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Has anyone used egg whites for pore filling. I like the non toxic all natural thing.... (plus I have chickens )
Also what type of finish can go over eggs (I know, ketchup.... etc....) but for a guitar
Thanks

Jeff

I did it once. Shellac over the top. Seemed to work. Thanks for reminding me, I'm going to try it again.

Works well on smaller pore woods, I use it on my necks all the time. I haven't used it on large pore woods likr EIR though, but imagine it'd work fine with a few applications.

_________________
Jim Watts
http://jameswattsguitars.com

I have heard of this method with some classical builders. Don't see why it wouldn't work on steel strings. I would never try it since my dog would probably try to eat it. ...Mike

Jeff,

Using advice from Collin Symonds and Allen McFarlen, I completed a little experiment with egg whites back in February 2009 which I documented in this thread.

http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=20982&st=0&sk=t&sd=a&hilit=egg+whites&start=75

As can be seen in the following images taken today of the very same board, after 14 months there is still no sink back whatsoever.










High Resolution image can be seen here:

http://members.iinet.com.au/~larkim/larkim/images/Egg%20whites/12monthson%20med.jpg

Cheers

Kim

Thanks everyone, and thanks for the pics Kim.
Still wondering what types of finish can be used over egg whites?

Jeff

Any kind you want, I believe. If you have worries about adhesion, you can always do a first coat with shellac.

Joe

Advice from my experience is to practice practice practice on a test board before trying on your guitar.
It takes time and patience and does work great. But there's a learning curve to how big an area you can work and how wet or dry you want the sessions to be. I reccomend glare (whites whipped to a froth and left to stand over night, use the liquid stuff) over straight egg whites.

Good luck

Dave

Dave,

I did not find the process that difficult to come to terms with just using straight egg white as advised by Colin Symonds. I believe Colin, who has done considerable restoration work for a British museum on their antique stringed instruments, does in some circumstances recommend the use of glare (beaten and settled egg white with watery consistency) for 'sealing' spruce prior to french polishing, but if I recall correctly, the suggestion is that the greater body of straight egg whites is advantageous to the filling process. Do you have any images of your process, or more detail of how you apply, how much area you work at a time, when you consider one should stop working an area, and in how many stages etc?

I certainly agree that practice is an important measure. This is true with all finishing methods, they 'all' work well if the required processes are carried out correctly, but all too often it seems we find ourselves jumping from one method to the next refusing to learn from our own mistakes. Maybe it is because it is more comforting to blame the method rather than ourselves, and with so many options available, we rarely need to face the truth in our lack of expertise.

EDIT: Well there ya go, just checked at the link above and Colin does not use glare as a sizing either, just straight unbeaten egg white from the shell even on the top.

Cheers

Kim

Colin explains his process on a build post on another forum here's a link http://www.luthiercom.org/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?f=107&t=1261&start=75

_________________
Formerly JJH

I learn more from my mistakes than my successes

Search on 'Vernice bianca' for the use of egg whites in the violin world.

Cheers
John

Thanks John & John & Kim(again) I'm trying it on a scrap piece of sepele now, I'll let you know how it turns out.

Thanks again,

Jeff