Official Luthiers Forum!

Well lately I have been asking a lot of FP questions because I am going to
try it for the 1st time. I plan on following Robbies video. My 1st guitar
(from a kit that never really got finished....crooked body) is the guinnea
pig.

With Zpoxy as the filler I am getting mixed info. Some say to sand back
to bare wood (obviously not to the point that you sand open the poors)
Some say leave a slight amount all over so you don't get dull spots.
I was going to add a 2nd coat that is thinned with Denatured alcohol. If I
sand back to wood, and then add this 2nd coat, wouldn't the light/dark
areas not be an issue. Also if you do add a thin 2nd coat, do you sand
that at all.
Finally, can you use an orbital sander to sand the Zpoxy back or are you
better off doing it by hand?

Thanks again
Andy

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Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

Andy,
On a French polish application, for that mater all finishes I sand back to bare wood. leaving Zpoxy in the pores. On a sprayed finish I do the 60/40 mix wipe. On French polish I do not. However you could. If you don't be sure to get all the Zpoxy off the guitar surface so that the shellac will evenly color the woods.

on French polish I like the shellac to tint the woods However if you chose to do the 60/40 wipe down evenly dull it every where to give the shellac a tooth to adhere to. Some claim to have had an issue with shellac sticking to shinny Zpoxy. Personally I have not. but I do wipe down with DA prior to applying the shellac This softens the 60/40 mix a tad and I think helps the shellac adhere.MichaelP39036.486412037

Andy:

I've only used Z-Poxy on the last two, so others probably have a better handle on it. I don't sand back to the wood. After the first coat, which I squeegee off VERY thin, I let it cure for at least 36 hours, sand back using 220 grit and a cork pad just enough to knock back any high spots, and lightly scuff all over. Rinse, repeat... Third coat, I thin out the epoxy about 30% with alcohol, and wipe on with a lint free rag. I let it cure and sand lightly with 320 grit, again knocking down any high spots. I wipe down with naptha so I can see better, then hit everything with 400 on a cork pad. Don't know if it's right, but it seems to be working well - the last two have the best finishes so far.

I don't think you need to use the sander, this stuff is easy to do by hand...

-Mark

_________________
Pullman, WA

The more I know, the more I know I don't know.

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thanks

_________________
Andy Z.
http://www.lazydogguitars.com

I AGREE DO NOT USE A SANDER YOU WILL END UP OPENING PORES BEFORE YOU KNOW IT. SORRY FOR THE ALL CPS I AM IN AN APPLICATIONT THAT REQUIRES IT AND DID NOT WANT TO FORGET TO SET THEM BACKMichaelP39036.505625

Andy,
I finished my last in FP. It was my first attempt at FP. I applied Zpoxy over the entire guitar and did not sand back to bare wood. Any FP mistakes only made it to the epoxy layer. This made it easy to repair without causing any uneven coloration in the wood.
Bruce

Stupidity removed....




Don Williams39036.6088773148

_________________
"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."

...and more stupidity...Don Williams39036.6092476852

_________________
"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."

Nope not from this topic anyway, but it did a little when I opened a box with your address on it last night

I did as Mark stated on a recent FP experience. It worked well.

Good luck, Andy! I found my first attempt at FP to ultimately be satisfying and rewarding. I'm still nursing tendonitis in the elbow but only because I had to re-do a lot of rookie mistakes. My next attempt will go better...perhaps as a southpaw!

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

[QUOTE=MichaelP] Nope not from this topic anyway, but it did a little when I opened a box with your address on it last night[/QUOTE]

Ouch...

_________________
"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."