fretless finish help!!!

[Synthia]

Hello!

Im a newbie when it comes to finishes. I want to have my fretboard epoxy coated because I defretted it. I can't find any transparent epoxy here in my country but I bought a spray can of acrylc epoxy clear coat think that would work? would that finish be durable enough? any suggestions?

Oh BTW, im going to change the pickups to sumting small like a jazz. the routings are larger for the pickups... should I just fill it up with ordinary wood filler or have a piece of wood inlaid to body? which will work for the best?

Any suggestion is well appreciated! Thanks alot!

Peace!

[Hambone]

Fill the original routs with a similar wood and recut the pickup cavities. Then refinish. That looks and works best. The wood filler will eventually crack and fall out. It isn't designed to be used in such thick buildups and it shrinks quite a bit when it cures.

No the acrylic poly won't do the job. The operative word here is "acrylic". Spray can juices just aren't up to the same quality as good, 2 part, catalyst hardened, epoxy/polyester/polyurethane coatings. You will have to indulge in one of the better processes or suffer having to refinish the top of the fingerboard on a regular basis.

[tjclem]

As for the fingerboard I just spread slow setting superglue on mine then re-radius them. not as good as the epoxy I know. I will have to try the epoxy some time. I went to the auto paint store and looked into a nice 2 part system but you have to buy so much of the stuff and it is expensive and i don't know how long of a shelf life it has..............t

[Hambone]

Originally Posted by tjclem

As for the fingerboard I just spread slow setting superglue on mine then re-radius them. not as good as the epoxy I know. I will have to try the epoxy some time. I went to the auto paint store and looked into a nice 2 part system but you have to buy so much of the stuff and it is expensive and i don't know how long of a shelf life it has..............t

Actually Tom, I would prefer the CA method. I didn't suggest it for the reason of safety, difficulty of application, and the distinct possibility of catastrophic failure. It's probably not the best choice for a newbie.

The CA IS harder than the epoxy in my mind. I also like the ability to spread some and use a curing accelerator to set it and then move on. It is also colorless - much more than most epoxies. I use West Systems and in thick applications it begins to get a little yellow. Dried in a mixing cup, it looks just like a urine sample!

[tjclem]

I found out about it from the MIMF forum. I was remiss in not mentioning to only do it out in an open air situation. It is pungent! Very cool glad you like it better than the west system. That was the one I was looking into...........t

[Synthia]

Thanks! thats very informative... I think I'll just coat my fretboard with super glue... I have some experience using it with wood and other stuff. I still haven't done anything to my board and I'm still open to any suggestions. I almost bought marine epoxy... the bad thing about it is, it's not transparent. I has a gray color.