Do you epoxy clear coat all surfaces of a guitar at the same time?

[Monsoon1]

I got my first chance to work with epoxy clear coat this past week. And I simply could not keep it from running off of the sides.

Luckily, I was only finishing a router table fence, so sanding runs is not much of an issue.

But it made me wonder how an acoustic guitar is done.

[Howard Klepper]

Originally Posted by Monsoon1

But it made me wonder how an acoustic guitar is done.

I don't know of anyone who uses an epoxy finish on an acoustic guitar, except as a pore filler.

[Monsoon1]

Originally Posted by Howard Klepper

I don't know of anyone who uses an epoxy finish on an acoustic guitar, except as a pore filler.

I've seen Tim McKnight talk about using epoxy clear coat on his acoustics.

[Monsoon1]

This is the stuff Tim uses.

http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdpro...dHeader=Z-poxy

[runamuck]

Originally Posted by Monsoon1

This is the stuff Tim uses.

http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdpro...dHeader=Z-poxy

I believe he uses that, as do plenty of other people, for filling pores, not as a finish.

I wouldn't recommend it unless you want your guitar to look like a bar top and
sound like it's been hog-tied.

Jim McCarthy

[Monsoon1]

Well I can understand the distinction between very thin layer for fill purposes and coating.

But my question remains.

Is the entire guitar done at the same time, or is it top by itself, allow to dry.
Then sides, allow to dry, etc.

[Mystic]

The answer to your question is Yes it is all sprayed at once.

[Monsoon1]

Mystic, I realize that most finishes are probably sprayed on.

But two step epoxy? It seems like that would ruin a spray gun.

And this is very relevant to me, since all this wood working is leading me towards eventually redoing my guitars.

One of those happens to be an acoustic that i'm going to put a new top on. And i'd like to use epoxy clear coat on it.

I doubt I would wind up investing in spray equipment at any rate, so i'll need to find out how best to approach this with standard brush technique.

[naccoachbob]

I've never used epoxy, but Robert O'brien does in a dvd of his, and I understand he pours some on and uses a credit card to scrape it down as a pore filler, but not as a finish.

[Brackett Instruments]

Todd Stock, who's a member here has a series of videos on epoxy pore filling.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MDLuthier#p/u/1/YYHxMg7n9cI

[Monsoon1]

Originally Posted by woody b

Todd Stock, who's a member here has a series of videos on epoxy pore filling.
http://www.youtube.com/user/MDLuthier#p/u/1/YYHxMg7n9cI

Interesting. He sort of does it one side/top at a time.

I like the squeegee use there, too. I'll have to try doing some wood that way.

[GBS]

I used to paint model airplanes (big ones) with 2-part epoxy, by spraying. In that instance, wood pores/grain were filled with auto primer, and then most sanded off. Then you sprayed the base color and trim colored epoxy. It usually required several coats, with wet sanding and a days dry time in between. The final coat was clear. All requires proper thinning (yes, epoxy paints are thinned just like oil or latex based) and a practiced hand at giving a good coating, but not causing runs. Sometimes there was a lot of wet sanding and reshooting of the paint involved.....
With the matching thinner, cleanup of the equipment was not worse than other paints......

Z-poxy works really well for fast filling of pores, laminating fiberglass, or as a thick clear coat for protection. I would not think of it as a typical guitar finish, though.....

[Bob V]

Grain filler is only done on the woods that need it, like open pored mahogany or rosewood, but not maple or spruce. So unless the top is also mahogany you would only do the back, sides, and neck. You could do all that in one go, but it depends on what you're using to hold the guitar while doing the finish.

It's the viscosity of the epoxy system that rules it out for spraying, not the fact that it dries hard. There are plenty of catalyzed finishes, sometimes called conversion varnishes, or post-catalyzed "two part" systems that are used in spray guns by very nervous people who are careful to clean the gun before the pot life expires.

I've tried alot of grain fillers and they're all a huge mess in my hands. The one that works best for me is a water based, clear grain filler from Target Coatings - their web site is informative and they also have a finishing forum with lots of luthiers contributing to answer the questions of the weekenders like the rest of us. Oh, and the Target grain filler can be sprayed (I just switch to a bigger needle/nozzle set on the gun).

[Monsoon1]

GBS and Bob V, thanks for the informative replies.

What I like about giving epoxy clear coat a shot, is that it's something I can apply manually and still get a great finish.

This is an inexpensive old Fender acoustic project guitar, so i'm not at all concerned with what one might consider to be a "proper" finish.

As long as I can apply a fairly thin coat and still have decent surface protection, i'm good to go.

[GBS]

If you are really set on using epoxy, give this brand a try:

http://klasskote.com/index.html

This is the replacement for what I used to use. Just order the gloss clear paints from them if you plan on natural wood. Note that they have a lot of useful information about how to spray/paint on their web site. And, they will do everything short of applying the paint themselves, over the phone.
Your Fender should look like a mirror when done (unless you pick the satin finish, of course) and you can pour gasoline on it all day without causing a blemish!

You will likely need at least two light coats, and more likely three, if it is bare wood. One or two to fill the pores, with wet sanding in between, and then the final.