Oak top. What Home Despot product could I use to fill grain w/ transparent finish

[OpenG Capo4]

Just started a body build yesterday. Pine body with a 1/4" oak top laminated on.

Now I've arrived at the dilemma of how to finish this bad boy. I could stain it with danish oil, then apply tru-oil and I guess it'd penetrate the grain alright and probably make a decent finish.

But it seems like that'd take a lot of time applying each coat into the grain and building it up. Seems like I could do a grain filler in 1-2 coats and then maybe do tru-oil or spray bomb it with Deft.

From what I have read the jury is still out on grain fillers and transparent finishes so I'd like to hear some recommendations. I see there is one recent thread discussing the use of CA glue...

I'll post pics sometime this weekend. Just took the clamps off, planed the top and rough cut the sides yesterday so its still rough.

 

[crazydave911]

Well.........I got my stuff from Lowes, and didn't do what I should have done but here goes. On my 2011 challenge build I used oak for top and back. I was planning on using Danish oil (Watco) and here's what I tested on the off-cuts. Anything under the danish oil, no staining, I tested shellac & tru-oil. Anything over danish oil, showed promise, I tried shellac, tru-oil, and clear lacquer. What I conveniently forgot was a sanding sealer, but then again I wasn't going for a totally level surface. Now plain as day (but in fine print I can't read without glasses) on the danish oil can, it says if you want a clear surface over the danish oil to use Varathane, Premium Interior Poly, or Professional Poly, which would be clear, glossy, and fill the wood to a degree. What I did was get sidetracked by lacquer. What I'd do if I had it to do over, would be danish oil, seal with CA, then use the Varathane Premium Interior Poly and called it a day. As it is I have light runs I'm having wait to cure so I can compound them out, then rebuff. There are other possibilities I realize, but since you mentioned the Danish Oil I thought I'd let you know

Dave

 

[Keyser Soze]

I'd agree that danish would need to go on prior to grain filling. The only exception being a high quality oil based grain filler (which you are not gonna find at HD.)

Your best bet from HD? Five minute epoxy.

 

[Colt W. Knight]

Just started a body build yesterday. Pine body with a 1/4" oak top laminated on.

Now I've arrived at the dilemma of how to finish this bad boy. I could stain it with danish oil, then apply tru-oil and I guess it'd penetrate the grain alright and probably make a decent finish.

But it seems like that'd take a lot of time applying each coat into the grain and building it up. Seems like I could do a grain filler in 1-2 coats and then maybe do tru-oil or spray bomb it with Deft.

From what I have read the jury is still out on grain fillers and transparent finishes so I'd like to hear some recommendations. I see there is one recent thread discussing the use of CA glue...

I'll post pics sometime this weekend. Just took the clamps off, planed the top and rough cut the sides yesterday so its still rough.

You can buy wall joint compound at Homedepot.

 

[Mojotron]

You can buy wall joint compound at Homedepot.

If going down that route - Durham's Water Putty is an great filler as it really holds well to wood and is at least as hard and works like wood. Neither of these is transparent. I think some variant of CA - on top of lacquer sanding sealer - would be the best route for transparent.

If you look at Guitarnut's 2011 challenge thread, he actually used a wetsanding tru-oil technique to grain fill, but its really dependent on the wood you are using.

I used Crystalac on one build and I really liked how that worked - but again you will not find that in HD or Lowes..

 

[Colt W. Knight]

If going down that route - Durham's Water Putty is an great filler as it really holds well to wood and is at least as hard and works like wood. Neither of these is transparent. I think some variant of CA - on top of lacquer sanding sealer - would be the best route.

I think the best route would be buy some "real" guitar finishing supplies.

 

[OpenG Capo4]

The danish oil isn't mandatory. I might even go with some sort of reddish stain, as the natural color of this particular oak is more red than golden.

Might go browse the local home improvement big-box tomorrow afternoon and get some CA and varthane. Thanks for the tips. This is the first time I've ever worked with open grain.

Headed over to the spindle sander in a bit to clean it up.

 

[Colt W. Knight]

I would imagine on something like that, you would be better off buying some brushing sanding sealer, and applying 3-4 coats, lightly sanding with 220 between coats. Should fill the grain nicely. Then you could spray your DEFT over top of that.

That is exactly how I finished this guitars

 

[ehawley]

Best stuff you can get...Crystalac grain filler...google it ...I use it on all my dyed and stained finishes. Dries FAST and crystal CLEAR!!
Cheers
ED

 

[Mojotron]

I think the best route would be buy some "real" guitar finishing supplies.

Ahhh - Colt - that's just crazy talk!


I agree - the first time I broke down and bought some decent lacquer and dye (ReRanch) I realized that the time saved more than made up for the extra $20

BTW - any new builds going since moving nearly west of the pecos?

 

[woodturner]

I used linseed oil and then top coated with poly on this one.
Worked quite well. I have used lacquer over the oil as well.
I had good results either way.

I chose poly this time because I was concerned that the lacquer wouldn't
be able to hold up to the efforts of my young grandson trying relic it.

I decided that discretion was the better part of valor.

 

[SixShooter]

I have heard of folks using Minwax Polycrylic for grain filler. It's available at HD, but it's no cheaper than Crystalac grain filler. I think they may be similar materials. Both water-based and smell the same. I have used Crystalac and it took me many applications to get everything filled.

 

[OpenG Capo4]

Its coming along nicely. Did the pickup routes and control cavity today. Router bit came loose from the chuck and ruined my humbucker template and put a gouge in the body. The mounting ring for the HB will hide all the damage though.

It will have a strat pickup in the neck position and a humbucker in the bridge position. the HB is actually the neck HB that came with the bridge HB I used in the other guitar. But it should still be ok. Thinking of options for the controls... maybe a volume knob for each pickup and a single tone control. Or 1 volume/1 tone and a Gibson style 3 position selector switch.

 

[crazydave911]

It will have a strat pickup in the neck position and a humbucker in the bridge position............... Thinking of options for the controls... maybe a volume knob for each pickup and a single tone control. Or 1 volume/1 tone and a Gibson style 3 position selector switch.

I just finished one with this pickup layout, and I was using a neck humbucker in the bridge position too. If you can get the output of the two pickups somewhere in the same zip code, then the 1+1 w/switch may be best. But if the HB voice is still way louder, then go with the 3 pots.
FWIW, I upped the pots to 500K, left the cap at .047 and used pot/tone & switch...........but I keep wanting to try 2V and a tone. You could mount the pickups in the guitar, then do your electronics outboard on a ply scrap and try all sorts of different combos before you cut that pickguard blank

 

[Flakey]

I've used Behlen's grain filler it works but being solvent based it does shrink so multiple applications are need but I 've found this stuff called Timbermate and it is GREAT! Its water based dries almost instantly so you can do multiple applications immediately if needed and the residue can be used again. If it dries out in the container just add water and it reactivates. I've had no shrinking issues either. You can't miss with this stuff. Its not toxic. It smells like bandaids actually.

 

[OpenG Capo4]

The output of the HB is something like 7.8k and the output for the single coil is 8.0k (seems hot for a neck PU but it is one of those cheezy ones with the ceramic magnet hot-glued on, lol)

I guess the idea is to use what I have laying around and if that doesn't suit me I might order some pickups for it.

Still lots to do.
Route the control cavity deeper (probably)
make control cavity cover and pickguard
drill for output jack
drill mounting holes in the neck
drill for string-thru and ferrules
drill for strap buttons
drill for pickup mounting rings
drill neck for string trees

Hopefully I'll get it finished this week. The oak is just nasty to work with. Splinters flying off in all directions from the router when I cut it. The actual cuts look nice and clean though. I had to get some "safety goggles" as opposed to "safety glasses" because the sawdust was coming around my regular safety glasses.