Pros and Cons of different board laminates (epoxy, poly, CA)

[Diogenes]

What method did you use to apply it? Just pour it on, let it settle/cure for a day & a half, and sand to fit?

Exactly.

Also, when you say it levels itself, what does that mean? Does it settle across the fretboard's radius, or does it settle flat, as if the bass had no radius? What is the main reason for sanding? Leveling the finish? Gloss?

Any pouring swirls or uneven spots will settle to a uniform level and will pretty much follow the fingerboard radius. Along the edges of the board is where you'll get high spots or a ridge which is the main reason you want to sand... however it's also necessary to get a nearly "perfect" surface along the entire FB with less than a thou runout. You then want to buff it to bring back that high gloss.

Also, is this as volatile as some of the other "toxic" laminates? (eg epoxy & ca) What do you do to pretreat the wood before applying?

It has a plasticy smell... if you know what I mean. You know, that nauseating plastic smell that old style I.V. bags or childrens toys had. So the smell isn't going to give you a 5 minute episode of phosphenes or get you high but it isn't something you'd want Renuzit® or AirWick® to replicate as an air-freshener either. I'm a huge fan of using acetone (not fingernail polish remover, which has additives) to clean the surfaces of things that it won't dissolve. When I was still experimenting with EL I poured some on strips of pine, oak, cherry and walnut after cleaning their surfaces with acetone. Once the EL cured I tried pulling it off the wood but chunks of the wood came off with the EL which had the consistency of super stiff taffy... almost like working with borderline molten glass yet stiffer. Kind of hard to describe, really.

 

[HogieWan]

Well, ****! You're right by me. I was in Lafayette today in fact. Is your BiL playing with anyone nowadays?

I'm not sure - he normally plays in wedding-music type gigs, but he's got a full Neil Peart style kit (I think he has 8 toms) and he can play it. I'll see him this weekend and I'll ask him.

And this will be my main instrument. I plan on using it quite a bit.

Then you probably do want to coat it.

 

[FunkMetalBass]

Not to hi-jack the thread, but Diogenes, did you remove the nut before coating? Also, did you build a masking tape dam around the fingerboard?

 

[Diogenes]

Not to hi-jack the thread, but Diogenes, did you remove the nut before coating? Also, did you build a masking tape dam around the fingerboard?

Yes, I remove the nut. I tape up the entire neck as a precaution but I don't build a dam since I don't want to encourage the development of high spots along the edge... I'd rather have some of the EL flow over the sides rather than pool up. Initially I kept the entire fingerboard exposed including the sides but I now tape everything up except the top of the FB.

 

[SpankyPants]

How fast/slow do you pour? How much do you pour before moving down the neck?

 

[FunkMetalBass]

Yes, I remove the nut. I tape up the entire neck as a precaution but I don't build a dam since I don't want to encourage the development of high spots along the edge... I'd rather have some of the EL flow over the sides rather than pool up. Initially I kept the entire fingerboard exposed including the sides but I now tape everything up except the top of the FB.

If it flows down over the tape, though, don't you get issues with the tape getting stuck under the overflow?

Maybe I'm looking too far into this...

 

[SpankyPants]

I'm a huge fan of using acetone (not fingernail polish remover, which has additives) to clean the surfaces of things that it won't dissolve.

So you treat the board with acetone, then just wipe it off? Let it dry? (Remember, I'm really bad at this, so none of this is intuitive to me at all... And I'm really, really good at making the wrong decision, which comes quite naturally to me. )

Also, where do you start pouring the EL? Body to head? What do you mean by "runoff?" Just referring to the direction the EL settles?

 

[Diogenes]

How fast/slow do you pour? How much do you pour before moving down the neck?

