Hey all,
New here, and hoping I can get some expert help.
Looong story short, but I am starting to build guitars again after a 20 years away. I sort of fell into some nicely figured cocobolo and couldn’t resist. I had never worked with it before – tough stuff!
But the real problem came when I applied a coat of polyurethane – simply would not get hard. Actually seemed to remain tacky for days. So I sanded that off and applied shellac, assuming it would stick to anything and dry. Better, but still soft. Now in the process of removing that coat and would like some solid answers before proceeding.
Any advice?
Thanks!
Replies
Cocobolo is very oily. If it were me, I would strip the finish, wipe the wood down several times with denatured alcohol, using a fresh cloth each time, then go to a dewaxed shellac. Once the oil is sealed in with shellac, you can put poly on top.
Thanks John!
So a follow up question if I might...the coco is essentially the headstock, and the top and bottom of the body. The rest is maple and black walnut.
Can I just shellac the coco, leaving the rest to only get poly? I would prefer if there were no "yellowing" of the stark white maple.
Thanks again.
Sure. Or you can get a shellac that is Super blond. Or lacquer, which is clear and seals well, but is difficult to brush. But you can seal just the cocobolo with shellac before you finish the whole thing.
Since you don't want to add any color to the maple, I'm guessing you are using water based poly?
Thanks John...my plan is to water based poly.
I was actually thinking wipe on poly. It's built as one piece (the neck is not removable) and that seems like it would allow for a nice even, thin coat.
Open to suggestions.
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