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I'm currently putting on my first finish. I've read that people have a lot of problems getting the pores completely filled. Well I pore filled my mahogany neck and sanded back, and it looked like the pores were filled but after wiping on a seal coat of shellac I discovered they're not. So I pore filled again.

It occured to me that the pore filler will soften/dissolve when water or alcohol is added to it (even after it's dry). The coat of shellac is mostly alcohol. So when I wipe on the coat of shellac(or anything alcohol or water based) isn't it dissolving some of the pore filler resulting in the filler being wiped away or shrinking to some degree? If that's true, are there any fillers that are immune to this effect? The filler I'm using is LMI's micro bead pore filler.

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Jeremy Douglas

That's odd I think. I've used the LMI micro bead pore filler then applied shellac sealer with no issues. It shouldn't soften from the shellac.

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Yeh, I didn't know if the alcohol in a thin layer shellac would soften the filler any significant amount but I figured I would ask.

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Jeremy Douglas

Jeremy buddy epoxy works great. I have used Z-Poxy and System III "epoxy finishing resins", not the glue, and West Systems (the glue) with excellent results.

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Ann Arbor Guitars

Thanks Hesh. I just saw the other thread about filling with epoxy. I'll probably try that next time.

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Jeremy Douglas

I've mentioned oil-based pore fillers several times. I use the same filler on my guitars that I use on furniture woods. I think the key with any filler is to let it dry thoroughly, and with my favorite product, this can take a few days. Also, remember that it's common to pull some soft filler up out of the pores when you're wiping off excess. It's fairly standard to repeat the pore filling once or even twice before you've finally got everything filled and level. I haven't used epoxy fillers because I've never found the need to do so. I can't offer any useful tips there.

LMI microbead filler worked terribly for me.

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Howard Klepper
http://www.klepperguitars.com

When all else fails, clean the shop.