Luthier Tips du Jour Mailbag 35 - Aqua Coat pore filler
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 19 ก.ค. 2015
- Luthier and Instructor, Robert O'Brien, answers a viewer's question about pore fillers. He then demonstrates how to use Aqua Coat brand pore filler on a guitar. obrienguitars.com
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ooh! nice video, nice product! i am going to try this on limba and swamp ash- it looks perfect!
Hi Robert, I'm enjoying your videos. I've had some issues with pore filling and will try the product you recommend next time. My rosewood seemed to take coat after coat to finally fill the pores. I used a Target Coatings product and, while the end result was great, I put a lot of work into the pore filling process. I also found that changing to a different type of sandpaper helped considerably. Keep up the good work and I look forward to watching more of your uploads.
Thanks for watching Charlie. Glad you are enjoying the videos. As we all know, the finish is only as good as what is underneath it. So, take the time to make it perfect before applying the finish. When I use Aqua coat I apply several coats sanding between applications.
Robbie- thanks a million for telling us about Aqua Coat pore filler. This sounds like the ideal stuff to use on a couple of my current projects; one with some wildly figured but extremely porous Padauk, and the other one flamed Claro Walnut, also notoriously porous.
Clear pore filler is the only way to go with woods like these, in my opinion... And I was not looking forward to doing the two epoxy pore filling jobs on these two. I really don't like using epoxy, for the same reasons as the guy who requested your input on this. So instead, I'm going to use Aqua Coat on them- and I'm looking forward eagerly to it now, instead of dreading a messy chore.
Thanks for everything else you do, too, Robbie. You are the go-to guy for many thousands of us string-heads. You are the Master teacher.
Stephen Sheriff Thank you for the compliment. I recommend you go slow with the fill process. Let each coat dry thoroughly between applications. It will take several applications to get the job done. Good luck.
thank you Robert
thank you
I recently used Aquacoat on a Goncalo Alves dred that I built for my brother, and used U-Beaut shellac applied with a French Polish technique and was extremely pleased with the results. I selected this method as being the friendliest to me and the environment since my shop is pretty confined. I hear U-Beaut will no longer be available at LMI, too bad, I really liked it. Is Royal Lac similar?
Kurt Thomas Royal Lac is better in my opinion and now available from LMI www.lmii.com
Looks like a great product. Can you use nitrocellulose lacquer over it?
Great video Robbie (as always). Do you use the Aqua Coat on the soundboard at all?
+Martin Taylor Thanks. Sometimes I sue it to level the rosette and fill the porous grain of the rosette but I do not use it on the soundboard.
Robert, love your vids and tips. I love tru oil. Have you applied tru oil over Aqua Coat? Thanks.
+kurt72 Tru oil will work over aquacoat. Just make sure it is dry before applying the oil.
Robbie
Robert, thanks for the many helpful videos. I used Aqua coat on a mahogany guitar with a tru oil finish. Its really spectacular. I was using it recently on a mahogany neck with a wide heel, about 2 inches. When I added oil, sure enough there was still some filler patching in the open end grain, which required quite a bit of intensive sanding and scraping before clean. It can be really hard to see and twice as hard to remove once a coat of oil is on. Would sealing the end grain with shellac before filling help?
yes, I would seal the end grain with shellac before trying the pore filler. That should solve the problem.
8
Dear Robert, do you know if there is any pore filler similar to Aqua Coat available in Brazil?
I do not. Maybe talk with Miguel at Music tools. He may know of a similar product.
I’ve used this for the first time. After spraying shellac sealer over the fill, scratches are appearing that seem to be in the the aqua coat? Do I need to sand the filler back further to the seal coat or….?
I've seen that some French polishers and others fill the pores with some of the sawdust as they go. Is adhesion your concern if you were to not blow out the pores and just applied the aqua coat, sealing any remaining sawdust into the pores with the next application of Aqua coat?
