MarkPav Posted May 2, 2006 Report Share Posted May 2, 2006 (edited) I have a mahogany guitar that I want to finish. It's just bare wood at the moment and I plan on using Auto Air Colors for the color and KTM-9 for the clear. In fact, I already have some from a previous finishing attempt. My question is: Can I use wood filler instead of grain filler? I can't find grain filler anywhere here and I don't wanna wait for an online order to arrive. If I rub it into the grain and then rub it off without leaving any excess will that be ok? Thanks. Edited May 3, 2006 by MarkPav Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Can I use wood filler instead of grain filler? I can't find grain filler anywhere here and I don't wanna wait for an online order to arrive. If I rub it into the grain and then rub it off without leaving any excess will that be ok? Regular wood filler is not intended for use as a grain filler and will not give you the result you want. Paste filler (like Bartley's) and epoxy are good options. I believe Grafted Coatings recommends System 3 epoxy under KTM-9. If you get in a hurry and skip steps or use the wrong product you'll either end up with a poor finish -or- spend a lot of time fixing things. Much better to wait a few days for the correct stuff than to waste at least that much time correcting your mistakes. If you haven't already, do a search for "grain filling"... lots of good info to be found here. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MarkPav Posted May 3, 2006 Author Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Thanks for your help. Yeah, I just spent another couple hours reading stuff online to try to learn everything I can about finishing. I can get epoxy here, so I'll go with that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted May 3, 2006 Report Share Posted May 3, 2006 Glad to be of service. Make sure you practice with the epoxy on scrap first - it's a real bear to sand if you lay it on too thick. Depending on the effect you want, you might consider adding some dark brown or black dye to the epoxy to accentuate the grain. It's a nice look. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al heeley Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Same dilema here, been searching round B&Q and Homebasae DIY sections for grain filler for a mahogany body. The only stuff is wood filler putty, a bit like flexible polyfilla. Any advice on where to go and specifically what to ask for in the UK would be appreciated! Getting fed up trying to explain to the B&Q staff what I'm looking for, a lot of blank faces! What sort of epoxy is used? Any advice also on a suitable dark dye? Many thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supernova9 Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Same dilema here, been searching round B&Q and Homebasae DIY sections for grain filler for a mahogany body. The only stuff is wood filler putty, a bit like flexible polyfilla. Any advice on where to go and specifically what to ask for in the UK would be appreciated! Getting fed up trying to explain to the B&Q staff what I'm looking for, a lot of blank faces! What sort of epoxy is used? Any advice also on a suitable dark dye? Many thanks in advance! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
al heeley Posted July 17, 2006 Report Share Posted July 17, 2006 Thx, much appreciated! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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