Sanding Sealer Necessary? What Kind?

[GoodWood]

I will be using a downdraft spiral bit to cut Rosette Channels, just wondering if its nessesary to use sanding sealer anyway, and WHAT KIND is "best"? I was thinking about using it when I do bindings also.

Hopefully Ill be thickness sanding this week!! Few.....

Thanks

[fryovanni]

GW,

I am not sure if I know what you are asking. Downcutting spiral bits work well. As far as sanding sealer? Are you asking if you need to seal the wood before routing(not needed, but may if you want I suppose it wouldn't hurt). If you are asking if you should seal the end grain in the channels(after routing) with a wash coat of shellac, it is a nice way to prevent glue from wicking around the edges. Generally I seal with thin coat of 2lb. cut shellac.

[GoodWood]

GW,

I am not sure if I know what you are asking. Downcutting spiral bits work well. As far as sanding sealer? Are you asking if you need to seal the wood before routing(not needed, but may if you want I suppose it wouldn't hurt). If you are asking if you should seal the end grain in the channels(after routing) with a wash coat of shellac, it is a nice way to prevent glue from wicking around the edges. Generally I seal with thin coat of 2lb. cut shellac.

Kinkead recomends using sanding sealer when you cut the rosette, but with downdraft spiral bits, Ive heard that its not needed.

I was thinking for routing edges, even as I will use a hand blade concoction, if it might help with splits etc.

Shellac is clear then? It seems to smell for a long time.The stuff I used was brown.

They have 2 hour cure miniwax sanding sealer, but I never know what that means for quality.

[Mattia]

I wipe shellac on with a paper towel, serves as sanding sealer. Cheap, easy, works well, helps prevent tearout.

[fryovanni]

GW,

I am not sure if I know what you are asking. Downcutting spiral bits work well. As far as sanding sealer? Are you asking if you need to seal the wood before routing(not needed, but may if you want I suppose it wouldn't hurt). If you are asking if you should seal the end grain in the channels(after routing) with a wash coat of shellac, it is a nice way to prevent glue from wicking around the edges. Generally I seal with thin coat of 2lb. cut shellac.

Kinkead recomends using sanding sealer when you cut the rosette, but with downdraft spiral bits, Ive heard that its not needed.

I was thinking for routing edges, even as I will use a hand blade concoction, if it might help with splits etc.

Shellac is clear then? It seems to smell for a long time.The stuff I used was brown.

They have 2 hour cure miniwax sanding sealer, but I never know what that means for quality.

If you would feel more comfortable sealing first. Then you should(not a tuff choice as it is a simple thing to do).

Either way you wanna route or cut binding channel. Just use it if you think it will help.

You can get different grades of shellac. From Ultra Blonde(pretty much clear) to Orange and then Red. I use the highest purity(very clear). The alcohol vapors should clear off pretty quickly, and the shellac I use does not seem to have a strong odor. Shellac does have a shelf life, and I mix my own from flakes so I have control over cut and how much to mix at a time.

I have no idea what the minwax sanding sealer is. No comment.

Peace,Rich

[GoodWood]

Oh, yea, Ive seen those at woodcraft, shelak flakes. I was just wondering if it would effect sound at all, I guess not. What type of alchohol do you use? Does Stewi mac have the flakes??, ive got an order comming up with them.

thanks!!

[Mattia]

Oh, yea, Ive seen those at woodcraft, shelak flakes. I was just wondering if it would effect sound at all, I guess not. What type of alchohol do you use? Does Stewi mac have the flakes??, ive got an order comming up with them.

thanks!!

Acoustically, Shellac is probably the best finish you can pick. It's the primo finish of choice for classical guitars (french polished) for good reason. Glassy, lower damping than any of the woods we use, dries almost immediately, and pretty hard; compared to all modern finishes, like Nitro (let alone the polys) it's quite soft and fragile, but it is my favourite neck finish.

You can use denatured alcohol (which is poisonous in its own right; shellac itself isn't, and is in fact in lots of the foods you eat; look at the ingredients list on a pack of gum) to dissolve the stuff, or pure grain alcohol (everclear) if you don't want to worry about gloves (ketones in the denatured stuff can cause serious liver damage, even cancer, in the longer term. But lacquer thinner is worse, as are aniline dyes...). Make sure the shellac you get is DEWAXED. Dewaxed stuff will work under pretty much any finish you can imagine (universal sealer), but the wax can cause adhesion problems.

Edited February 19, 2007 by Mattia

[fryovanni]

Now we need you to go pick up your HHG, Everclear, and de-waxed ultra blonde shellac flakes. Ah yes the breakfast of champions.

Shellac is a great tool to use while you are building. It does not penetrate the wood very deep and sticks to most surfaces very well. This makes it easy to use as a temp. sealer to prevent contamination of your surfaces during building. It also is as Mattia mentioned very compatable with most other finishes. As a final finish it is very nice because it can be applied thin and remains on the surface(low penetration). It can be repaired in a heartbeat as you can achive 100% burn in with repair coats. Applied using the french polishing technique is a lot of fun, works well year round, and is very forgiving to learn(not much to worry about because you can fix your mistakes during the process- you only lose time). One of the greatest things about French Polishing is the low cost to get the best professional set up around( shellac, alcohol, olive oil, old cotton T-shirts, and an old wool sweater, and maybe a can of pumice- bam your set). With practice(which is what a hobby is all about) you can achive the finest of finishes available on a shoe string budget.

Peace,Rich

[GoodWood]

Now we need you to go pick up your HHG, Everclear, and de-waxed ultra blonde shellac flakes. Ah yes the breakfast of champions.

Shellac is a great tool to use while you are building. It does not penetrate the wood very deep and sticks to most surfaces very well. This makes it easy to use as a temp. sealer to prevent contamination of your surfaces during building. It also is as Mattia mentioned very compatable with most other finishes. As a final finish it is very nice because it can be applied thin and remains on the surface(low penetration). It can be repaired in a heartbeat as you can achive 100% burn in with repair coats. Applied using the french polishing technique is a lot of fun, works well year round, and is very forgiving to learn(not much to worry about because you can fix your mistakes during the process- you only lose time). One of the greatest things about French Polishing is the low cost to get the best professional set up around( shellac, alcohol, olive oil, old cotton T-shirts, and an old wool sweater, and maybe a can of pumice- bam your set). With practice(which is what a hobby is all about) you can achive the finest of finishes available on a shoe string budget.

Peace,Rich

GROOVEY BABBBBYYYYYYY!!!