Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm beginning to gear up for my second guitar and I'm wondering if anyone here has had experience with LMI's pore filler? Any recommendations?

The guitar will be a OO body in EIR and Lutz. I used the traditional pumice method of pore filling for number one prior to FP. I must confess that I did not have the patience to get the mahogany 100% filled on the guitar's back. I gave up around 85% filled. So, having tried tradition, I'm thinking I'm ready to use something a bit more effective from a time standpoint.

_________________
Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

I've been using Behlen's water based pore filler lately. I spritz the surface I'm filling with water and then rub the filler in as thin as possible with a paper towel. After it dries I sand it to bare wood and I have been having pretty good results with just a single fill. The advantage to this filler is that you can stain the wood after you fill it which is a big part of my vintage style finish process.
Check it out here if you like.

_________________
Tickle your guitar daily, and it'll tickle you back.

I got very nice results with Z-poxy filler under fp on my koa #2 (which is still
not complete) , plus it was quick and easy.

_________________
now known around here as Pat Foster
_________________
http://www.patfosterguitars.com

Jim,

I've used LMI's filler with good results but have switched to Z-poxy after the many rave reviews here on the OLF. I like it better.

Cecil

ZP is the simplest and most effective pore filler I've used so far. I like it much better than the black stuff I used on my first 2.

_________________
JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

Jim, I've used the LMI pore filler on EIR with great results. It had a rosewood stain to in it, and really gave the wood a nice even look. I also used the Mahogany stain filler in the neck. It also came out great. I would use the epoxy if your not looking for stain in it. I found that alot of the Mahogany coming through now a days is very light. The stain on the neck restores that color. If your using BRW or other exotic woods, I would go with the epoxy.

I've used the LMI micro-bead pore filler with fantastic results. I love the stuff, and you can add acrylic paints to it to color it for whatever wood you're using.
I've used epoxy on several guitars, and it works fine, but I am abandoning the messy stuff. I would rather use shelac and pumice...in fact, I used that old-fashioned method on the last guitar that I sold, and it works great. When I was spraying ktm-9, the epoxy made for a nice wash coat to pop the grain. Since I've switched to nitro, it's not necessary anymore, since the vinyl sealer and lacquer do the same thing.   

_________________
"I want to know what kind of pickups Vince Gill uses in his Tele, because if I had those, as good of a player as I am, I'm sure I could make it sound like that.
Only badly."

Thank you all for the responses. It looks like Z-Poxy or the LMI Micro-Bead filler. I've used System III when building a sea kayak and it is a good product. My only hesitation with epoxy of any sort is the potential mess and this is probably just unfounded anxiety.

I should probably just suck up and do a couple of tests.

_________________
Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC