Official Luthiers Forum!

Hi
I have ripple sycamore binding and am close to starting using my rosewood grainfiller

How do i protect the sycamore from getting coloured .. masking tape/shellac

Any tips please

Use epoxy as a porefiller instead?

Bought some rosewood filler now meddlingfool..was going to use epoxy but have some small gaps here and there to fill between binding

I would:

1. Fill those binding gaps with something other than what you want to use to fill the pores in the rosewood. Stick shellac, superglue, whatever.

2. After those gaps are filled, brush a few coats of shellac on the bindings with a fine artist's brush.

3. When you are filling the pores, try to stay on the rosewood as much as possible and not run over into the bindings.

Thanks doncaparker

Thought about using superglue but it seems a bit darker than the rosewood even when mixed with dust.. I dunno .. shellac with brush on binding sounds good cheers

To get the most natural color for filling the gaps around the binding use rosewood dust mixed with the finish (as a binder) you are going to use on the rest of the instrument. Test on scrap, but that is what usually blends in the best.

Oribe used to have his wife apply lacquer to purflings and other areas that he did not want to get stained in the finishing process. Maybe she still does it.