I'm new to woodworking, but I am starting to dabble in building my own guitars from scratch (just a slab of wood). I have been reading up on things, and it appears a lot of people that build guitars use a product from Behlens called Vinyl Sanding Sealer, and it's been highly recommended as the 'Go-To' product for such an application. My problem is that it's not readily available in my area. I'd have to order some online. I have no issues with doing this, but I'm just wondering: can regular clear coat be used as a sanding sealer, or do I need to stick with a product like the one that Behlens makes? I know there's other brands out there, but Behlens is promoted (and reviewed by guitar builders the world over) as "the cream of the crop." I've got a couple of cans of Minwax poly (black label aerosol can) laying around at home, and I was wondering if that could be used as a sanding sealer. Thanks for your input!!
1 Answer
I'm just wondering: can regular clear coat be used as a sanding sealer
Yes, the first 'sealing' of the wood can be done with any standard finish and in fact the first coat of whatever finish you're using does effectively act the same as something sold as sealer.
"Sanding sealer" has a secondary function and that is to be easy to sand, and to facilitate this they often have a wax-like component in their mix, e.g. zinc stearate, but this isn't really necessary (or sometimes advisable).
Behlens is promoted (and reviewed by guitar builders the world over) as "the cream of the crop."
A point worth noting is that before the current crop of guitar builders their predecessors were doing work of at least the same standard without access to many modern conveniences and pre-made products, which includes sanding sealer.
Given the budget and need for them there are many things one would not wish to be without now that they are around, such as the very high quality modern abrasives (including Abranet) and a few of the modern finishes, but "sanding sealer" is really not one of those.
