Finish Products Questions

[eleonn]

Ok I'm close to the moment where I have to start buying things to start the finish of my first project and I'm having some problems right out from the start on this. I've done my homework and being reading about finishing all over internet. Read about polys, lacquers, danish oils, linseed oils, minwax, KT9 (or T9K or T2K or maybe T2W ) and the mix of them. First problem almost is none of them are sold here .

I just checked the homepage of the biggest paint (and such) company in Perú and found some product I can used but I'm not sure about them for guitar. This is what I found:

1. Ive found no such thing as naphta here for the grainfilling procedure. So the first question comes here. Can I use any thinner or Isopropilyc or ethanol alcohol instead of naphta? I think naphta is what is used to fill zippo-like lighters right? I may try to find out the spanish name of naphta asking about that liquid and see if I can find some of it (not imported).

2. Read about water and oil based fillers and epoxy. Epoxy products are oriented to chemical, automovil or metal industry. The only linseed oil product is an artist oleo/paint thinner but I've found here 4 products. Two based on resins and 2 based on polyurethane. I thought I could use the ones based on poly. Is that Ok? What do you think about the linseed oil? There is some Varathane products at Ace Home Center but is close to $100 per gl. I'm not sure about prices at US/Canada but here that is freaking expensive (theres people here who live a who live a whole month with a little more than that!!!).

3. I want my whole project to get a satin finish so if you would have to use only furniture oriented products (as me) and not those luthier/instrument-building oriented product... what would you use? Please use generic names so I'll see if I can find something similar here.

4. And a final question. What product of the point 2 is easier to use for somebody that know about finishes as much as thermonuclear bombs design? Yeah I know I have to read a book. Just lets say I don't want/can wait for the book and read the whole thing before finish my bass but I do see Flexners Understanding Wood Finishes book in my near future (thanks Wilser!!!)

[msherman]

If you can get De-natured alcohol over there, that is a good substitute for naptha. Avoid isopropyl alcohol as it will desolve the glue joints.
You could always use slow setting epoxy for grain filling as well.

I`m not familiar with the finishing products available in your country, but you might want to talk to a furnature maker/restorer for advise on the finishing products over there.

[wilser]

Enrique,
Most of the stuff available in hardware stores is not very good ...crap, actually. Even here in the states.

I think your best shot is to contact Alfonso Iturra and see what he uses and how he gets it. He lives in Chile and seems to use thick glossy hard finishes as opposed to oil stuff. Also, the automotive refinishing shops can be very helpful and may even stock products for sale. Most of the stuff used in cars is useful in guitars but needs different technique for application (all the small curves plus thinning for finer atomization out of the gun).

I don't get why you need the naptha for grain filling? Cleaning up the bass prior to finishing can be done with any quick evaporating solvent. I have used acetone, lacquer thinner and denatured alcohol as well as naptha ...don't use mineral spirits. You can use any finish, but a higher solids thicker finish works better since it's easier to brush on and squeege off the excess. Epoxy works wonderfully for this (marine kind, not the syringe 5 minute hardware store kind). When I was back home I found a yacht accessory shop in one of the rich people neighborhoods and they stocked West System marine epoxy, you may try the boat shops in your country.

[Thiago Vianna]

In Brazil, we live a situation like this. We don´t have instrument´s dedicated finishes.

Because of this, in Brazil we use just oil/wax or automotive finish.

If you want high gloss finish, I would give a try to automotive finish supllies.

[waseok]

In my country we dont even have tone wood shop no ash, no maple, no nothing..just oak pine and other construction-for wood.
Whats wrong with oil? use oil, its easy to apply and its smoooth

[eleonn]

Thanks guys for the advices. I would try to contact Alfonso Iturra and start to look for som automovile and yactch products.