Torn grain repair

[Scally]

I need some suggestions to help salvage torn grain on Huon Pine veneer.

I read Lignum's comment about the right side of the veneer to use. I guess I used the fractured side.


The veneer is a nice birds eye Huon. The grain in a couple of patches is rough. You can feel the broken fibres even after sanding to 500 grit.

I put an oil finish on and it looks good but the surface is still rough.

What would you suggest I do to get a smooth finish???

One though was sanding sealer. I assume this fills the grain so I should be able to sand a smooth surface once it dries.

Maybe sand wet estapol so the grain is filled with the wet sanding?

The intention was to finish with an oil so I would prefer not to have a estapol finish.

[AlexS]

Try using blond shellac as a sanding sealer. But if there are actually small pieces torn out, you may have to clean them up with a scraper first.

[Scally]

Thanks Alex
The surface isn't too bad. There are a couple of pieces pulled out. I will use the scraper to clean them up. Generally it is just a rough prickly surface in a couple of patches.

I don't have blond shellac but I do have sanding sealer. Will I get the same result?

If not, I will get some blond shellac.

[Scally]

I have ordered some blond shellac.

My sanding sealer must have gone off.

It took a lot of mixing to get all the solids in suspension. Even then didn't seem to that smooth.

I brushed on a good coat.
Left it a day to dry.

When I tried to sand it off it clogged the sandpaper immediately.
It didn't feel really dry so I put a blow heater on it for a few hours.

It was still the same.

I used a scraper to remove as much as possible but it was like wax.

It looks like I will need to strip it all off and start again.

This time I will try blond shellac or maybe Timbermate as suggested in the Finishing handbook.

[kiwigeo]

Shellac will clog up sand paper. Try running a cabinet scraper periodically over the sandpaper to clear some of the shellac off. if that doesnt work then just have plenty of sandpaper handy!

If youre using a cabinet scraper on the veneer then watch which direction you work the scraper....often one direction will leave a rougher surface.

It sounds and looks like that Huon veneer is quite thin. You can try sanding down to 600 grit making sure you work through the grits from coarse to fine (eg on my spruce guitar tops I go 120 - 180 - 220- 320 - 400- and finally 600 grit ). IMO anything finer than 600 probably isnt worth the extra effort.

Try sanding back a couple of times after applying sanding sealer to raise the grain.

[Scally]

Good idea about using the cabinet scraper to clean the sandpaper.

I have gone through several sheets of Festool sandpaper already.

I will let the sanding sealer dry a bit longer to see if it sands off any better. The scraper has done a pretty good job getting most of the excess off. I tried it on the side with the myrtle veneer.

I haven't touched the Huon veneer yet.

The veneer is thin and I sanded through the grits , as you suggested, up to 500. Apart from the torn areas it is a good surface.

Your guitars look great. I am following your thread on the new 12 string model.

Thanks