I mix the EL in a flexible cup (paper or plastic) that I pinch in one spot to form a spout... then I start at one end of the neck and initially pour it slowly at the the centerline. Once I get a feel for it's flow rate I can tip the cup more to increase the flow and move quicker down the neck along it's centerline. Usually a bead that takes up half of the FB width will suffice. If the EL doesn't flow to the edges within a few minutes I'll run a spreader down the length of the neck to help move it out towards the edges, but I try not to overwork the EL... manipulate it as little as possible... don't treat it like you're icing a cake or like someone who's just learning how to mud drywall. I use a spreader that I cut from cardstock and ensure that the working edge of the spreader is cut at a radius close to the FB's radius (doesn't have to be exact though).

 

[Diogenes]

If it flows down over the tape, though, don't you get issues with the tape getting stuck under the overflow?

Maybe I'm looking too far into this...

Yes but the overflow at the edge is so thin that it's easily taken care of by lightly sanding the edge or trimming it with a blade (if you have the skill). Mind you... the goal is to cover only the FB surface with a little overun as the exception. We're not trying to encase it in plastic for the sake of preservation.

 

[SpankyPants]

Diogenes, thanks for all the info. I really appreciate it, brother.

What kind of tape do you use? Blue painters tape? Masking? I've heard of certain people using packing tape for epoxy treatments.

 

[Diogenes]

So you treat the board with acetone, then just wipe it off? Let it dry?

Acetone is very volatile so it'll evaporate before you even get a chance to grab a drying rag. Just douse a rag or paper towel with acetone and wipe down the board. Do so in a well ventilated area since acetone has a pretty strong smell.

 

[Flyingaero]

I take it you took the fingerboard off then. Will it be easy to remove if I intercept the drips within the first few hours of curing?

 

[tjclem]

Back in the day when I tried to make it as a starving artist airbrushing murals on vans and motorhomes and pinstripping hot-rods and motorcycles I was schlepping art supplies at a local store for a steady paycheck... that's where I first bought the stuff... and they still seem to sell it at a decent price:
http://www.dickblick.com/products/envirotex-lite/

You can probably buy it at just about any home improvement, craft or hardware store although I bought the last few bottles at [Invalid or Expired Link Removed].

So, the 8oz size which will set you back about $9 should do about 3 necks... however the amount of sandpaper you'll need will easily run more than that. It's great stuff, but will clog sandpaper in just a few swipes. It takes a lot of elbow grease (and sandpaper) to get it perfect but it'll be well worth the effort in the long run.

Just re-found this thread I wonder how it differs from Mirror coat Epoxy?

 

[Diogenes]

Diogenes, thanks for all the info. I really appreciate it, brother.

What kind of tape do you use? Blue painters tape? Masking? I've heard of certain people using packing tape for epoxy treatments.

No prob mang. I use masking or painters... whatever I may have at the moment.

 

[Rickett Customs]

If it flows down over the tape, though, don't you get issues with the tape getting stuck under the overflow?

Maybe I'm looking too far into this...

Packing tape works far better for this application.

 

[CFA]

I have a semi-related question. What about something like glass? Would it be possible to install a thin sheet of glass over the fingerboard? I've seen it (Or something similar involving glass) done to electric guitars, so I was curious as to how it would work/if it would work on bass.

 

[Ruckus_Instrmts]

A glass fingerboard sounds like a mangled hand just waiting to happen. Trying to radius a piece of glass may prove difficult. Why not epoxy a sheet of titanium to the fingerboard?

 

[Beej]

Looks to me like Tom is right. I can't see the difference between system III and Envirotex lite. The EL appears just to be epoxy. Mikey?

 

[CFA]

A glass fingerboard sounds like a mangled hand just waiting to happen. Trying to radius a piece of glass may prove difficult. Why not epoxy a sheet of titanium to the fingerboard?

They exist, and I don't see much blood I get it's probably not a job for those lacking experience though Just wondering about how it would stack up with other methods.

 

[bassmanjla]

It looks like you've dug up a ton of good info to your own question.

One thing though....lose the avatar.

I find it amusing that a guy who hasn't bothered to support the forum monetarily is criticizing what a guy who did chose to do with his reward.


Not trying to start any flames, just pointing out the Juxtaposition.