Aqua coat x119 sanding sealer makes a heavily grained wood smooth to the touch. Black lacquer is very reflective and shows every defect, so it is especially important here. Sealing a guitar before a refinish paint edumacation. Sanding sealer often contains stearates a type of lubricating soap to make sanding easier. Sanding down the edges one of the more challenging aspects to guitar finishing is avoiding sand throughs. The second step of the 3step process is a sanding sealer to create a stronger, longerlasting finish. It was asked relative to finishing pens, but a lot of woodturners are using sanding sealer as a finish for other things. Graceys vintage finishes how to guide madisons music store. Remember, these cracks are caused by the guitar wood itself and crack from the. Pro finisher waterbase sanding sealer flows evenly to fill wood pores for a. Tie the bag around the neck joint to keep the dust from getting into your pickups.
Here, michael greenfield, one of the best builders of acoustic guitars, explains how he approaches sanding the guitar. This typically occurs on the edges of electric guitars. Seals wood grain providing an even finish when topcoated. After removing the sap build up, use an appropriate primersealer to seal in the sap affected areas. Truth is, any filmforming finish works as a sealer because it closes off the pores of the wood and lays a base for the topcoats.
Too thick of a sanding sealer layer can create a soft finish once the top coats are applied. For that reason, if you use sanding sealer, stick to one or two coats at the most, and plan to sand most of it. More on preparation sanding sealer and using an index. Entry for february 2020s guitar of the month is open enter. Beginners should spray 1012 coats to avoid sanding or buffing through the finish. I would recommend using a higher grade wood filler as they tend to shrink and crack a lot less. Sanding sealer is a specific material developed for the lacquer industry, but somehow the name has spread to things that should, by rights, simply be called sealer. We stock a large range of kits at great prices, which will be delivered to your door. You can use a nitrocellulosebased sanding sealer under my lacquer and i sell a.
Dan erlewine shows how to build sealer coats and dropfill any imperfections that may occur for this prsstyle finish using aerosol lacquer. I followed instructions from lmii info pages on finishing. The goal is to remove as many of the shiny spots as you can without sanding back into the wood. Shop minwax waterbased sanding sealer actual net contents. In either case, a sanding sealer or primer would be need to be applied and level sanded up to 400 grit, before the color coats are applied. More on preparation sanding sealer and using an index coat. Whether youre looking to shred like a madman, or play some classical blues riffs, we have the guitar kit for you. How to repair acoustic guitar finish guitar repair bench.
The purpose of sanding is to remove imperfections and machine marks which affect your finish. Unfortunately, i disagree with my colleague howard. I did some minor wet sanding before but was careful not to flood it with water, everywhere there is a hole i have a big crack in the finish. It is designed for use on unstained, bare wood floors, furniture, doors and cabinets. Do not try to fill these scratches with extra lacquer or other filler. Excess grain filler has plugged the string holes, but it helps to prevent the wood from swelling and cracking the finish while wet sanding and it can be drilled out. If im content with a satin gloss or a soft glow finish, ill go as far as 320. The wood preparations is the keystone to a good finish job. Dar001 dartfords guitar body paint kit clear nitrocellulose. Hell, you could skip the grain filler and apply a dozen or so sanding sealer.
Its essential for a professional looking finish to prepare your wood so that you. I let this guitar sit for 8 weeks or so now after spraying as i have not had time to work on it, today when i grabbed it i noticed major cracks in the finish. Dont get too much water on the guitar, as if it manages to somehow soak into the wood, the wood will expand and crack the finish. If you routinely apply sanding sealer before finishing, you may be taking an extra, unnecessary step. Alder is a very absorbent wood and youll see it soaking into the wood, especially on the end grain. Minwax waterbased sanding sealer actual net contents. Use a nonflexible sanding block to ensure a level surface. Colortone aerosol guitar lacquer, clear sanding sealer.
The properties that make a sanding sealer good also mean you want to apply only one or two thin and properly sanded coats before moving on. For that reason, if you use sanding sealer, stick to one or two coats at the most, and plan to sand most of it back off. Is sanding sealer necessary before spraying lacquer. Sealing a guitar before a refinish paint edumacation archived. Precision finishing how to apply sanding sealer to your. Russfairfield i received an email relative to finishing with sanding sealer yesterday.
Finishing a blue guitar, sealer and scuffsand part 4. Ive used both lacquer and shellac sanding sealers and used poly over top. I usually will spray 2 coat of either, level sand with 320. If its an alder body, you dont need to fill the grain. After the guitar dye used keda wood dye comes the guitar sealer. Achieving a professional quality high gloss lacquer finish is imperative if you build or repair guitars.
The nitro finish material was mcfadden brand purchased from lmii. Using 2 coats of sanding sealer creates an even smoother finish. This highbuilding solution dries clear and seals the wood to create a surface that can be easily sanded. Nitrocellulose finishes should have a total 612 coats sealer, color, and clear coats combined. In general, they contain material that can interfere with finish adhesion to a small extent. It seals the wood grain, and is designed to be easy to sand, providing an ultrasmooth finish. Finishing diy kits wudtone custom guitar innovation.
Preparing bare wood for painting or staining the paint. Sanding a guitar body prior to painting guitar kit world. I sprayed 4 coats of sanding sealer outdoors it was winter. Finish sanding with a good block, grain filling if needed, sanding sealer coats to achieve a super level field, color coat and clear. Description use on unstained, bare wood floors, furniture, doors and cabinets. You can use a nitrocellulosebased sanding sealer under my lacquer and i sell. If you put a hard, brittle finish, like lacquer, over a thick, soft one, like sanding sealer, it is much more likely to chip and crack.
