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I went to the following website and requested a sample. I have enough to do 20 guitars at least! http://Www.jgreer.com Epoxy #300, absolutely clear. I wanted something for soft spruce tops. I did not like the color of west epoxies on light woods. I did a sample of my Sitka tops and found no color change (after sanding). The top, after sanded is glass smooth. And there is a perceptible surface hardness. The stuff wicks into the wood. Absolutely no foul smell. I will be using this to seal my current harp top.

In the picture, one half of the sample is epoxied, the other is not. It's laying on top of a non-epoxied top.



You can see some of the unsanded epoxy in a little arc due to an indentation.

Mike

(the point is, you cant see the epoxy)

So Mike,

Am I correct in my assumption that you plan to use this for the seal and finish? Does it dry as hard as the West System? If so, I may consider giving it a try on one of my upcoming gift builds.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

Bill, it is hard. But more importantly it wicks (a bit). You can tell. West just sits on the surface... U got to squeeze it into the pores. This stuff is different. All of this is preliminary, what moved me to post was how it had zero effect on color. No odor. I stuck my nose right up to the soup and could barely smell it. The wicking aspect on soft wood is intriguing! And you get to try it for free.

Mike

I'm sure that will be its weakness in many people's eyes. I guess we'll see!

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Cheers
Pete

Mike

Am I correct in assuming that you are sealing a top with epoxy, and why?

Bob

It'll be very interesting to hear your thoughts on if and how it affects tone and resonance if at all. I suppose the wicking could be advantageous if it doesn't carry color from the bindings and rosette into the end grain of the top.

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Bill Hodge


One does not simply, own enough guitars!

I too am interested in why you are sealing the tops with epoxy. They are poreless and don't require sealing with epoxy, that is why i ask. I just use shellac. Are you trying to get more stiffness with rthe application of epoxy.

Well, the wicking is not that deep! Wetting is the better term. I cut a slice off and could not discern penetration. It seems to me that the West systems do not get pulled into the pores (hard wood) that well. Yes, its more of a sealer than a pore filler on softwood. Plus no color. Shellac adds color. Like I said, its all preliminary. So for me, its sort of a replacement for shellac on the tops. I do intend to do a back and side set. I would think the kind of coatings used by Taylor et al would have more effect on tone than something like this.

Mike

I did a test where I wetted (water) the sample board. The side not expoxied showed grain raising. The epoxy side had little to no grain raising. Just some info.

Mike, You might want to do a deflection test before and after to see if it does anything for stiffness.

What would stiffness changes tell me? And how would I do this test... Sensitive enough to tell a difference and all of that...

Well, if you do a deflection test and find it stiffened up a floppy top it could be a good thing to do. Just set the top on to pieces of wood set at the ends and set a 5pound weight in the middle of the top and measure the amount it deflects before and after the application of the epoxy.That will show the difference, if any.

Ok, I will do this with a test sample when I get a chance