out. Brown again in a lighter pass, then a top coat of yellow."

I tested this and it works:

- Use a very dark brown (like 1 part dye to 4 parts H20) for the first pass, then sand it back pretty good - kinda like this: sand back

- The 2nd pass should be diluted brown (1:48 or thereabouts).

- Then add yellow until you get the effect you want.

The amount of brown you apply (and how much you sand back) will determine how light or dark your tiger eye turns out.

Sounds like you are using too much brown. Don't mix your brown & yellow for the top coat - apply them in separate passes. And don't use black - yellow over black will give you a greenish cast!

I don't know if you'll be able to stain the neck the same way (assuming you're talking about the neck shaft, not a peghead veneer) - rock maple doesn't soak up stain like western maple.

I haven't used epoxy for grain filling, so I'll defer to the experts.

Mike

[Setch]

Epoxy is great for grain filling - much better IMO than any solvent based fillers, since it cures by chemical reaction it doesn't shrink like a solvent base.

My personal favorite is Devcon 2 tone 30 minute. Slow enough that it won't go gummy on you before you've got it spread out, fast enough that you can cut it back the next day, and it's wets the wood beautifully, and dries super clear. I apply with a flexible putty spreader, being carefull to work it as flat as possible, then scuff with 320 till it's all been hit with the paper. I don't go back to bare wood, this exposes more pores, and the lacquer sticks to the epoxy without any trouble.

[Mike M]

Where can you buy the epoxy?

Thanks

[Drak]

You can also thin those 2-part epoxies with Acetone to get the consistency a bit more runny so it sinks into the smaller pores, but the more Acetone you add, the longer the cure time, so there is a 'bridgepoint' of Acetone to curing time that you don't want to cross, if you know what I mean. 50/50 is MAX, and I wouldn't recommend even getting that close, but it does help, as those 2-parters are a bit thick. Just a dropperful or two thins it out quite well, and doesn't impede the cure too much.

Mix your 2 parts together well, then mix in the Acetone.

[Setch]

That's another reason I like the Devcon - it's thick enough not to run all over the place, but thin enough to penetrate well and pop the grain. I applied some to some ribbon striped mahogany last week and....wow!

I get mine from www.modelfixings.co.uk , but I'm sure you can find a local supplier with a little nosing around - it's a farily common brand.

[Mike M]

It actually worked. Looks great. Noe for the next question. What color should I do the back with? It is mahogany and the neck will be flamed maple with Rosewood. Any recipies?

Thanks

[warped]

You can also thin those 2-part epoxies with Acetone to get the consistency a bit more runny so it sinks into the smaller pores, but the more Acetone you add, the longer the cure time, so there is a 'bridgepoint' of Acetone to curing time that you don't want to cross, if you know what I mean. 50/50 is MAX, and I wouldn't recommend even getting that close, but it does help, as those 2-parters are a bit thick. Just a dropperful or two thins it out quite well, and doesn't impede the cure too much.

Mix your 2 parts together well, then mix in the Acetone.

I've also read (some wher on this forum) about adding (Testors?) paint to the mixture above... I've gotta say, I'm excited to try it!

I recently filled my 1st body using epoxy (5 min) and it was a mess! It got sticky a little faster than I would have liked, it was pretty bumpy. I should have focused on smaller areas while doing it