If youre using it properly, youre sanding most of the sealer off before moving on. Sanding sealer is designed to raise any loose grain, penetrate the wood and sand easily for further coats to have a smooth surface to bond to. The first coat of finish inevitably raises the wood grain, and when you use sanding sealer for that coat, the job of sanding the grain back down is more easily accomplished. It seals wood grain, is easy to sand and dries in one hour. I cant stress enough the need for thorough preparation for a guitar finish to turn out well. The total number will depend upon how thick your coats are, how much sanding you do, and what your final desired film thickness is. The finish kits come with either, deep colour, base and top coats depending on the type of kit, designed to meet the demands of wood. Sanding sealer the first step is to sand the body well with fine sandpaper to remove any fuzzy edges from the machining process, then to apply plenty of sanding sealer. Sealer build a level surface with colortone aerosol guitar lacquer or. When i do a high gloss finish i will sand the guitar up to grit 600. Dribble a few drops of water on a section of the guitar, and begin sanding. I have, over the years, evolved to spray 50% thinned light coats of a lacquer formulated for guitar work with little sanding between coats over skinny sanding sealer coats not too many coats. The finish provides complete protection against beer, wine, cola, coffee, tea, fruit juice, milk.
Between coat sanding of the guitar sealer is what this video is about. If its an opaque finish, you will probably apply the sealer after you fill. Precision finishing how to apply sanding sealer to your guitar. The stearates also make it much softer than regular lacquer, which is why its not used as the final finish. Primer is the same as sanding sealer, except it has coloring added. Or if doing a stain or trans finish i still use the sealer over the stain, then the clear coats at around 912 coats. Preparing bare wood for painting or staining correctly, is a must to ensure a beautiful long lasting finish.
Nitrocellulose finishes should have a total 612 coats sealer, color, and clear. Sanding sealer definition of sanding sealer by the free. Sanding sealer definition of sanding sealer by the free dictionary. Includes instructions on sealing, sanding, lacquering and polishing.
Sanding sealer is basically lacquer, but it contains zinc stearate, which is a soapy substance that makes the sealer easier to sand. Depends on the sanding sealer, i may be incorrect but in my experience the sanding sealer seems to be a thinned out version of a finish meant to penetrate some, fill pores, and do any grain raising thats going to happen before final sanding and finishing. Second sample, i first applied a wet rag onto the wood and sanded it. This should only result in a small miter which will help avoid sanding through your finish when it comes time to do your final sanding.
General finishes enduro sanding sealer is a clear undercoat that forms an easily sandable foundation over raw wood or an unsealed stained surface sanding sealer is not recommended as a final finish because it is not as durable as a topcoat. Spray two coats separated by at least ten to twenty minutes and let dry, preferably overnight. The stuff that makes it easy to sand is the same stuff that can weaken the bond of the finish to the surface. Sanding sealer, when used correctly, is part of the foundation of a good quality finish. Working with porous woods such as mahogany and swamp ash requires the use of a sanding sealer and the notion that even multiple grain raising and sanding is going to prepare these timbers for a gloss coat likewize a shellac wash of a professional finish standard, is wishful thinking. Dont get your guitar too wet as if water gets in screw holes it will swell the wood and crack your finish. Pro finisher waterbased sanding sealer is a fastdrying, highperformance sealer designed for use under pro finisher waterbased polyurethane where a clear, colorless finishing system is desired. Brush on turning, and parts of turned log that may be soft, let dry and apply another coat an hour later, keep doing this till you get an even looking finish, about 3 or four coats on soft part of wood. Hand rubbed guitar finish part 2 filling the grain. Sanding sealer synonyms, sanding sealer pronunciation, sanding sealer translation, english dictionary definition of sanding sealer. I tested a small piece with this sanding sealer and then hit with 120 grit, did fill the pores and buffed down good. Diy guitars is australias home of the best guitar kits. While appearing quite clear, spraying more than a couple layers of sanding sealer will begin to cloud the guitar finish and may not produce a crystal clear finish.
I prefer it on guitar bodies for orbital sanding as opposed to lathe turned objects but that is just a personal feeling. These guitars were finished using my lacquer aerosols. So its not a true sanding sealer by definition, but it accomplishes the same thing. Theres a good bit of confusion about the difference between sealer and sanding sealer. When applying the sealer you do not need to soak the wood, light passes offering just. I just went out and bought a can of sanding sealer and tried it.
It is similar to what i often see on these forums, and i thought my answer might be worth. Your acoustic guitars finish can have all kinds of problems, as you play it over the years. There were no screw holes in line with the cracks wet sanding was done with the water sprayed on the sand paper not the guitar. Guitar finishing 101 the highlighted grain stain finish. Dont leave your guitar out in the car it the temperature is below freezing and then bring it in to play a song by the wood stove or you may get first hand experience with this type of cracking. Sanding down the finish and sealing the wood to get a nice, smooth bare wood feel on your neck. Woodworkers use sanding sealers to speed the progress and improve the appearance of their finishing and refinishing projects. You should always sand with the grain and not against it. Seal sanding sealer with any general finishes waterbased topcoat, except general finishes endurovar, for improved water and chemical resistance. The reason for the sanding and buffing is that its impossible to get a completely smooth finish when spraying. Finish with p1200 paper and then use tcut to bring up the gloss. I thin it about 6040, 40% lacquer thinner, 60 percent mylands sealer. Primer colors are very important with vintage guitar finishes. You might want to try using your favourite finish cut about fifty percent with turpentine as a sanding sealer to see if you like the idea.
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