The Last Bass Outpost
Gear Discussion Forums => Bill's Shop: Projects, Mods & Repairs => Topic started by: Dave W on October 07, 2008, 04:22:29 PM
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I don't care for pore filling. Still, sometimes it's necessary or at least desirable with certain woods. I haven't done any woodworking projects for quite a while, but I still check in at the WoodNet.net forums every couple of weeks. I recently saw a thread where someone asked for pore filler recommendations, and one guy who responded said he uses thinned-down drywall compound. When another poster asked him for more info, here's what he said:
Perfectly safe to use under ANY clear finish .. .. tint the filler before application if you want to accentuate the grain - then apply it to the stained project .. or apply it white & stain it along with the rest of the surface if you want it to blend in, and just be very flat.
A little practice with water-based dyes & tints will have you making striking custom finishes in no time.
Think about it .. when you buy "pore-filler" for $15-25/qt, you are actually getting very finely ground silica (sand) in a binder. The binder is something like linseed oil & mineral spirits, OR it can be water-based. Either can be tinted before or after application, depending on the desired results, just be sure to use the appropriate tints. An old timer at a woodworking show revealed this to a bunch of us many years ago, and I've used it many times since. Drywall mud/plaster-of-Paris, etc. is very much the same materials you buy in so-called "pore-fillers". You can even buy dry "setting" compound that you mix with water just before use .. it "cures" rather than dried via evaporation, and sets more quickly and resists shrinking better, not that it's much of an issue with filling pores in wood
Sounded interesting, so I saved the thread.
Now look what I've found, a new video from an acoustic guitar maker and luthiery teacher:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zhk6rZ2UI1Y
In the immortal words of Arte Johnson, very interesting!
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Man, I don't know. I've had good success with Bartley's filler, so I'd be leery of this idea. But it might work for all I know! :P
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I'd definitely give this a go! It's got to be better than pore filling with cyanoacrolyte. :o
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I do think I'll give it a try next time I need to fill pores. Robbie O'Brien, who did the video, is a knowledgable luthier. No one solution works for everyone but he wouldn't be using it if it didn't work out to his satisfaction. Here's his website: http://www.obrienguitars.com/.
If you're satisfied with your present method, then of course there's no need to change.
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I've tried at least four things: epoxy, Bartley's, fiberglass (made just for wood filling) and the stuff Reranch sells. I found Bartley's worked best for me, but the epoxy wasn't bad either. So, there's always more than one way to do anything!
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Funny, I would say that rubbing plaster into the pores would affect sound in a negative way. But that luthier looks like he knows what he's doing.
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Whatever material you use to fill pores will clog them up, that's the general idea. I'm not aware of anybody claiming that different pore filling materials sound different from each other.
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I have 3 mahog projects to work on this winter . This may be a way for me to coax the red starfire into a greenie :mrgreen:
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So this would work on a heavy grained wood like ash, or just something like maho with less defined grain?
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So this would work on a heavy grained wood like ash, or just something like maho with less defined grain?
Actually this method would work great for ash. You could even use colors like green or red to really pop the grain and give it some character.
If you are happy with your pore filler method than stick with what works for you. This is just an option for some.
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Hey, thanks, Robbie. I'm a lurker at the OLF, that's where I saw it. Also appreciated your Safe-T-Planer resharpening tips.
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Thanks for the info!!
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Dave,
You can also see all of my Youtube instructional videos from LMI's website. They are putting together a video library of sorts from these clips. Check back often as I upload about one a week. Enjoy!
http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/Video.asp (http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/Video.asp)
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Easier for me to subscribe to your YouTube channel and get automatic notification when you post a new video.
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Actually this method would work great for ash. You could even use colors like green or red to really pop the grain and give it some character.
If you are happy with your pore filler method than stick with what works for you. This is just an option for some.
First, welcome and thanks for joining us! I couldn't believe your video when I first saw it, but it does make sense. Seems the water-based world has more opportunities than I had imagined! I often want to do a natural look over ash or mahogany without necessarily wanting to darken the grain. Will this material still work or might it dry white and obscure that grain? That's my question for the day!
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First, welcome and thanks for joining us! I couldn't believe your video when I first saw it, but it does make sense. Seems the water-based world has more opportunities than I had imagined! I often want to do a natural look over ash or mahogany without necessarily wanting to darken the grain. Will this material still work or might it dry white and obscure that grain? That's my question for the day!
Thanks for the welcome. I sure wish this forum had an email sent to me option when someone posts. I participate on a bunch of forums all over the world and it can get a bit time consuming.
This product will dry white in the pores, so unless you want white pores you need to dye it a specific color. If you want the natural look then you can use transparent water based pore fillers that are available. You could also use my shellac and sawdust method that I present in my guitar finishing DVD.
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Robbie, you should be able to get notification. In your Profile, under Modify Profile, go to Notifications and Email and you should be able to turn on notification.
I only see this from the admin's viewpoint, so please let me know if this isn't working.
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Okay, done deal. I should get an email notification for all posts I respond to.