Mahogany clear coated?

[jackson1]

If i clear coat a mahogany body, will it turn deep warm and saturated in color - just like if i oiled it?

I guess it will, but i'd like to see some pics, if you got any

[sully]

yes it will, but make sure that you've filled that grain.

[jackson1]

Fill the grain... won't it ruin the mahogany look? Fill with what?

[Bengal65]

Fill the grain... won't it ruin the mahogany look? Fill with what?

On clear finished mahogany or White or black Limba (Korina), I use System 3, 2 part epoxy for filler. It's a boat building epoxy for wood. I bought mine through Luthiers Mercentile in California. One small kit will do many, many guitars. If you can't find it were you live, a woodworking supply or boat yard shop will have it or something similar. It is 100% CLEAR unlike some other epoxies that are yellowish in tint. It's a little tricky to work with, but is excellent for revealing the true grain in the wood. You can also use mahogany oil based, paste wood filler.

[Model1VH2]

I have heard of people sealing wood grain with a urethane clearcoat.
I've never personally tried it, but I've heard it works.

If that's the case, i would think if you use urethane, you could kill two birds with one stone.

[sully]

you'll need a lot of clear to do it. i did that with spalted maple, and it soaked it up like a sponge.

[straycat]

If you want a smooth finish you must grain fill first.

[jackson1]

Great info, JCF Paint Team.

It's a little tricky to work with

In what way? Hardens too quickly?

[sully]

yeah, pretty much. like bondo, etc, you have to kinda learn to work with it. you want it to just fill the pores, as opposed to building up a layer of epoxy on top of the body. sanding that stuff down can take a really long time.

[Bengal65]

Yea, Sully said it. You have to work quickly with the epoxy and push it into the grain, then as you do it, you want to get as much off the surface as possible to reduce sanding. It's a Catch 22 situation, with a little practice it works great. It helps just to mix enough to do one side at a time so you don't rush yourself. Grain filling is the number one task I hate to do. This stuff makes it easier on you after you put your primer coats (or clear coat in this case) and not see any grain lines after it cures.

The other "tricky" part is that these thin "boat" epoxies do not mix well in small quantities. The experts recommend weighing each part before you mix the epoxy. This gives you the most accurate mix. I purchased a small digital scale over the internet that works fantastic and comes with a 500 gram calibration weight.

[jackson1]

Thanks guys, i'll see if i can find some of that clear boat epoxy around here. We're surrounded by oceans so we have a lot of boat shops available i can check out

[Bengal65]

Jackson1,
Here is the System 3 website. They have lots of good info and instructional material. Any shop that has boat building, kayaks, canoe's etc. or wood working supplies should stock this type of epoxy. Good luck http://www.systemthree.com/index_2.asp
Also, see Luthiers Mercentile page here: http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdpro...3+Epoxy+Filler