what's the best way to deal with...

[austin]

I am having an issue deciding on the best way to deal with these micro imperfections between the binding and the body. They appear to be virtually invisible until I get to the level-sanding phase of finishing. At that point they stand out like a sore reflecting thumb. I am already at the point where I feel my finish (spirit varnish) is as thick as I want it so I hate to add too much more....

Would it be better to fill them a la Frank Ford, with ca glue and accelerator and then french polish over?

Or, should I just layer up some more finish just on the edge and level sand to blend?

It doesn't seem to me that the extra finish right at the very edge would have too much effect on the sound of the finished instrument.

Any help is always appreciated,
austin

[Chris Baird]

I use burlwood alot and sometimes I miss filling some small divot/hole after a little varnish goes on. So, I use a tiny bit of epoxy to fill those imperfections, let it dry a day and sand it down and recommence varnishing. I don't know how that will work with shellac though. By the time I'm french polishing all imperfections are dealt with.

[Jim Hilburn]

This is one thing I'm still trying to find the best answer for. The wood putty I got from Stew-Mac really won't get into the tiny spaces and they still stand out like a sore thumb when you buff. One thing I want to try, but haven't yet is to use paste filler just like you would do to fill open pore wood. I learned the hard way not to use super glue. It doesn't take stain too well.
When doing lacquer, I would drop-fill them between coats, but that doesn't work well with varnish, or actually I haven't done much experimentation with it.

[Chris Baird]

Drop filling with varnish makes things worse in my experience. It creates a little crater that somehow seemes deeper than when I started.

[HoGo]

Classical guitar makers seem to prefer epoxy for this job (especially around rosettes). It works well and won't eat the finish thats already on. Just rub it in any spaces and wipe the excess. Some epoxies may, however, cause bleeding of your colors so it is preferrable to use them ater several coats of varnish/lacquer. I do use thicker CA on ebony headstocks before finish goes on.

[sunburst]

I usually use stick shellac and a burn-in knife.
It's generally compatible with any finish, is easy to apply (with a little practice), is dry as soon as it cools, can be sanded smooth, and doesn't shrink much.

[austin]

Can the stick shellac be polished as is, or does it need to be fp'd over?

thanks,
austin

[sunburst]

Stick shellac can be polished, but it usually looks better if it's finished over. For finish work on new instruments, I always finish over it. For touch up on varnished instruments, I sometimes buff the stick shellac in place, especially if I can't tell what the varnish is that I'm working on.

[tope]

CA or epoxy will work but sand back well or you will have a stain problem. You said you were going to french polish the mando. In that case the frenching will do a great job of filling them nicely.... Gary

[Luthier Vandross]

All of these things need to be taken out BEFORE the second coat of whatever you use goes on.

Never try to cover grain sucking, or imprefections at the binding with extra coats!


M