Hey Chris! I learned about Super Assilex from you and picked up the "kit" they have on Amazon. I have done one project with it and I am just starting the finish sanding now on a new build. I gotta say I really really enjoy using it. Yes, the mess and the cleaning is a little bit of a nuisance but I'm happy to deal with it. The fact that I can see what I am doing as I go along is the game changer for me. My problem with wet sanding is that you gotta wipe away the water, dry it off and then you can see if you have sanded sufficiently (which I haven't). Not with the Super Assilex, angle your light just right and you can see the low spots immediately. I don't over sand because of this as well. It's been working great with EM6000. Just wanted to say thanks!
You're trading the wet mess for the dry mess. But, as you said, seeing your progress as you work is worth it. Glad Super Assilex has been a game changer for you. It was for me. There is still some advantages with wet sanding with certain clear coating products, but that advantage is shrinking.
Hi, first comment here. If you're referring to the SprayMax 2K Glamour, it's great. I'm fairly new to customizing guitars and that stuff is like you said, spray in the morning, cut and polish in the afternoon, rage on stage in the evening. Very easy to use and very forgiving (doesn't run easily or spatter and no crazing or cracking). I've sprayed about 5 guitars with it and it's as close to a factory job one can get- but as you again say, if it's done correctly. Can only lasts two days before the chemicals harden inside, so be ready to get the job done. Also- wish I'd have seen this video a week ago before I wet sanded my latest clear coat- I got some bad contamination by not following the techniques you mentioned. Had to sand down and buff forever to get the scratches out. Thought I would burn through but got lucky that I didn't. Thanks for the good tips! Much appreciated. Cheers-
Thanks! best videos on youtube! was wondering i see that crystalac says that you should wait for brite tone to cure even when dry sanding, was wondering if you wait and how long? Thanks
Thanks for the $! Much appreciated. I wait about two weeks before level sanding. It depends on the humidity levels where you are. I try to spray a separate test piece to see how the cure is progressing. My test involves leaving a drop of water on the surface of the test piece to see what happens. If it dries leaving only a ring, it's cured. If the spot turns soft or milky, it's not finished curing.
Ever use a heat lamp to cure? I use Fantastic/409 vs water. Mainly to eliminate fish eyes and lubricate surface. Your opinion of too many coats? I was told too many coats gets too far from base material reducing longevity. Old nitrous car finishes with 40 to 50 coats caused finish to crack.
Hey Chris, I have just completed the build of my first acoustic guitar, and I’m moving on to finishing. what do you think about using aqua Poor filler, followed by several coats of danish oil, and then a few coats of teak oil? (Rosewood back and sides, spruce top, mahogany neck) i’m really struggling to figure out what process I should use and could greatly benefit from your expertise!
I assume you mean Aqua Coat for the pore filler. Purists will scoff at that since it's basically a plastic, but it does work. Be aware that danish oil and teak oil are supposed to soak into the wood and the Aqua Coat will inhibit that unless you sand off ALL of the excess from the wood first. I don't think you want to put teak oil over danish oil. It's not necessary. If possible, test both on scrap to see which you prefer and go with one rather than both. A more traditional approach would be to use egg whites as a pore filler (yes it does work!) and french polished shellac for the final finish.
@@HighlineGuitars I did the pore filler yesterday and the danish / teak oil today. The rosewood and mahogany turned out beautiful, the spruce looks pretty bland (I didn’t use pore filler on the spruce) I had really hoped it would have made the grain in the spruce pop a bit more, honestly I thought it dulled the grain if anything but the color does look a bit richer. Any advice on how I might get the grain patterns to show a bit Better on the spruce? (Knowing the now it has danish oil already on it)
Very well done. I needed a good explanation because wet sanding freaks me out. It also seems like there are too many different ways to wet sand, all of which work for the guy who's used to his method but that means I still have to pick one. If I only do it once in a while or just once or twice period I will never get past the learning curve. Oh well.
More fundamentally, what is the advantage of water-based clear coats over solvent-based ones anyway? I love the oil-based clear gloss poly by Minwax, and can’t think of a reason for switching.
Water-based finishes are low in toxicity, are non-flammable, and are environmentally safer to use. They also dry faster and are easier to dispose of. Eventually, the chemicals found in oil-based finishes will be legislated out of existence.
@@HighlineGuitars Thank you so much for your response. I had not thought about the toxicity aspect of it. Been using the Minwax and other similar formulations for such a long while that I had just fallen into complacency. I value your experience, and thank you for sharing it with us.
Hey Chris! I learned about Super Assilex from you and picked up the "kit" they have on Amazon. I have done one project with it and I am just starting the finish sanding now on a new build. I gotta say I really really enjoy using it. Yes, the mess and the cleaning is a little bit of a nuisance but I'm happy to deal with it. The fact that I can see what I am doing as I go along is the game changer for me. My problem with wet sanding is that you gotta wipe away the water, dry it off and then you can see if you have sanded sufficiently (which I haven't). Not with the Super Assilex, angle your light just right and you can see the low spots immediately. I don't over sand because of this as well. It's been working great with EM6000. Just wanted to say thanks!
