Body Finish Questions

A

A_Cold_1

New member
I’m gonna start my first hand build in the next upcoming months, and I have some questions about the body finishing process. I’m gonna be doing a basswood body with (possibly/hopefully) a flame maple veneer. It’ll be a crimson red colour with a black burst around it, and it will be hand rubbed in using the Stew Mac color tone stain concentrate, and will be finished in Wipe-On Polyurethane.

Now I was under the impression that I could just cut out my body, sand, glue veneer, stain, then wipe on my poly. However I’ve heard people talking about grain fills and sealers.

What’s the process with these things, what even are they? I have a vague idea about grain filler but no where near enough to be confident enough to make a decision with it in relation to my build. Any help would be appreciated!

(Also I have zero clue what “sealer” is so if anyone could explain it in depth that would also be much appreciated!)
 
Re: Body Finish Questions

Basswood and maple are closed pore wood. No grain filling is needed

And stay away from sanding sealer. It causes more problems than it fixes.


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Re: Body Finish Questions

You obviously need to be doing more research.... StewMac could help you out.

However, I can get you started. Basswood doesn't need the grain filled - it has very few pores to fill. Same with maple. Now to sealer - sealer forms the base (the foundation) to build your finish on. Usually, it's applied before anything else, BUT you want to stain the body first, correct? Stain actually goes into the wood, and a sealer would prevent that. So - stain first, then seal (there are many, I use DuPont 1980S sealer when shooting acrylic lacquer).

You might ask StewMac what sealer they recommend for your chosen finish - OR check with the makers of the finish you want for their recommendations. I've never done a wipe-on poly (or any poly, really), so I can't give advice on that. Gather as much info as you can, and good luck with your project!
 
Re: Body Finish Questions

ICTGoober said:
You might ask StewMac what sealer they recommend for your chosen finish - OR check with the makers of the finish you want for their recommendations. I've never done a wipe-on poly (or any poly, really), so I can't give advice on that. Gather as much info as you can, and good luck with your project!
Click to expand...

There’s no need for sealer, as there’s nothing to seal. Sanding sealers are supposed to save on lacquer for wood with open pores, that had the pores filled. So it builds up faster than multiple coats of lacquer.

The problem is it’s soft. It contains soap to make it easy to sand. Putting a hard finish over a soft finish leads to the hard finish cracking and peeling off. I stopped using it back in the 90s.

With a wipe on finish it’s not needed at all.



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Re: Body Finish Questions

ICTGoober said:
You obviously need to be doing more research.... StewMac could help you out.

However, I can get you started. Basswood doesn't need the grain filled - it has very few pores to fill. Same with maple. Now to sealer - sealer forms the base (the foundation) to build your finish on. Usually, it's applied before anything else, BUT you want to stain the body first, correct? Stain actually goes into the wood, and a sealer would prevent that. So - stain first, then seal (there are many, I use DuPont 1980S sealer when shooting acrylic lacquer).

You might ask StewMac what sealer they recommend for your chosen finish - OR check with the makers of the finish you want for their recommendations. I've never done a wipe-on poly (or any poly, really), so I can't give advice on that. Gather as much info as you can, and good luck with your project!
Click to expand...

Thank you, I actually did do a lot of research on this topic, but for some reason this was the one thing I just couldn’t wrap my head around. I have zero actual woodworking or luthier training so basically everything I know and plan on doing has been entirely through research.

So for the sealer, would the wipe on poly be the sealer in this case? Or do I have to put on something else that would be considered a sealer, THEN my wipe on poly? (I’m sorry I’m a total noob at this stuff)
 
Re: Body Finish Questions

There’s no need for sealer, as there’s nothing to seal. Sanding sealers are supposed to save on lacquer for wood with open pores, that had the pores filled.
Click to expand...

You are assuming all sealers are alike. They are not. Sanding sealers are soft, yes - that's why it is applied sparingly, and sanded back to a very thin film during proper applications.

DuPont 1980S is a clear, water thin sealer that seals up wood like shrink wrap. No solids in it at all, unlike some sanding sealers.
 
Re: Body Finish Questions

So for the sealer, would the wipe on poly be the sealer in this case? Or do I have to put on something else that would be considered a sealer, THEN my wipe on poly? (I’m sorry I’m a total noob at this stuff)
Click to expand...

Talk to StewMac or whoever you buy your finish from - they should know what works with what.... And they should be getting their info from each manufacturer for their recommendations. Some brands don't play well with others...
 
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