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Is it necessary to use sanding sealer under Em6000? In this situation I will have sealed the spruce top with shellac and pore-filled the B&S and neck with Zpoxy... Can EM6000 be used by itself?

I got a Fuji Q3 spray system from a friend to use for the first time. On previous builds I have used rattle cans or Tru-Oil. Also... How much should I buy? I only build about 1 guitar a year and don't want to buy too much and have it go to waste, but I want to make sure I have enough to finish this guitar... Should I get both EM1000 and EM6000 or just use the EM6000 by itself? ...Is something else appropriate to use under the EM6000? ...shellac?

Any thoughts, guidance, or suggestions would be appreciated.
Thanks,
Steve

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

I'm about to do one with Em6000 using shellac (from flakes) on the soundboard and a coat of Zpoxy on the rest of it. I haven’t decided if I'm going to shellac the entire thing or not.
From what I have read here and on other sites is that you don’t need the sealer. Em6000 can be used as its own sealer. The shellac and Zpoxy do add to the depth and highlight the character.

I read something somewhere that put me off of the idea of using the Em1000 as a sealer. It may have just been that you didn't need it and I removed it from my plans as a cost savings measure.

I'll be spraying with a spray gun for the first time.

Sorry not much actual information but asking the same questions, that is what I have come up with.

Good luck,

John

Steve,

I only use EM1000 under EM6000 if I am shooting color. EM6000 will go down just fine over ZPoxy, though I moisten a cloth with denatured alcohol and slightly swab the surface and let it dry for 10 minutes or so prior to shooting the EM6000. Done a number of guitars this way with no adhesion or clarity issues.

Good luck!

Ken

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http://www.casperguitar.com

I have been shooting EM1000 under my EM6000 as a seal coat on the last few guitars. I HATE spraying EM1000. I don't get good results with it. I have found it blues easily and that it runs like the dickens even when spraying lightly. It doesn't flow out nicely like EM6000 does. Maybe that's just my experience though.

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ELEVATE || Next Level Lutherie
http://elevatelutherie.com
&
http://ensorguitars.com

I've tried multiple times to get EM1000 information from Target, both on their online contact form and on their forum, and so far they've been 100% unresponsive. My question was basically "Why would I use 1000? Should I use 1000? Should I build with 1000 like StewMac's finishing schedule suggests?". Zippo, nadda, nothing. A good part of why I started using EM6000 is because of how responsive they were to my questions some years back, and a good part of why I've recently dumped them is their newly found inability to answer the most basic questions about their products. Eventually, I just got tired of experimenting.

I've only ever used EM6000 alone (whether tinted or clear) over shellac; never used EM1000.

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Dave
Milton, ON

I've used the precursor to EM1000 under the stew-mac brand back when it was called USL at Target. I did one instrument like that and since then I've been going straight EM6000 over shellac. Visually I couldn't tell any difference.

I does sound like a good idea to at least put down a coat of shellac before anything else. EM products are water borne and will probably raise the grain a little bit without some sort of sealer there.

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http://www.birkonium.com CNC Products for Luthiers
http://banduramaker.blogspot.com

EM1000 has a couple of advantages as color carrier:

1) EM1000 handles a much higher ratio of tint as % of volume than EM6000, resulting in a more opaque finish with fewer coats. I tint EM6000 frequently as well, but only to put down a light tint when spraying, usually to even out the tone.

2) EM1000 is clear, so when mixing colors, I have a much better feel what the color will be like when sprayed. EM6000 is like 1% milk, and you have to experiment to get the right color mixture because you can't tell by simply looking in the beaker.

Ken

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http://www.casperguitar.com