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As I was pore filling a couple of necks with epoxy, I started wondering why it needs a top coat. A good finishing resin seems to have plenty of gloss and is at least as hard as typical finishes. Surely one could keep the overall thickness the same (or less) than adding finish on top.

I'm guessing I'm not the only one to wonder about this and there is a good reason it's not popular. Lack of UV protection? Hard to buff?

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

I'm pretty sure you can add UV protection to epoxy. I know people have used it on fingerboards.

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David Morris

Hard to buff. It doesn't really take a shine the way lacquer does.

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Freeborn Guitars
and home of BeauGuard©

not a good finish .

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I think the OP was asking about using epoxy as finish on necks in particular, so a high gloss may not be important.



John - can you elaborate as to why it is not a good finish?

I know just enough about epoxy to know that I don't know much about epoxy. With that said I use West Systems epoxy for some things, and sometimes for pore filling. I don't think it gets hard enough to be the actual top coat. There's a BUNCH of different kinds of epoxy so some may be suitable. Are you talking about using epoxy as a top coat for the neck only, or for the body too?

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

I remember JJ tried it on a guitar once.

Here's the link ZPoxy as a finish?

I found this quote in a different thread with JJ's assessment of it.

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it isn't a finish material . There are 2 coat systems but epoxy has too much dampening . If it was a finish it would be labeled as such. When it comes to finish , it is all about prep . There are no short cuts to get a professional finish .

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Seems to be too gummy to me. IT think I am going to try a CA finish on the Selmer neck though.

There are 2 pack epoxy finishing products that are carefully formulated in labs by industrial chemist to deliver the desired properties in a finish to best suit the environment of their intended use, marine for example, floor coatings are another. These same well equipped and skilled professionals also develop 2 part epoxy products for use as adhesives and levellers etc. To use grain filling epoxy or epoxy adhesive as a finish would be like entering a Lamborghini in a tractor tow comp just because it has 4 wheels and an engine and a reputation for being quite fast...it really is a matter of horses for courses.

Cheers

Kim

I think Kim more or less hit the nail on the head. There are epoxies you can make an optically smooth surface from that definitely cure fully hard, but anybody with the cash and expertise to experiment with them would buy a UV polyester setup and save themselves a bunch of time and money.

I'm not saying that it isn't doable, just that getting the right formulation will be tough and require going to some real specialty suppliers. I remember Michael Payne had great success with CA as a neck finish, both in looks and durability, but found application to be extremely laborious.

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Bob Garrish
Former Canonized Purveyor of Fine CNC Luthier Services

I did a neck with epoxy as the finish a few years ago and it was okay as a satin finish but I couldn't get it to buff as a gloss finish. I became sensitized to epoxy so I didn't pursue it. On that same guitar I used epoxy on a light fingerboard and it held up fine. Recently I did an all CA finish on the whole guitar. I was able to buff it out beautifully but it was more difficult to apply and level than a sprayed finish. For just the neck it might be easier to get acceptable results. What I did like about the CA was the feel of the neck. It was slicker than the gloss finish I usually use. Very fast.

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Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com

Thanks for the replies.

Ken and Chas, what brand of epoxy were you using that was hard to buff to a gloss?

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http://www.chassonguitars.com

I think mine was West Systems.

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Ken Franklin
clumsy yet persistent
https://www.kenfranklinukulele.com