ThePlague Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 i'm gonna have a friend paint on an alder guitar body when i get it some time next week. i'll prime it first, and then he'll use acrylic paint, and i'll clear coat over it. should i fill the grain before i prime it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Rosenberger Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 Yes, if you dont the finish will sink into the wood and the grain will show Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 my books say that alder doesn't need to have the pores filled.it is tight grained like maple...it does however need to be sealed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BLS Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 If you dont fill the grain it makes a cool effect... might not work well on alder though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted June 27, 2004 Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 If you dont fill the grain it makes a cool effect... might not work well on alder though. you are thinking of ash... you can just use sealer to fill alder...or maple Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePlague Posted June 27, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 27, 2004 what would a good sealer be? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott Rosenberger Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 even with sealer the finish will eventually sink into the wood. Kramer used to put a thin veneer of basswood over their alder bodies to keep this from happening. If you look very closely at an old alder bodied Kramer look at the belly cut or the forearm contour and you'll see what I'm talking about. those are the only parts of the body not covered with the veneer. iirc Ibanez does this on the white Jems too Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 Alder is a little less porous than maple and depending on the particular piece of wood may require differing degrees of preparation. If the grain appears open to your eye it will need a grain filler. Some alder is tighter grained and may not. appears that we are both right...i guess it would be safer to fill it oh the quote is from reranch Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ThePlague Posted June 28, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 alright i guess i'll fill it then. thanks for the help. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted June 28, 2004 Report Share Posted June 28, 2004 Just this week I started finishing an alder body, I didn't fill the grain, just 3 coats of Minwax sanding sealer (sanding flat with 220 grit in between). I've got on one coat of black and 2 coats of polyU, so far so good, no grain showing through. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Im not good at this Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 I dont understand what it means when you say the grain is open, what does that mean? and how can you tell if you need to seal the grain, or use a pore sealer? is there a difference between the two? Sorry i never took woodworking, welding was more fun.... back then Regards, Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Curtis P Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 an open grain is when the grain is really...heavy you can say, that when your run your fingers accross it, you can feel the grain, so you fill it and this covers that up so the finish (solid colour) does not let the grain show through hope that helps Curtis Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Im not good at this Posted June 29, 2004 Report Share Posted June 29, 2004 ah, i see, kind of like a different texture? maybe texture isnt the right word, but from going around for the past 20 minutes and rubbing all the wood in my house i could find, i think i might have gotten the gist thank you, tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.