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I'd recommend trying LMI's microbead filler. Thin to about the consistency of thick buttermilk, apply, let flash, rub off with burlap or similar, repeat. Sand very lightly with ~360 grit. Done. IOW, this stuff works about like traditional oil based filler, and is very fast compared to epoxy or pumice/shellac.

Roger, have you ever tried the "odorless" CA?


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Thx guys. I came home from work to find a lot of alternatives. I've tried all the ways to improve the Zpoxy method... heating, three coats, squeegee out the kazoo, etc. That's why I'm sick of it.

I’m going to try the thin CA method from Rodger that looks promising… that’s next. The egg white method would be next for me, then pumice, and others (expect the $3k UV solution – a bit rich for me).

Thx again. This forum is a great place to get a reset….

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Tony Flippo

Love zpoxy ,put it on thick take it off with a plastic bondo scraper ,file ridges when dry.then shoot the ktm9

Just tried Aquacoat on Goncalo Alves which is pretty porous. If you are using a water based finish you might like it as a water based filler too. No fumes at all. It looks like tapioca pudding, I put some on squeegeed in, a couple coats and then tried just applying like a paste wax on the last coat. It dries quickly, like 30-45 minutes and seems to sand easily. Also, it dries clear, I am French Polishing the finish on this guitar with U-Beaut shellac and was going to try the O'Brien pore filling method with the shellac and sawdust, but was advised against it on any wood with a lot of various colors in the grain pattern like this Goncalo.

Kurt

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Kurt Thomas

"There's a first time for everything even if you do it by mistake."

No, I haven't...
I get the small bottles from StewMac, and after they've been open a month or two, there's still half a bottle left.
I use that for pore filling, it takes it a minute or two to dry instead of the 15 or 20 seconds from a fresh bottle, and the reduction in fumes is also quite significant. The longer drying time makes it easier to apply evenly without the card sticking. If it gets too old it won't dry, but a quick test will determine if it will dry in a minute or two.

I think using a fresh bottle of the thin stuff might be tricky. I've only done 2 or 3, (usually take me a year or so to complete one) and I've always had some older CA on hand.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

Like you, I usually have plenty of opened small bottles around and have noticed they lose strength. I'll have to give CA another try with this weak stuff. It's not much good for gluing anyway. It was fresh medium thick stuff that cooked my eyes. Someday, I'll try some of the odorless.

I like Timbermate. Very easy and quick to apply - but - only about 80% of the depth of the pores will get filled. The work comes with laying down 4-5 thick base coats of finish then sand-sand-sanding back. Gives a very nice vintage look.

Yeah, I wish I had known about the fact that Timbermate only fills most of the way before I used it on the guitar I am building now. I thought it was great and easy, and I did two sessions of filling and sanding back in order to get to 100%, but I am still having to work pretty hard on the finish to make up for the fact that the pores did not fill completely. I'm going to have to try egg whites or get better at the pumice method. Using that much epoxy just doesn't appeal to me; I am not crazy about the small amount I have to use for some inlays, much less enough to cover most of the guitar.

I've never used epoxy, so I could be totally wrong, but Don I think the epoxy you use for inlays is a glue. And the epoxy used for pore filling is different. It's a finishing epoxy. I'm sure someone who knows will chime in here.

The epoxies I have used all smell to high Heaven, so no matter what they are designed to do, I don't like working with them any more than I have to. I tolerate small amounts on an infrequent basis out of necessity. Hearing all these stories of people having bad physical reactions from exposure to chemicals in CA, epoxy, you name it, just worries me and pushes me into the Green Camp.

Don, I get your concern and understand it. But, I have more (way more) reactions to wood than to any of the noxious chemicals I've used. Use great care both ways.

Several years ago, Brian Burns did a demo at an NCAL meeting of credit card squeegieng odorless CA. As I recall, it was a medium viscosity CA. Very impressive.

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https://soundcloud.com/jeffreylsuits/he ... -runnin-13

Are you saying that you sanded back the pore filler? You don't want to do that...you'll just pull out the pore filler. Here's how I do it, in preparation for a nitro finish:

apply one or two light coats of shellac, wet down the Timbermate to a milkshake consistency (add dyes at this time if necessary), lay out a glob about the size of a silver dollar and spread it out with a bondo spreader. It will dry quick and if it dries before you get it spread add a little bit of water to re-wet it, gently clean up any streaks wiping cross grain, let dry for a few hours, wipe off the excess with a burlap sack going cross grain. If it looks like there is still some excess use a lightly damped cloth and gently wipe cross grain. Repeat all these steps one more time, then spray sealer and start build coats of lacquer.

I appreciate the guidance. I am not shooting nitro, but that's neither here nor there. You had mentioned earlier that Timbermate only filled the pores about 80%. That's about what I got, too, with the way I did it, which was consistent with all of the instructions I had seen before I used it. So I don't think either way is better or worse. I sure wish I could use Timbermate to get 100% filled before I start finishing, because I don't like relying on thick coats of any finish to fix surface preparation shortcomings. It just causes more work.

Tried just about everything.If you can stand the fumes for me CA works best.Dries fast so can apply several coats in 1 day.

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee