Epoxy Grain Filler- Sand it off or leave a layer??

I'm using System 3 Grain filler to fill pours on Paduak.. I used a squeegee to push in and finished it fairly even

I noticed some people using epoxy on guitars the way I described above leave a layer of the epoxy on the surface and just lightly sand it
until its dull and then Top Coat..

Should I sand to the wood or leave some on?

What are you finishing?

What look are you wanting to achive?

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Originally Posted by Scott Holmes

What are you finishing?

What look are you wanting to achive?

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I'm looking for a satin and the look of shellac.. Thinking of trying shellac flat in blonde shellac..

The thought of not sanding through the epoxy is more about protecting the veneer from over sanding and maybe less sanding work overall but can sand it off if its best

Thanks

It really doesn't matter if you go all the way back to the wood providing you put only a thin layer. You'll probably have to do 2 coats with the epoxy, BTW. As you start sanding back, you'll start finding little pin holes you'll have to fill. Anyhow, I like to get as close to the wood as I can, and I do in fact go back down to bare wood, but you have to be VERY careful not to expose new pores. For the sake of not tearing out your hair, 'twould be best to simply level it until it feels nice, and go from there.

Incidentally, one thing I do when working with epoxy is I heat up the surface with a hair dryer to get it nice and warm. Not only will that cause the epoxy to flow better, but as it cools the warm air in the pores contract and suck the epoxy in, instead of leaving little pockets of air that turn into pin holes. I learned that trick doing fiberglass work.

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Originally Posted by John Coloccia

It really doesn't matter if you go all the way back to the wood providing you put only a thin layer. You'll probably have to do 2 coats with the epoxy, BTW. As you start sanding back, you'll start finding little pin holes you'll have to fill. Anyhow, I like to get as close to the wood as I can, and I do in fact go back down to bare wood, but you have to be VERY careful not to expose new pores. For the sake of not tearing out your hair, 'twould be best to simply level it until it feels nice, and go from there.

Incidentally, one thing I do when working with epoxy is I heat up the surface with a hair dryer to get it nice and warm. Not only will that cause the epoxy to flow better, but as it cools the warm air in the pores contract and suck the epoxy in, instead of leaving little pockets of air that turn into pin holes. I learned that trick doing fiberglass work.

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I got the pin holes on the test boards.. I'll try heating it.. I believe your saying heat the surface and then spread the epoxy over heated surface..
With System Three it almost fills complete with one coat so maybe heating it will help this..

I'll test it both ways as far as sanding it off or leaving a thin layer on..

Thanks

Exactly. You don't have to get the surface HOT, but get it warm. Honestly, when I do it, I take a hair dryer to the epoxy after I've spread it. The air in the pores will expand and "pop" little bubbles in the epoxy, but as it cools it will suck epoxy back in, and voila, no pin holes. I usually don't recommend that, though, because you can easily overheat the epoxy and get a runaway exothermic reaction. It won't set anything on fire, but it will cure VERY quickly, very poorly and you'll have a mess on your hands. Experiment on scrap, as you're doing, and use your judgement.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by John Coloccia

Exactly. You don't have to get the surface HOT, but get it warm. Honestly, when I do it, I take a hair dryer to the epoxy after I've spread it. The air in the pores will expand and "pop" little bubbles in the epoxy, but as it cools it will suck epoxy back in, and voila, no pin holes. I usually don't recommend that, though, because you can easily overheat the epoxy and get a runaway exothermic reaction. It won't set anything on fire, but it will cure VERY quickly, very poorly and you'll have a mess on your hands. Experiment on scrap, as you're doing, and use your judgement.

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This is good, thanks.. It's Always nice when I can Do a little less work but get the good results..