lowrider Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 (edited) Well I'm in the final stages of my first build and I'm looking for some advice. The body was'nt filled as well as it should have been for a glass smooth finish(the mahogany), that I'm ok with. I'd just like to know the best way to get wet sand residue and the polish out of the "pores". With minimal effort I removed some with a tooth brush, did'nt go too crazy since I still have some sanding to do. I guess compressed air might work ok too. Any tips to save a rookie some headaches? Edited January 29, 2008 by lowrider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 what do you have it sprayed with? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scab Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 (edited) Naptha will get rid of it, just don't go hog wild on the thing. On your next guitar I would suggest to use a pour-fill. Oh & btw naptha will not damage any guitar finish.. Edited January 29, 2008 by scab Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted January 29, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 I guess I should have said what was on it. It's Stew-Macs water based finish. Thanks. I did use a filler, just did'nt do it well enough. Next time I'll get it better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Compressed air, or wet it with a rag -then- hit it with compressed air. Nice looking guit so far. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 29, 2008 Report Share Posted January 29, 2008 Pfft. You're really on a compressed air binge this week Drak. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted January 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 Well I tried naptha and it didnt really work too well. Copmressed air isnt budging it either. It seems like the toothbrush and water work ok, but it'll take a while. scab, you said not to go hog wild with naptha. How wet can I get it without a problem? Can I semi soak a rag and work around the pores? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 What type/kind/brand of pore filler did you use? How many coats of finish were sprayed on it total? Any level-sanding take place in between coats? Did you do all of the operations yourself? The more information, the better with which to help you. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted January 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 I used Stewmacs color tone wb medium brown filler. I put 12 coats of sealer and 9 coats of lacquer on it. Did some level sanding about 1/2 way thru the sealer coats. All this by their recomendations, btw. Yes I did it all by myself. . I'm guessing you are asking these q's because you read my other post. Thankyou, and help away please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted January 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 Ok, I'm almost 100% positive its the No7 polish that is giving me the trouble in the pores. I took a pin to a couple and it came right out. I dont think I want to do every one though . If it were'nt for that I could just put some lacquer on and move on. I called the No7 makers and they tell car customers to use soft scrub to remove it if they have trouble getting it off. I dont know about that for this application. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 Perhaps the No7 is coarse enough to "catch and clog" in the pores of the maple? This is purely a guess to be honest. I would think a simple wetting agent (naptha as suggested?) and slightly finer abrasive to upset the clogs might do the job. This post is more to gauge my line of thinking once somebody experienced comes along. Don't observe the above. Really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted January 30, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 Its only the mahogany that it's getting caught in. No7 may not be the best choice I guess. I was getting a pretty good shine with it though, just with white speckles. So close but yet so far away... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 A few 'thinking out loud' thoughts... If it were the finish itself clogging the pores (as if you had just wetsanded with water and it dried like that) you could just re-shoot a coat of finish and it would redissolve and go away (with a wet coat) If it's polish that's in there, then it makes sense (I think) why wetting it with water wouldn't work, as most polishes are 'waxy' in nature and repel water, so using water would not put it back into solution, and wax can be 'clingy', or 'sticky' which is probably why the compressed air is not working. If it were the dried finish itself clogging the pores, typically blowing it off with compressed air works, because the finish doesn't have any 'cling' factor to it, it's just dried poot and is not sticky. So lets say it is polish itself in the pores (if you're pretty sure that's what it is) ...then it's like having little pellets of wax embedded (so to speak anyway) You should look at the polish container, read the contents, maybe even call the manufacturer, you want to know what the main solvent in the polish is. Everything has a solvent, something that will make it go back into solution, you need to know particularly what solvent will make your polish go back into solution, but will not affect the finish you used as well. Then wiping it with whatever solvent is appropriate should redissolve it, then you should be able to hit it hard with compressed air and it should come out. I think your main problem, or issue, is that if it is polish, then I'm guessing it has a 'sticky/waxy' nature to it, and that is what's making it tough to get out, because normally, if it were just finish, it would just blow out. Concentrate on the polish and it's chemical makeup, whatever it may be, I think that's where you will find your answer. That's my best guess. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted January 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 (edited) I went on their website and found the msds data. It says on there that it is completely water soluble. That would lead me to believe that water would do the trick. I'm gonna see if wetting a small area for 5 minutes loosens it. Maybe a really strong suction/vacuum. I'm grasping now I know, but I've got a bad feeling I'm gonna be sanding until it's gone. I called them and a very nice but totally clueless lady took my # and said she will try and find out some more info and call me. Thanks for the ideas Drak. Maybe I should go wire up that pedal board I got at Christmas awhile. Edited January 31, 2008 by lowrider Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted January 31, 2008 Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 Be careful with the water, that does not sound like a really good idea. Whatever your problem at the moment may be, you absolutely do not want to make it any worse than it is, the guitar is beautiful and you don't want to start lifting finish, that would give you a seriously bad hair day! An answer will come, just have some patience and we'll / you'll figure it out. You know how we are always talking about patience and guitar building and it's so hard to learn that lesson sometimes? Welcome to the block, 'cuz you are <right there>. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lowrider Posted February 3, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 3, 2008 Well I've been using a sewing needle to pluck the polish out of the pores and sanding lightly trying to make the pores a little smaller. It's looking pretty good but I have a lot more to do before I can even think about putting some lacquer back on though. This is gonna take awhile. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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