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I have successfully bound my first guitar (NO GAPS), and plan to French Polish after the fretboard and neck work. The back is Ovangkol. The neck, bindings & graft are Black Walnut. The top is WRC. The sides are Maple.
Since the Maple sides and cedar top do not need pore filling, must I mask them off for doing the E-Poxy pore filling.

Thanks,
Ray

Very nice looking work, Ray.

For a 1st time user of Zpoxy, I would recommend masking. Once you get used to handling it, you'll be able to do so without masking. Even if you get a little messy on the sides, you will remove it during final sanding, but you really want to avoid getting epoxy on the top.

Good luck!

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

Use a painters fine line brush or a q-tip and apply a light coar of 1# cut shellac to bindings and purfling on the back and wash coat the top and sides with the shellac. Masking tape will work but could cause an issue sanding and removal if Zpoxy gets under it at all.

I'm not in this, but your advice, Michael, makes me want to know why you seal the bindings, when ISTM that they would need filling too?  Just made me wonder.  I understand why you wouldn't want epoxy on the top.  Inquiring minds and all that.

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Waddy

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Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Oh, sorry!  Ray, that is great looking work.  Neat as a pin.

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Waddy

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Sound Clips of most of my guitars

I fill the bindings last but the Black Walnut and Ovangko will bleed on to the maple purfling during zpoxy fill. So I lightly seal the bindings and purflings, fill the back an let it cure. scrape off the shellac and fill the bindings to eliminate bleeding on to the purfling. you could just seal the purfling and not the binding but that is a tough task.

OK, that makes sense to me.  Just needed to know.  Tucked away for future use.

One more thing.  This may not be the place, but does the Shellac not penetrate into the pores, and leave residue that keeps the epoxy from bonding right?  I keep reading that epoxy needs to be put on bare wood.  Does the shellac scrape away fully?

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Todd is right there is no issue with shellac over Zpoxy but the other can be a problem.

Waddy, yes the shellac does get into the pores. that is why I said use a very light 1# cut and only do this on the bindings as there is not much surface area to fill later. I don't do this unless I have notorious bleeder woods to deal with as the adhesion of zpoxy over shellac is not good. but since this is such a small area and filling is pretty simple here I recommend this method over tape masking. If the wood is not a bad bleeder then I just am careful as I fill.

Thanks, great answers.  I appreciate the details.  It will make me ask good questions when I get to this step in my build.

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Waddy

Photobucket Build Album Library

Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Gorgeous guitar!  I like the mix of woods.

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Steve Walden
Aspiring Builder,
Bartlesville, OK

[QUOTE=MichaelP]Todd is right there is no issue with shellac over Zpoxy but the other can be a problem.

Waddy, yes the shellac does get into the pores. that is why I said use a very light 1# cut and only do this on the bindings as there is not much surface area to fill later. I don't do this unless I have notorious bleeder woods to deal with as the adhesion of zpoxy over shellac is not good. but since this is such a small area and filling is pretty simple here I recommend this method over tape masking. If the wood is not a bad bleeder then I just am careful as I fill.[/QUOTE]

Hi Michael,

Wonderfull, and once again very timely information.  Since I'll soon be doing the same thing on my 1st, I was just wondering if EIR is enough of a bleeder to warrant the extra precautions with the perfling.  I'm using a .02 bw strip from Stew-Mac with their ABS binding.

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Stuart Brunker