Epoxy and waxes as a finish

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chinito

Posts: 104
Joined: Jun. 14 2004

Epoxy and waxes as a finish

Hi everybody,

Just read an article in Woodcraft Magazine about luthier Gerald Sheppard which had a sidebar on his finishing technique. Sheppard states that he applies a thin layer of clear epoxy to the whole instrument as a sealer and to make the colour of the wood more dramatic under water-borne lacquer. He says it fills the pores and allows the finish to adhere better to oily woods. The epoxy is rubbed back to an extremely thin layer before the lacquer is applied. I have found a few references to epoxy as a sealer on the net and all descriptions are pretty much the same as in the Woodcraft article.
Have any of the luthiers here tried this method or something similar?

Sheppard builds steel strings but could the same technique be applied to flamenco guitars? The pics of his instruments are gorgeous, so apparently gets great results. But the idea of spreading epoxy over a newly assembled guitar is not for the faint of heart.

I have also seen a German luthiery site (http://www.buildyourguitar.com/resources/classical/index.htm) where carnauba wax was melted in hot turpentine and applied over a sealer coat of shellac. I know carnauba wax cures hard, but how durable is it in the long run? Any insight would be helpful.

Thanks,
-Jake.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 7 2006 4:25:29

bbeardb

Posts: 23
Joined: Jun. 1 2006

RE: Epoxy and waxes as a finish (in reply to chinito)

I used Z-Poxy on the top of my last guitar. I thinks it's for model airplanes or something. There are several types, I bought the "finishing resin" if I remember correctly. I too was very hesitant/nervous to spread epoxy all over my guitar. But it went surprisingly well. I just spread it out with a credit card, let it dry, sand, and do again a few times. I did get nervous at the end as there were shiny spots where it filled some low spots that must have been dings or depressions that I missed when sanding the bare wood. I was scared they'd show through the shellac. They didn't though, and it looks great.

That being said, I only put this on my top because I cracked it in half while building and the glue up didn't go to well (had to do it twice actually), so I had to fill my valley along the crack line. I didn't get a new top as I'm learning to build. If I cracked my top, so be it, I'll just call it "antiqued." Anyways, I don't know if I'll do it on the top of my next one, but as a pore filler for the backs and sides, I think I most certainly will. It really was easy and it made the finish look great.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 7 2006 15:17:19

JBASHORUN

Posts: 1839
Joined: Jan. 23 2005

RE: Epoxy and waxes as a finish (in reply to chinito)

It sounds as though the Epoxy is being used as a substitute for grain filler and sanding sealer, is that correct? Using sanding sealer and grain filler give more "perfect" finish than without, IMO. But apparently the grain filler can kill some of the natural beauty of the wood grain, and make the surface appear more "flat". it would be interesting to see if the same happens with the epoxy. But I'm assuming its transparent epoxy, so I would think perhaps not.

Jb

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 7 2006 18:00:49

bbeardb

Posts: 23
Joined: Jun. 1 2006

RE: Epoxy and waxes as a finish (in reply to JBASHORUN)

Yeah, it's used as a pore filler. I haven't used it on rosewoods, but it helps to really "pop" the grain since you're not using end saw dust or pumice to fill in the pores.

REPORT THIS POST AS INAPPROPRIATE | Date Aug. 7 2006 18:39:40