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quick question about pore filling
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=31889		 Page 1 of 1
Author:  John A [ Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:29 am ]
Post subject:  quick question about pore filling
I am about to start pore filling with egg whites. I have read many of the posts out there about it - but I wanted to jot down the procedure I will do, so someone can chime in and let me know if I am about do to something wrong.

I am preparing to finish a classical - Spanish cedar neck, maple backs and sides, and spruce top. I have put a wash coat of shellac on the neck and the top. Should I also put the pore filler/egg white on the spruce top as well ?

I plan to get the egg whites from an organically fed, free range chicken ;)
1. I will then separate out the white into a vessel. (should I whip the whites and then separate the liquid that comes to the top for pore filling?)
2. Then I will put a little bit of the white on a clean rag and apply it on the area to be pore filled. Then I will proceed to sand the area with 220 grit.
3. Once dry - I will sand back a little bit to level the egg finish, and then reapply. Till pores are gone.
4. Then shellac - how long do I wait to apply the shellac and final finishes after my last egg treatment ?

Should I pore fill my spruce top ?
Author:  Mark Groza [ Mon Apr 18, 2011 7:59 am ]
Post subject:  Re: quick question about pore filling
I don't think you have to pore fill the spruce as it is a closed pore wood. I too am interested in pore-filling with egg whites as i have alot of free range chickens to get eggs from. :) I haven't done it yet, so can't explain the process from experience.
Author:  WudWerkr [ Mon Apr 18, 2011 8:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: quick question about pore filling
Guess I cant use egg whites . All we have around here are " Free Derranged" chickens laughing6-hehe laughing6-hehe laughing6-hehe
Author:  WaddyThomson [ Mon Apr 18, 2011 8:59 am ]
Post subject:  Re: quick question about pore filling
I was under the impression that Maple is not an open pore wood, and needs no pore filling! If you don't need it, don't waste your time. The neck may or may not need it. I don't spend much time pore filling my necks, and they seem fine. Maybe one quick pass. The way I've heard is to just use a regular egg white, no beating, etc., and dip 22 wet/dry paper in it and wet sand small areas, working up a slurry. Work the slurry into the pores, squeege off, cross grain, and let dry, sand back and repeat. Some woods take several sessions to complete. Drying over night is good, but it can be repeated in about 3 to 4 hours if your environment is dry.
Author:  Mark Groza [ Mon Apr 18, 2011 9:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: quick question about pore filling
WudWerkr wrote:
Guess I cant use egg whites . All we have around here are " Free Derranged" chickens laughing6-hehe laughing6-hehe laughing6-hehe

Don't feel bad. Use them anyway. ;) My chickens a not only free-range but also deranged as well and will probably work fine if i can figure out how to get maple pores filled when they don't exist. :lol: laughing6-hehe laughing6-hehe
Author:  Daniel Minard [ Mon Apr 18, 2011 11:40 am ]
Post subject:  Re: quick question about pore filling
Depending on the maple you use, you may want to pore fill it. I built two Western Bigleaf maple guitars last year. The first one I didn't fill & the finish sunk into the (very small) pores, leaving a distinct texture to the finish. The second one I filled using shellac & pumice. After a couple of months, it's still nice & smooth.
Author:  John A [ Mon Apr 18, 2011 5:29 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: quick question about pore filling
not the maple - my question was about the spruce top - should it be pore filled ? I saw some answers above - any other opinions ?
Author:  Kim [ Mon Apr 18, 2011 6:37 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: quick question about pore filling
Spruce does not have any pores to fill. Some people use egg white as a sizing or sealer for spruce prior to the finish, particularly oil based.

As for technique, Waddy has it about right but I have not tried squeegeeing off across the grain, I just leave the slurry to dry and then sand off.

Cheers

Kim
Author:  weslewis [ Mon Apr 18, 2011 10:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: quick question about pore filling
why use egg whites...what is the advantage????????? idunno
Author:  nickton [ Tue Apr 19, 2011 1:10 am ]
Post subject:  Re: quick question about pore filling
All the guitar building books I've read (not many actually), and websites say don't pore fill the top. I did it on my first one before I found this out. No biggie but I don't think it really did anything, except for some binding and rosette edges.
Author:  warmong [ Tue Apr 19, 2011 5:06 am ]
Post subject:  Re: quick question about pore filling
I don't use egg white for pore filling (I use pumice for that).
You can use egg white on the top. My teacher told me to do this not so much to seal the top (that is not necessary), as to raise the grain, and make the raised grain a bit sturdier, so that when you final sand the top you get a completely smooth surface. Well, actually, we used a really thin bone glue that was applied with a brush and left to dry. But you can also do this with egg white. (in dutch we call this 'gronderen' which translates more or less as 'applying a base layer') We used the bone glue, because it gets really hard when dry, so it is easy to sand the raised grain. Better to use bone glue that hide glue, because it has less creep than HHG.

Spanish cedar for the neck does need pore filling, but it is really easy to do with pumice.

good luck!
Author:  WaddyThomson [ Tue Apr 19, 2011 9:09 am ]
Post subject:  Re: quick question about pore filling
weslewis wrote:
why use egg whites...what is the advantage????????? idunno


It's very inexpensive, and totally non-toxic, unless you are allergic to eggwhite! Not true of any other method that I know of... Even grain alcohol is considered a hazardous material, vapor wise, though most do not consider that to be an issue. I recommend reading the current "American Lutherie" article on alcohols.
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