wet sanding...

[funkymann1]

so I just finished painting my 2nd tele, looks GREAT! Im gonna wet sand it in the morning....i used catalyzed clear so it should be cured by then.....my question is on the last build/paint job i did some water got in the bridge holes on the back & the guitar & swelled up the wood around the holes.....did i use to much water or is there something i can put in there to prevent this from happning???
Thanks!!!!

[bullfrogblues]

You can put furniture wax in the holes to prevent water from entering.

[Rhomco Guitars]

Plain old waterbased spackling compound or wallboard compound. Been using it for 30 years. Drys fast, shrinks just enough to show you where the hole is later when you need to find it and it is easy to open back up too.
Try it,
Rob

PS; I seldom use water for wet sanding and much prefer mineral spirits.

[jklotz]

I'm sure the other suggestions will be just fine, but the guy at my local woodworking shop suggested wet sanding using naptha instead of water, as it's not a lacquer solvent and will evaporate quickly, and not allowing the wood to swell. I haven't tried it, but it makes sense on paper

[Arbiter]

Originally Posted by jklotz

I'm sure the other suggestions will be just fine, but the guy at my local woodworking shop suggested wet sanding using naptha instead of water, as it's not a lacquer solvent and will evaporate quickly, and not allowing the wood to swell. I haven't tried it, but it makes sense on paper

Some safety issues with doing this:

1. Probably most of you don't do this, but I wet sand with an orbital sander. Using naptha with an electric sander would probably insure a fiery demise.

2. Don't do this in a garage that contains a hot water heater, or once again, you could die in a fire.

That being said, I've done it and it works. The best wet sanding is water and a small amount of Wol-Wax (which is called something else nowadays, can't remember what).

Never had an issue with water getting on unfinished wood. I don't go out of my way to put it there, but it doesn't seem to hurt much.

[backporch guy]

I just left all the grain filler, sanding sealer, etc in the holes until I got through, and then cleaned them out with a tooth pick.

[Luthier Atlanta]

Furniture paste wax and a Q Tip, naptha works well.

[flyingbanana]

Everyone has a different method.

I use water with a few drops of soap in it. I also just avoid using a lot of it near the holes and dry the body (especially around and in the holes) frequently. If you are careful, you shouldn't have any swelling of wood. I mean...the wood of the guitar body...I mean.

Following that method, I've never had an issue. Knock on wood.