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Thanks Pat! I will level it real good before the third coat and try that. Particularly doing the neck with just a gloved finger turned out real sloppy made for a lot of sanding to smooth it out. I think after a few guitars I'll get it down better.

When using the foam brush, I'm guessing you would use a different brush for each coat. Is that right?
Thanks,
Bob

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Bob
From the oldest town in Texas.

Yes on the fresh foam brush for each coat. They're cheap.

Pat

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There are three kinds of people:

Those that make things happen,
those that watch things happen,
and those that wondered what happened.

Pat, Larry, and others using heat with Z-Poxy -- I understand you are finding this method works well to achieve a nice smooth coat of epoxy that then requires minimal sanding. What I'm wondering, though, is what you are finding in terms of how well the less viscous heated epoxy fills the pores.

I'm doing a pore fill with epoxy (Z-Poxy) for the first time right now. Reading what I can find here about different approaches people use, it's interesting that some find that thickening the epoxy seems to improve how effectively the pores get filled, while others are extolling the benefits of thinning the epoxy (with heat or with alcohol).

I also understand that thinning the final coat one way or another works well for the purpose of evening out the color once you're at that stage where the pores are already filled. But it sounds like some of you are talking about thinning it during the pore filling stage, so I'm wondering if you've found A) that the pores actually seem to fill more easily with the less viscous epoxy, B) that they fill less easily, but the trade off of having less sanding between applications makes it worth it to you, or C) that they fill equally well AND you have less sanding, so you're like

Thanks!

(I started another thread about pore filling with epoxy, so come on over there with any more tips you may have if you like!)

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

I use 2 foam brushes for each application , the first for applying the zpoxy then keeping the heat going I use a second to smooth out and absorb the excess z poxy , with a little practice there is virtually no sanding needed, another added benefit is you keep the stuff off your hands....

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MK5acoustics.com

Todd I find the heat allows the Z-Poxy to flow out better and really wet the wood, popping the grain but if it's too thin, (too warm) it will not fill the pores as well as a more viscous mix will as you've suspected. But with a thinner mixture it can be applied, as Pat suggests, with a foam brush which can actually leave a thicker amount of epoxy than using a squeegee or credit card and filling the pores as well or better.

Another option is use a squeegee and then heat to level any of small ridges a squeegee can leave reducing sanding. There's no real down side that I've found with any method but I have found that the squeegee method can pull most of the epoxy out of the pores as you try and get it perfectly level so a combination of squeegee and heat can work really well. I'm going to pore fill some Sapele today and I'll post back as I try and remember my exact method.

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Thank You and Best To All

Pretty much what Larry just said. You can start with a first coat of un-warmed epoxy, sand back then continue on with the warmed epoxy. The biggest advantage to the heat is the ability to "paint" on the epoxy and have zero ridges to contend with so there's little sanding afterwards. I was having trouble getting a last coat down and sanding back the ridges without also sanding through to the wood in spots. This happened even if I tried thinning the epoxy with acetone. And sanding through to the wood was a pain because it would show as a different colour. So the ability to get that last coat on with no ridges is a real plus. Let us know how it goes.

Pat

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There are three kinds of people:

Those that make things happen,
those that watch things happen,
and those that wondered what happened.

Thanks, Wes, Larry, and Pat. All very helpful and much appreciated.

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Todd Rose
Ithaca, NY

https://www.dreamingrosesecobnb.com/todds-art-music

https://www.facebook.com/ToddRoseGuitars/

Some guys are really digging this method: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9Z6q7ncm-hU

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Rick Rosenberg
President
[url]www.GearUpProducts.com[/url]
[url]www.ricksguitartalk.blogspot.com[/b][/url]
[url]www.gearupproducts.blogspot.com[/b][/url]

If the CA works as good on wood with real pores and not tiny pored like the ebony that will be impressive for sure.

Fred

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Fred Tellier
http://www.fetellierguitars.com
Facebook page http://www.facebook.com/pages/FE-Tellier-Guitars/163451547003866

I have used ca and found it to do a very good job. In fact, as car as pore filling it, it was my favorite. BUT the fumes were more than I could bear. Even with a respirator. Particularly irritated my eyes.


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