Finishing schedule

[claptonfreak]

Can anyone answer my questions about my SG finishing schedule.

1. Is this a good plan for a finishing schedule

-Final Sand
-Cherry Stain
-Sand back grain with 400
-Very light sanding sealer
-Sand with 400
-Sanding Sealer
-8 Light coats of Nitro
-Block sand progressively from 800 to 2500 (wet)
-Polish

2. What is best used for a sanding sealer. Someone told me that you should just use light sprays of nitro laquer. Others say that a light shellac is best.

[shoretyus]

It sounds like a plan. What you don't say is what type of wood. Some woods need grain filler that has to be matched in colour. A grain raising with a mixture of the finish and shellac is sometimes recommended.

Here's the Stewmac school link
http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/Finishing.html

Not sure what you are using for a finish i.e spraying gun or rattle cans . I usually use the the same brand of sealer as the finish. Others use a high solids sealer. But I have just tried this stuff. I had a set of cabinets to do with gloss and am using it on my Tele build. It is it's own sealer. Two coats was good enough for kitchen door. I couldn't believe it. I then went and looked at their web site and that's what they recommend. It's working fine on the guitars. I haven't polished them yet. Well I tried to polish one but ended up spraying again.

http://www.mlcampbell.com/pages/starpage.asp?star=MAG

I really want to try the polish system that wood essence has but I am kind of cheap and don't want spend yet another $50.

[Greenman]

Sometimes it looks good if you dye black, sand back and dye your color. It brings the grain out really nice. especially with black bursts.

[claptonfreak]

Oops, I forgot to mention that I'd be using mahogany, so i have to grain fill before I stain.
I'm using Deft Nitro Brush on that I'm going to put into a spraying gun. A light spray of that should be good as a sanding sealer,no? There's no other sanding sealers available in deft or in nitro where I get my stuff.

[martyb1]

A little trick,compliments of Bucko over at TDPRI
If you put your can of Deft brush on in hot water and get it nice and warm before you spray,it thins up and sprays much nicer.I tried it and it works :smile:

As for sealer,and grain filler for that matter,I was having trouble finding it too
I just finished an ash body so I needed filler.I ended up trying Target Coatings grain filler and sealer.Seemed to work well.Grain filling is such a pain.Anyway it worked ok and I used deft over top.
http://i221.photobucket.com/albums/dd297/prairiecustomguitars/barneycaster/PICT0107.jpg