Official Luthiers Forum!

I/ve been trying some new methods of filling the grain by using med dp -20 ca on my headstock .watching other videos using starbond ca. I watched big d gtrs do a vid using the gluboost products to fill a drop top buckeye burl on an electric gtr . What are your expeiences filling with this product on hdwds and softwoods. ? Thank you. Would you recommend it > My opinion it seems pricey $$$

The vapors and fumes would kill me!

My recommendation....use glue as an adhesive and use finish products for finishing. They tend to work better at their intended purpose.

_________________
Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

I'll add one comment to Brian's - I have become highly sensitized to CA and now make it a point to wear my respirator and work outside every time I use it.

I'm pretty keen on learning how to use CA as a porefiller. I don't see why the fumes, with proper ventilation, would be any worse than epoxy.

I question the viscosity of GB. The fill n finish seems just a bit thick, and the thin, too thin. It seems like something in between would be ideal.

There are definitely folks who have it down (Beau Hanmann, sp?), possibly Rick Turner? I e heard but not confirmed that Kevin Ryan uses it as his actual finish...

In my brief experiments, I found that the wood needs to be sealed first, otherwise the little puddle you spill on to spread around leaves a darker stain than the areas you spread it to.

I'd love to hear more info on this topic...

I use the GluBoost products for finish repair and I like them but I would not do a complete finish with them, I agree with Brian about using finish products for finishing.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

We're talking mostly as porefill, not complete finish...

I need to learn to read better I wouldn't use it for pore fill either but that's only because I don't like working with CA over larger areas - I expect it would work just fine.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I'm a big fan of the GB products. Their Fill and Finish glues come in 2 viscosities. I prefer the Orange label which is the thinner of the 2. I've used it to pore fill the headstock face, and even used it as the finish on the face of the headstock on 4-5 instruments. Works great! However I think it would be hard to get a nice thin coat for the body finish, like you want on an acoustic. And in regards to the fumes, GB is much better than other CA brands. There are still some fumes, but nothing like most other brands I've used.

_________________
Josh House

Canadian Luthier Supply
http://www.canadianluthiersupply.com
https://www.facebook.com/canadianluthiersupply?ref=hl
House Guitars - Custom Built Acoustic Instruments.
http://www.houseguitars.com

I've been spending a lot of time with CA as a pore filler & a finish lately. I have a small rack fan on my bench that blows the fumes away & I've learned where not to put my face when working with it.

As a finish I've only tried with a head stock. It actually buffed up pretty nicely but I discovered a drip mark because I hadn't sealed it first (see Ed's comment above). Anyhow I scraped it all off & started over. Should be done this weekend.

I wouldn't attempt it as a finish for an entire guitar or any a non-flat surface. One trick I've learned thanks to Chuck Baleno is to use a razor blade as a scraper to smooth out the ridges instead of trying to sand them out. Works faster & I have better control but YMMV. Also thanks to Chuck I've been putting it on pretty heavy and moving it around with a plastic "Bondo" spreader. Work it out as smooth as you can with the spreader before it sets up. Repeat a time or 2, scrape with razor until it's sufficiently flat then sand. I left a thin layer all over before going to sealer & lacquer.

I used Starbond medium. I want to try BSA Gold which is super low odor but it's pricey. I've also used Glu Boost and don't notice it being any less stinky than Starbond but YMMV.

Kevin Looker

_________________
I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

For me, GB is way more sensitizing than any other brand I've touched. I can't even tack things together without the paint respirator...

Kevin explained my process very well. I'll add that I seal with a wash coat of shellac, let that dry for a couple hours, then I usually put 3 coats of CA in one session. Start on the back, then do the sides. By then the back has dried, repeat the process twice.
Let it dry til the next day, then scrape with a razor blade down to the wood. Then sand with 220. If necessary repeat the process after a wash coat of shellac until all of the pores are filled. Usually twice on mahogany and three times on rosewood.
I have been using GB since it is supposed to be more flexible, but have had good results with starbond.

Chuck

_________________
_________________

I've used it to pore fill a headstock once and it worked really nicely. I kind of treated it like I would pumice or egg whites and used fine sand paper to sand it in a slurry and fill the pores with dust and CA.