Turps-based Sealer under Nitro?

[Crusader]

I'm finally getting around to finishing my LP which is made of the usual materials Mahogany and Maple

I've got Feast Watson Sanding Sealer (which is Turps-based) and on the can it says to Top-Coat with Varnish. But I want to Top-coat with Nitro Lacquer (which is Thinners-based)

It raises a couple of questions, is "Varnish" different to "Lacquer"? and can a Thinners-based Nitro Lacquer go over a Turps-based Sealer?

Thanks in advance for any replies

[curtisa]

I have used the Feast Watson sanding sealer in the past and wouldn't recommend using it again, irrespective of what topcoat you're using. When the finish first goes on it looks great, but any dents or dings that your guitar gets leaves an ugly opaque mark in the sealer itself under the topcoat that can't be removed without going right down to the bare wood and starting from scratch. In extreme cases I've been able to mark the sealer under the topcoat by pressing my thumbnail into the finish.

[Crusader]

Thanks Curtisa, yes I was a bit surprised when I opened the can that it's a grey/purple translucent mixture. I've read a lot of arguments "for" and "against" using Sealer but I haven't heard that one

I managed to talk to the supplier of the Nitro just now and he said "No you can't use a Turps-based Sealer under the Nitro Lacquer" He said to use the Lacquer as its own Sealer. A lot of people strongly recommend using a Sealer for Mahogany and its the traditional way, so thats why I thought I needed it

[Crusader]

Just for the record I sprayed a piece of off-cut with the Feast Watson Sealer and the Becker Acroma Nitro. Its been a few days now and there hasn't been any adverse effects

[Prostheta]

Good that they seem to work for you!

I'm sure that DemonX will chime in on this one (and I hope he does) however potentially incompatible products may not exhibit negative qualities immediately or in all test pieces. Incompatibility could easily express itself as a "reduced window of compatibility" with strange reactions in specific areas of larger workpieces, or finickiness (can't believe my spellchecker allows "finickiness" and not "workpieces" or "spellchecker") like refusal to cure at certain temps or humidities. I had two paints I thought would work together, and they did apart from one area on the second guitar where I got one area of crazing. No explanation, no apology note. My mileage varied that day.

[Eljaroli]

Hi guys, First kit guitar build & first post. I'm in the same predicament.

Read that sanding sealer is great. I go out, buy it, paint it on the ash body and sand it back. It feels nice and smooth.

I plan on spray painting this guitar with my father in law as he has a spray gun & compressor, so I've got the paint all ready to go, Primer, thinners, acrylic & top coat. (automotive paint).

I tell him about this sanding sealer, and he looks at me "is it oil based"? Oh crap, I can't remember. Go home, look, yep, it's feast & watson oil based.

Crap.

The plan now is to grab a spare piece of wood and test it first with the sanding sealer & primer.

I had planned on staining this guitar, but realised once it arrived that affordable(cheap) guitar kits are not made up of single pieces of wood. The different grain patterns would've annoyed me to no end.