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269964 Ed Minch <ruby1638@a...> 2020‑02‑21 Re: [SPAM?] Advice needed
Richard

> I have found, over the years, that everything I need to colour (color, Paddy)
benefits from beginning with the blondest, wax free shellac I have.  Even so,
this will alter the colour slightly, and is pretty permanent, in that as it is
going on to bare wood, you can never get it truly out again.


In building guitars, there are several steps where I lay down a couple of coats
of shellac to protect the wood - not my idea, common knowledge.  The shellac
will protect it against dirt and minor nicks, keep spruce grain from lifting and
tearing when you remove masking tape, and keep CA clue from getting into end
grain and discoloring the wood 1/8” to 1/4” in from the edge. At each step I can
completely remove the shellac by sanding a bit, and the final sanding gets the
wood very very clean.  I tend to be generous with the shellac and leave the
shellac I put on until that final sanding

Here is shellac on Redwood while I use CA glue to install the rosette (round
decoration thingy at the soundhole, Paddy)

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/49352329251/in/album-72157678301
955987/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/49352329251/in/album-72157678301
955987/ <https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/49352329251/in/albu
m-72157678301955987/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/49352329251/in/albu
m-72157678301955987/>

And here it is sanded for a few seconds - I couldn’t wait to see what the final
product looked like

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/49512317191/in/album-72157678301
955987/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/49512317191/in/album-72157678301
955987/ <https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/49512317191/in/albu
m-72157678301955987/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/49512317191/in/albu
m-72157678301955987/>


Here is a chart on the wall at Martin Guitar telling their techs how far to go
with various woods - they have built 2-1/2 million guitars in 187 years and
their finishes are flawless

https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/48921804176/in/album-72157713195
662357/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/48921804176/in/album-72157713195
662357/ <https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/48921804176/in/albu
m-72157713195662357/">https://www.flickr.com/photos/ruby1638/48921804176/in/albu
m-72157713195662357/>

Most go to 220, some get 320 machine and some get 320 handsanding, mostly the
harder surfaced woods

Note at the top it says:

"Do not sand with 320 on any body that receives a hand-rubbed stain"

This is opposed to stain or toning that is applied in the sprayed finish.  And I
think that oversanding makes blotchiness more apparent.

There are amateur guitar builders who sand there bodies to 1000 grit before
finish

Ed Minch

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