You're trading the wet mess for the dry mess. But, as you said, seeing your progress as you work is worth it. Glad Super Assilex has been a game changer for you. It was for me. There is still some advantages with wet sanding with certain clear coating products, but that advantage is shrinking.
So impressed with your speaking, you never say "ummm".
Hi, first comment here. If you're referring to the SprayMax 2K Glamour, it's great. I'm fairly new to customizing guitars and that stuff is like you said, spray in the morning, cut and polish in the afternoon, rage on stage in the evening. Very easy to use and very forgiving (doesn't run easily or spatter and no crazing or cracking). I've sprayed about 5 guitars with it and it's as close to a factory job one can get- but as you again say, if it's done correctly. Can only lasts two days before the chemicals harden inside, so be ready to get the job done.
Also- wish I'd have seen this video a week ago before I wet sanded my latest clear coat- I got some bad contamination by not following the techniques you mentioned. Had to sand down and buff forever to get the scratches out. Thought I would burn through but got lucky that I didn't. Thanks for the good tips! Much appreciated. Cheers-
No. I am referring to a new, state-of-the-art water-based 2k polyurethane. Stay tuned!
Thanks! best videos on youtube! was wondering i see that crystalac says that you should wait for brite tone to cure even when dry sanding, was wondering if you wait and how long? Thanks
Thanks for the $! Much appreciated. I wait about two weeks before level sanding. It depends on the humidity levels where you are. I try to spray a separate test piece to see how the cure is progressing. My test involves leaving a drop of water on the surface of the test piece to see what happens. If it dries leaving only a ring, it's cured. If the spot turns soft or milky, it's not finished curing.
Ever use a heat lamp to cure? I use Fantastic/409 vs water. Mainly to eliminate fish eyes and lubricate surface.
Your opinion of too many coats? I was told too many coats gets too far from base material reducing longevity. Old nitrous car finishes with 40 to 50 coats caused finish to crack.
I am testing a new water-based 2K polyurethane which only needs 5 coats max.
Hey Chris, I have just completed the build of my first acoustic guitar, and I’m moving on to finishing. what do you think about using aqua Poor filler, followed by several coats of danish oil, and then a few coats of teak oil? (Rosewood back and sides, spruce top, mahogany neck) i’m really struggling to figure out what process I should use and could greatly benefit from your expertise!
I assume you mean Aqua Coat for the pore filler. Purists will scoff at that since it's basically a plastic, but it does work. Be aware that danish oil and teak oil are supposed to soak into the wood and the Aqua Coat will inhibit that unless you sand off ALL of the excess from the wood first. I don't think you want to put teak oil over danish oil. It's not necessary. If possible, test both on scrap to see which you prefer and go with one rather than both. A more traditional approach would be to use egg whites as a pore filler (yes it does work!) and french polished shellac for the final finish.
@@HighlineGuitars I did the pore filler yesterday and the danish / teak oil today. The rosewood and mahogany turned out beautiful, the spruce looks pretty bland (I didn’t use pore filler on the spruce) I had really hoped it would have made the grain in the spruce pop a bit more, honestly I thought it dulled the grain if anything but the color does look a bit richer. Any advice on how I might get the grain patterns to show a bit Better on the spruce? (Knowing the now it has danish oil already on it)
Thanks tp you I switched to Super Asillex.
I'll be giving it a try once it arrives on Thursday. Looking forward to trying it out.
Very well done. I needed a good explanation because wet sanding freaks me out. It also seems like there are too many different ways to wet sand, all of which work for the guy who's used to his method but that means I still have to pick one. If I only do it once in a while or just once or twice period I will never get past the learning curve. Oh well.
Wet sanding isn't that difficult. The keys are not to over do it and use high quality P graded sandpaper.
Very interesting. I'd never heard that wet sanding could "soften" the finish! I've never encountered this yet...
It can happen if you wet sand a water-based finish before it has fully cured.
@@HighlineGuitars makes sense. I've done a couple of guitars with water based finish but I've always let them cure for about 4 weeks.
More fundamentally, what is the advantage of water-based clear coats over solvent-based ones anyway? I love the oil-based clear gloss poly by Minwax, and can’t think of a reason for switching.
Water-based finishes are low in toxicity, are non-flammable, and are environmentally safer to use. They also dry faster and are easier to dispose of. Eventually, the chemicals found in oil-based finishes will be legislated out of existence.
@@HighlineGuitars Thank you so much for your response. I had not thought about the toxicity aspect of it. Been using the Minwax and other similar formulations for such a long while that I had just fallen into complacency. I value your experience, and thank you for sharing it with us.
If you look at a new toyota for example, in addition to those paints being soft take a close look w a work light - tons of orange peel.
But in all honesty I find wet sanding works better.
There are catalytic products out that dry quickly.
I’m shooting a video right now about water-based 2k polyurethane.
Ooh first!!