Alder body maple top finishing ?

[Steve_Karl]

Hi,

I just want to make sure before I begin finishing an alder strat. body with a curly maple top.
I'll be using Behlen's Master-Gel.

Can I assume that the maple and alder will be dealt with the same way?

1) Sand to 400
2) Seal
3) Sand again very lightly with 400 or maybe even 600 ?

Master-Gel coat 1

I'm good from here on.

Thank you!

Steve

 

[Watershed]

I would deal with the alder and maple the same way.
Your post got me curious about the Behlen's Master-Gel.

From a description I found online:
"Master Gel Top Coat is a blended urethane finish that provides very good resistance to water and alcohol, making it suitable for a variety of uses. It is self-sealing (no first sealer coat is required) and virtually colorless when dry. It has superb leveling properties, so you get a smooth, even finish. It is easy to apply, and so foolproof, it makes an excellent choice for finishing ":in the field". Master Gel dries to tack in 20 minutes and is hard enough to sand and recoat in 1 hour."

Sounds to me like the "seal" part of your order of operations may not be necessary.

James

 

[Steve_Karl]

Thanks James.

Yes. Since there's no grain filling going on then I guess the sealing isn't necessary but I just wanted to check to see if anyone had any comments.

This will be only my second finish, so I wanted to be cautious and make sure I'm not leaving anything out.

 

[Patrick from Davis]

I'd say that the 400 is a bit of overkill on the wood.  I used 220, and a slightly used piece of that will get the maple about as close as you can to its smoothest.  Sanding Sealer is usually used to treat the wood so that the finish goes on evenly.  The Shellac stuff is dissolved in ethanol so it dries pretty quick, no waiting for weeks.  Also, shellac sticks to just about everything, and most every finish sticks really well to shellac.  After the finish is on, the higher grits can be used to really get it looking nice.  Good luck
Patrick

 

[Steve_Karl]

Thanks Patrick. I appreciate your input.