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I about to pore fill an indian rosewood, spruce top, sycamore binding guitar. I'm using McFaddens pore filler tinted rosewood color. I'm worried about it staining the lighter colored woods. Should I spray a coat of laquer down first? Or should the final sanding take care of it. I thought about taping it off too. Any ideas? Thanks Jason

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

I learned the hard way that many things can stain the spruce top, including fine dust from sanding darker backs and sides. Many folks, me included (now that I know better) put a light coat of shellac on the top just after sanding the rosette flush, or after doing any work on the top thereafter. I suppose a light coat of lacquer would accomplish the same thing. You'll sand it off again when doing your final sanding/prep before finishing, and in the mean time it will protect the spruce.

Jason, I spray a good 4 coats on the top. After all your pore filling is done and you have a seal coat on the back and sides, then use mineral spirits to get any stain off the top. Anything left over can be sanded off.

Don't do your final sanding of the top. Mask off the top. Spray a coat of sealer. Let it dry thoroughly. If you have white purfling lines, or white bindings, mask them off. Pore fill, let dry. Pull the tape, sand back the pore fill. Sand the top and get anything that might have seeped -- it happens sometimes. Spray another coat of sealer. Scuff sand the sealer and start spraying your top coats.

Thank you guys for the quick responces.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

No staining, thanks for the advice. I got 2 coats of shellac on it. I might sand down and do more coats. I really want to make this one smooth. Theres still pores showing. The pore-filler really darkened it up.



I can't wait to buff this sucker out. It's going to be a family heirloom. The rosette and endgraft is out of a board of butternut from the backyard of my great-grandfathers farm est.1866 in Winnebago Valley Minnesota. My dads 1st cousin lives there now. Anyway, my father is a woodcarver. He carves Norwegian stuff. Kubestols, Fjord horses, trolls, you name it. I named this guitar shape after the city in Norway my great grandfather John(Johan) Moe came from. Trondheim, Norway. So this is my Trondheim shape, midsize guitar. Number 5.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

Jason, I make a posterboard mask which I tape onto the top during filling.
Also only once the back and sides are filled do I finish sand the top.