| Official Luthiers Forum! http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/ |
|
| Polyurethane varnish...pore filler? http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=27822 |
Page 1 of 1 |
| Author: | Matt9 [ Sun Jun 13, 2010 5:25 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Polyurethane varnish...pore filler? |
Has anyone ever used hard poly floor varnish as a grain/pore filler instead of the hazardous epoxy/ca options. I used it on the floor boards during a recent house restoration. Its hard, tough, inert, quite thick, safe, and can be wet sanded to a thin film. Seems on paper to be quite an attractive alternative. I would love to know why it would be a bad idea on an acoustic guitar. Matt |
|
| Author: | Michael.N. [ Sun Jun 13, 2010 6:05 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Polyurethane varnish...pore filler? |
Any varnish can be used to fill pores, it's just that it can take many coats and a lot of rubbing down before they are filled. If you are brushing it on you have to be aware of 'bridging'. Try it on scrap and see how it goes. |
|
| Author: | Matt9 [ Sun Jun 13, 2010 6:40 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Polyurethane varnish...pore filler? |
My thoughts about this were focused after reading the thread about the hazards of using epoxy and ca as a pore filler. It's not nice stuff thats for sure, though I'm intrigued as to how it is poly is relatively benign as a petro-chemical derivitive. Must say the stuff we bought had a lovely syrupy consistency and dried very fast. I shall get some scrap and try several tests, see how it looks. My hunch is the results will be positive as poly lacquer does appear to be a very user friendly product. |
|
| Author: | Steve Kinnaird [ Sun Jun 13, 2010 9:11 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Polyurethane varnish...pore filler? |
Hi Matt, you could try your fingertips as an applicator. Actually, applicators would be grammatically correct. John Calkin told me that gun stocks were finished that way where he studied gunsmithing. Of course, a guitar is far larger than a gunstock, but you can really press that stuff into the pores with your fingertips. Steve |
|
| Author: | Laurent Brondel [ Mon Jun 14, 2010 6:01 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: Polyurethane varnish...pore filler? |
CA is not toxic but is an irritant. One can develop asthma like symptoms after repeated exposure, I have. Filling pores with CA on a guitar requires good ventilation, gloves and goggles, and even then, the fumes are unbearable for some. Epoxy is toxic, and can also be an irritant. Personally I can hardly stand the smell. Poly varnishes use petrochemical solvents, so there's a degree of toxicity there, even if low. If you decide on Steve's suggestion, use gloves. Some floor finishes are very high in solids and could fill pores relatively quickly, but I bet they also shrink considerably, so I would test on scrap and wait at least a couple of weeks. If it works I would sand back to the wood for two reasons: those poly varnishes are not as clear as a good oil varnish, and do not have the degree of elasticity required for a guitar (I asume the poly coat would inevitably crack). Epoxy and CA do not shrink, while an oil based filler shrinks a bit. Finally I think there are a few poly products specifically designed for the purpose. |
|
| Page 1 of 1 | All times are UTC - 5 hours |
| Powered by phpBB® Forum Software © phpBB Group http://www.phpbb.com/ |
|