My concern would be that after sanding the pore fill off you would open the pore again if you just applied the fill over pores that had dust in them. I prefer to remove the dust and let the fill get down into the pores.
Enjoying all the vids. Like you I have tried everything under the sun and have a whole shelf of products I don't use anymore. Question- Would a wash coat of shellac before this product help or hinder the process? Related question- If you use nothing but this product for pore filling is there a problem sanding through to the bare wood?
Thanks for watching my videos. I am glad you are finding them useful. I failed to mention in the video that you can apply a wash coat or seal coat before applying the aqua coat pore filler. So, yes, this will work and in some cases might even be preferred.
OBrienGuitars if i wanna stain the wood, do i have to fill before or after staining ?
I wanna use it on quilted maple
Raffael Kloiber No need to fill maple so add stain and then top coats.
Quick question. Why is it necessary to remove the dust from the pores? Wouldn't the dust help fill the pores naturally? Does it ruin the ability of the goo to adhere to the wood? Just trying to get through life without buying another compressor (I've had two of them stolen, so it makes me angry just thinking of buying another).
Robert, I'm finishing a kit guitar, with mahogany veneer back and sides. I'd like to use Transtint/Transfast dyes for color. I've been advised by a local high-end wood finishing shop, to dye 1st, then apply Aqua Coat over the top, to seal the very porous mahogany, and that this combo, in this order, will work just fine. I also understand that the Aqua Coat can be tinted, using said dyes. As the dye is water based, I'm concerned that the Aqua Coat will lift the dye as I apply it. The dye color will be a deep navy blue, for the back and sides. Any advice along these lines would be helpful. I've not found any resources online, using this combo, that addresses this issue. The goal at the end would be to apply a water-based, non-toxic, low VOC satin finish coat, by hand, as I'm finishing it in my home. Something fairly hard and clear, to protect and accent the mahogany grain.Thanks for any advice you might offer!
Working with colors can be a lot harder than working with clearcoats. When in doubt always do sample boards before applying to your project. The advice you got is good advice. You can always seal the color before applying the pore filler if you are concerned about fading. Good luck.
Great video as usual. I bought aqua coat based on your recommendation. The container asks to apply a sealer before you apply aqua coat. What are your thoughts on that?
I think a seal coat before pore filling is a wonderful idea.
Hi, question for you.throught my building years ive had a similiar probem when using maple and walnut cocobolo, or ebony.I get bleeding when I go through my sanding schedule.itcould be an end graft or headstock or even small accents like dots, its frustrating and I have not seen a good method for avoiding this problem. What do you suggest? Thanks
Edad Martin have you tried scraping instead of sanding? What you are experiencing is contamination due to dust and not what I call bleeding. Bleeding happens when the color "runs" into the other lighter colored woods when applying a solvent like alcohol in shellac etc. There are ways to control this as well.
Thanks for the video! do you recommend using Oil based grain fillers before finishing a Guitar with Lacquer?
I do not use oil based fillers. I believe there are better options available.
Hi Robert. I applied AC 3 times to the rosewood back. After 1 cycle of french polish, I noticed quite a few tiny holes in the polish from partially filled grain holes. Can I apply Aqua Coat over the french polish, making it effectively, mid-level in the finish or do I have to strip and start over? or is there another idea, I'm on a tight schedule. Thanks.
+Lawrence Wolf You can scuff sand the seal coat and then apply more aqua coat fill over the top.
I wonder if I can use it before applying urethane lacquer. Also, Can I use it as a finishing material? I wonder what it would be like to use this as a finishing material and buff. Thank you for the great video.
Yes, this product is made to be a pore filler and not a finish by itself. It can go under a urethane finish. Most folks spray a sealer, then apply the pore filler and then another sealer before going to topcoats. Thanks for watching.
thank for the video! Please, do you know if aqua coat is compatible with nitrocellulose lacquer?
Yes it is. Happy Building!
