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would it be possible to mix the drywall compound with natural earth pigments such a burnt umber?

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We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at guitars.

I think we may have stumbled upon the recipe here. As Larry pointed out the setting type drywall compounds don't shrink much. I was using USG Sheetrock brand DURABOND 20 and had almost zero shrinkage. George and I had the same problem with color. I used dye and lamp black but could only achieve a dark grey. I trust that Brian is spot on with the pigments for coloring.

I am currently using CA and have no problems with the fumes as I use my downdraft sanding table for that operation.

The best filler I have used is McFaddens pore filler, which I think they dont sell anymore. Its basically fine mud. I would highly recommend a few coats of finish and or sealers/finish before pore filling. If you sand through it, you will get light and dark spots. The trick to all of it is to sand evenly no matter what you use. I think I am going to try Crystalac again on a lighter wood with more layers of lacquer to it don't soak in. Wet sand it down with 400 or so.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

Just to be clear, the pores were completely filled, smooth and level.....until I shot the next coat of sealer, then the dw compound collapsed. The lacquer just kind of melted it away.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Anybody care to comment on this? I've got loads of this stuff and wanting to put it to good use. Maybe I'll just give it a go and report back...

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We are all in the gutter but some of us are looking at guitars.

Been using Ca for the last few years.It can easily be done in 1 day.I use a fan and a mask ,no problems.

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James W Bolan
Nashville Tennessee

That's old style pore filling, the stuff they used with Plaster of Paris. I know that some furniture restorers report seeing Grey coloured pores on old furniture but there were various methods of colouring Plaster of Paris. Earth pigments are very stable and light fast, highly unlikely that they will change colour much. The question is will they tint the dry wall compound enough to prevent that showing through. You'll have to give it a go. . . and then let it sit in a window for a few years.

Brian,
This is coming out of left field, but I really don`t think you would gain all that much time by using drywall compound. Too much refilling time and mess for your timeline.
Just from my drywall experience over the past 20 years, I`ve come to the determination that drywall compound is little more than air pocketed in gypsum powder mixed with the bonding agent (abeit very fine). Add water, and it is very easily worked and activated.
Believe me you, I`m still considering it for guitar use.
When the moisture dries up, there are air pockets left the voids that the water/moisture used to fill.
Hence, shrinkage.
This can drive a "real" drywall finisher crazy, thinking they are done, but there`s always that one problem with the final outcome, and needless to say, the customer will see it immediately.
If you mix it too dry, it won`t bond, if you mix it too wet, it`ll shrink.
Another issue is continued shrinkage over time.
I`m only referring to drwall finishing, here so let`s not get into a "mud-slinging" match.
Did y`all get the pun, Folks?
AND NO, YOU SHOULDN`T GLOB IT ON AND LET IT DRY. It makes more work to level it back out again and creates even more dust that`ll be drawn into the lungs!
DAMHIKT, and don`t look when I hit a Ventolin inhaler every few hours like a crack addict.
IMHO It could work, but it`s another one of those learning and feel type of thing.
Using vacuum "could" make it work well, but is it feasible?
I`m not trying to talk you out of it, but this is what I know about Mud.
I don`t know if anything other than water activates it, but if it does, why not just use pumice, as you`d have to wait on curing time anyway.
I haven`t seen (maybe missed) any posts with the time and age factor of using it on guitars.
Please keep us up to date on any experience with dyeing this stuff. It`s just so so thirsty for water and color.
Please keep us informed if you find a way to use pigments with it and make it work.
Coe Franklin

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Give me 50 cents worth of regular.
Check my oil too, if you don`t mind,,,

I was looking to cut a day out of my overall process but knew going in it would not improve man hours over paste filler. Paste fillers really need a 24 hr dry, especially if using any type of catalyzed finishes. Conventional nitro is more forgiving in that you will not get any bridging if applied earlier, but you still run the risk of a haze forming if the paste has not dried and locked in the pigment, the lacquer can draw it out and spoil clarity. So a process that could be sealed , filled and re-sealed in one day would have been nice instead of half of one day and half of the next spent in the booth. I kept seeing this come up at various places and thought I would run some test panels. I tried to photograph them but they did not come out well enough to see. So I will be staying with paste and burlap for most jobs and epoxy for woods with highly variegated coloring for the time being. I have used product similar to timber mate over the years, mainly on nasty, reclaimed oak. It is simply to much dirt and work for applications like guitars IMO.



The Mixol oxides worked really well in the stuff but did not get as dark as I can get a paste filler perhaps. Powdered black tempera might work very well. If any one out there was going to continue to try this method they want to try that.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/