OK, so here is a quick sand job on my test of one coat of Bartley light grain filler. The concern was that it would be too dark. The reason I bought the light is that the grain is pretty in this ash body, and I didn't want the chance for a Mary Kaye haze effect underneath the amber clear lacquer. Boris kindly offered me some strategies to mitigate the Mary Kaye hazing, but I stilll went with the light.
Here is my test strip:
Here is the front of the body after two coats and a quick sanding. Note the smudging. That is where the hand sander melted the grain filler, and then it started hardening again into this nasty shiny hard junk that is very hard to get off. I ran out of 400 grit sandpaper (6 full sheets, constant clogging):
Here is the back:
I personally like the way it looks. I have quite a bit more work to do to get the smudges off, but I am confident I can remove them.
Let me know what you think. I'm guessing that the reviews will be mixed?
Cheers,
Motor