Robert, thanks for your videos. One question I have always had regarding pore filling is how far to sand down before proceeding to the next step. Should any dry pore filler still be on the surface, or should one sand down to (pore filled) bare wood?
Alec,
I like to sand back to bare wood for two reasons. One, I avoid any compatibility issues with the finish products. Two - I usually end up sanding through the pore filler anyway when trying to level it. So, I sand it all back to bare wood just leaving the filler in the pores. Hope this helps.
@@OBrienGuitars Thanks for replying. Big help.
Hi Robert,
is it possible to stain the aquacoat filler?
i used shellac and pumice so far for filling the pores. the shellac gives a very nice depth to the timber. and sprayed a waterbased finish over it. is it possible to achieve that depth and stain with aqua coat?
yes, you can dye the filler.
L
Cheap, thin, run of the mill brand, superglue.....gets the job done without coloring fills the pores and does it fast and efficient.
Do you apply sanding sealer after the pore filler and before shellac or lacquer?
I don’t use sanding sealer. A light coat of shellac is sufficient.
Hello, a question. How to sand it after three coats before laquer? 320 or more? Thank you.
220 or 320 is fine.
Hi Robbie,
Do you still recommend AquaCoat? After 3 coats, I still get pores. Thanks!
Keep adding until all pores are filled.
Now I am curious about that disc-type device you are using for holding the guitar. Does it work with vacuum?
seasonedtoker yes, it is a vacuum work holder available from LMI.
+OBrienGuitars So impressed with all of your videos. I'm sure you get this question all the time, but the vise that you are using to hold the lmi vacuum work holder. Where did you get that! I have the The Panavise® 3-axis ball-head vise and I am extremely displeased with it. I would much prefer the one you have by the looks of it! Do you mind sharing where you found this vise? Thanks so much.
+Jedidiah Wiebe actually it is a previous LMi version. They don't sell it anymore.
+OBrienGuitars thank you so much for your answer. That's a real shame. I really don't find the Panavise acceptable.
+Jedidiah Wiebe I think the shaft needs to be extended a few inches. Perhaps a machine shop in your area could make that happen for you.
Hi Robert, I have just filled the pores with this product on a Madagaskan rosewood back and sides, I sanded level and applied two coats of sanding sealer over the top. The results aren't good, it looks really patchy, do I need to remove all the sealer leaving only in the pores before lacquering?
You can add more filler over the sealer. Keep adding until the pores are completely filled.
@@OBrienGuitars Thanks for the reply, thing is though the pores are filled, it seems to me that when the sealer goes over the filler you can see a tonal difference between wood that has sealer covering it and bare wood which has been exposed after sanding. This is why I asked the question, "does the sealer need to be sanded off before finishing"? It's practically impossible to sand completely smooth without sanding through the sealer at some point I have found, and it is this I think that seems to be causing the patchy appearance. Do you understand my predicament a little better now?
I would just add more sealer to even out the color.
Would you mind telling the name of the background song? 😁
CJ McRiesat Sharper's Revenge by Brad Hoyt.
The Stew-Mac's 'Color Tone' seems to be the same stuff but they advise doing a spit coat of waterbased lacquer or shellac first. Your video obviously doesn't show you doing that, but in the intervening years have you found that to be necessary?
Yes, I think it is better to put a wash coat of something on before pore filling.
Thanks
Can I shoot sanding sealer and cell lacquer on top of this product?
Yes you can.
Have you used this with Royal Lac?
Stephen Brown I have not used this with Royal Lac but don't see why it wouldn't work.
this being water base will shrinks over the time?
Let it cure before applying topcoats.
Can I put a layer of dewaxed shellac over it.
Yes, you can put shellac over it as well as under it.
@@OBrienGuitars Apparently the alcoholic shellac reacts with the filler causing it to degrade a d whiten. Here is a link describing the issue with a product made from similar ingredients: www.crystalac.info/clear-wood-grain-filler.html
can we use it on the top of guitar ?
Yes.
@@OBrienGuitars thank you