Clear Coats On Mahogany

[araz]

Hi group,

I'm thinking of finishing my next project with only clear coats on mahogany, ie no staining. The guitar, already in progress, will have front and back african mahogany and will be grain filled (and maybe sanding sealer) The neck is also mahogany because I want to have a consistent look from the back. The fingerboard is rosewood.

I already tested the clear coats of polyurethane on a scrap piece of mahogany and it looks very good... but I'm worried that a whole guitar done this way may look too "woodsy".

Can anyone show me an example of all mahogany clear coated guitar?

Araz

[wardd]

I found this picture of a mahogany PRS for you.

I have a mahogany '65 SG Junior I refinished to natual and I think it looks fine.

Good Luck,

d ward

[Southpa]

This is my first build, all honduran mahogany. I first covered it in red mahogany stain then sanded it back. This enhanced and helped to fill the grain. Then I proceeded to cover in Minwax clear gloss rattlecan poly.

[araz]

Thanks guys. These look good.

Araz

[Mattia]

The body on this one is African mahogany (Khaya), neck is honduran. Just a few wash coats of blonde shellac to pop the grain, no stain, clearcoats only. I love the look, and it should age well:

[Setch]

Quartersawn african mahogany - no stain of dye, just an epoxy grainfill and clearcoats.

[Phil Mailloux]

Very nice gloss to that guitar Mattia, what's your wet sanding/buffing routine?

[Mattia]

Very nice gloss to that guitar Mattia, what's your wet sanding/buffing routine?

Thanks! That guitar's finished with Target's USL (StewMac Colortone waterbased), levelled, wetsandended with 1200 and 1500 grit, and buffed with stewmac's medium and fine compounds on foam pads mounted in a handheld drill. Finish off with hand polishing using Meguiars Show Car Glaze. The neck's shellac, wiped on, no grain fill, no polishing.

Edited April 20, 2006 by mattia

[Phil Mailloux]

Thanks for the tip, Meguiar's one of the products I can get locally that I've thought of using, probably be trying that one.

Did you have problems shipping stewmac's compounds to Holland? (Isn't that flammable?)

[Mattia]

Thanks for the tip, Meguiar's one of the products I can get locally that I've thought of using, probably be trying that one.

Did you have problems shipping stewmac's compounds to Holland? (Isn't that flammable?)

Nope, no probs. Compounds are non-flammable.

[mammoth guitars]

We just finished this, an example of no stain and clear poly over Mahogany (the back). Purple heart down the middle.