Epoxy finish on all bass?

Mr M · #1 06-26-2009, 10:53 AM

To use epoxy on fretless fretboards seems very popular but I'd like to ask if it is possible to use epoxy on all the bass (body and neck/or not using epoxy on the neck back but everywhere else)? Anybody tried this? If so, what are the pros and cons?
Thanks

62bass · #2 06-26-2009, 11:32 AM

There are epoxies formulated for coating wood. Epoxy is often used to seal wood before applying a paint or clear finish. Boatbuilders have been doing this for many years.

One of the cons is the fact that epoxy degrades in the presence of light. Ultra violet (abundant in daylight) particularly causes it to yellow and eventually break down. For this reason when boatbuilders and canoe and kayak builders coat a hull with clear epoxy they give it a couple of coats of an UV blocking clear finish, like exterior varnish, to block the UV rays from the epoxy. So, you now have a softer finish which will eventually wear off over the tougher epoxy.

I guess it all depends on what you're trying to accomplish on whether it's worthwhile or not. Epoxy does make a tough and waterproof grain filler so it's good for sealing and filling woods like ash before painting.

I coated a mahogany burl coffee table I made once with a pour on bar top coating which was a clear epoxy. It leveled out nicely and hardened up well after 24 hours or so. It was no good on vertical surfaces though as it runs and sags easily--much worse than paint and varnish. But I had a nice tough and waterproof finish when I was done. Unfortunately after a couple of years of use it started to yellow badly and got pretty ugly looking. If I'd varnished it with a UV blocking varnish it probably wouldn't have done that but the varnish itself would have suffered from marking from cups and glasses and ashtrays worse than the epoxy and I would have had to remove it and varnish it again.

Check out some of the bar top coatings from Industrial Formulators for a start. They have a lot of data they can give you. WEST is another.

barnaclebeau · #3 06-26-2009, 12:15 PM

I coated the first bass I built with this stuff:

http://www.foamez.com/resin-research...kit-p-476.html

It's formulated for surfboard builders to use instead of polyester resin. It's tough and is very UV resistant, the bass I did with it hasn't yellowed a bit. It mixed up almost water thin, it adheres well to itself, and buffs out to a high gloss (not as glossy as a traditional laquer finish, though.) It is not super resistant to denting, though. I'll probably use this stuff again as a grain filler, it does a fantastic job in that role. I have enough left from that single-board kit to do half a dozen more basses!

Note that in the last photo, I've sanded the epoxy out to a satin finish.

vbasscustom · #4 06-26-2009, 12:44 PM

can i get like a full body shot of that,it looks really cool i wnna see more.

62bass · #5 06-26-2009, 03:07 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnaclebeau

I coated the first bass I built with this stuff:

http://www.foamez.com/resin-research...kit-p-476.html

It's formulated for surfboard builders to use instead of polyester resin. It's tough and is very UV resistant, the bass I did with it hasn't yellowed a bit. It mixed up almost water thin, it adheres well to itself, and buffs out to a high gloss (not as glossy as a traditional laquer finish, though.) It is not super resistant to denting, though. I'll probably use this stuff again as a grain filler, it does a fantastic job in that role. I have enough left from that single-board kit to do half a dozen more basses!

Note that in the last photo, I've sanded the epoxy out to a satin finish.

That looks nice. I saw it being demonstrated on a TV show a little while back. I think it cures best in sunlight.

It's too bad it's not all that hard.

mellowgerman · #6 06-26-2009, 03:19 PM

A friend's mom paints really cool psychedelic stuff with acrylics. He had her do his SG and then to protect what she painted, he put a coat of epoxy over it all. Pretty nice indeed. He's had no problems that I know of.

barnaclebeau · #7 06-26-2009, 04:03 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 62bass

That looks nice. I saw it being demonstrated on a TV show a little while back. I think it cures best in sunlight.

It's too bad it's not all that hard.

I think you're thinking of Solarez, that's a different product (for ding repair on surfboards. It only cures with UV exposure.)

This epoxy's pretty hard, you can't dent it with a fingernail or anything...it's just not as tough as I was expecting.

Full body shots and more about that epoxy are on my first bass thread, Build alpha: Rob Allen inspired

62bass · #8 06-26-2009, 04:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by barnaclebeau

I think you're thinking of Solarez, that's a different product (for ding repair on surfboards. It only cures with UV exposure.)

This epoxy's pretty hard, you can't dent it with a fingernail or anything...it's just not as tough as I was expecting.

Full body shots and more about that epoxy are on my first bass thread, Build alpha: Rob Allen inspired

Well, if it won't dent with a fingernail and will polish out as well as a good alkyd varnish and doesn't yellow it's probably good enough. I'll check out your bass thread.