aqua coat grain filler

[jcousins2]

hi all - i am just finishing up a table with a claro walnut veneer for the top - home cut veneer so thicker than store bought. i have always use an oil based grain filler - usually tinted with dark walnut stain - which is typically messy, has a pretty toxic smell, and takes quite awhile to dry.
the finish guy at  the yard talked to me about Aqua Coat - water based gel filler - totally clear (but it also can be tinted) - easier clean up and faster drying.
smaller test pieces seem to come out nice -
my plan is to seal the veneer with a 1# wash coat of shellac - seal it - apply 3 or 4 coats of 2#shellac - and then some lacquer
wondering if anyone has had experience with this product on a larger piece.
thanks in advance and appreciate any info
jerry

[Wildwood]

Never use the product and 1st heard of it. Sounds like great product!

I am confused on procedures! Are you going to apply Aqua Coat filler first or seal wood 1st? Directions say can do either apply directly or apply seal 1st. Of course they recommend using their Sanding Sealer 1st and their top coats.

https://aquacoat.com/collections/water-b...ain-filler

In any event why put down so many coats of shellac why not just go to your lacquer top coat once you seal your wood?

Learned from experience less is more finishing with too many top coats will actually give you a softer finish.

[jcousins2]

Never use the product and 1st heard of it.  Sounds like great product!

I am confused on procedures!  Are you going to apply Aqua Coat filler first or seal wood 1st?  Directions say can do either apply directly or apply seal 1st.  Of course they recommend using their Sanding Sealer 1st and their top coats.  

https://aquacoat.com/collections/water-b...ain-filler

In any event why put down so many coats of shellac why not just go to your lacquer top coat once you seal your wood?

Learned from experience less is more finishing with too many top coats will actually give you a softer finish.

hi bill - here's my craziness of finishing
the shellac wash coat is a substitute for the sanding sealer  (this is sprayed) - then i'll fill the pores with aqua coat. i really like shellac finish - mostly padded on - some times i go a bit overboard and pad on 5 or 6 coats - just depends on the grain pattern - i think it really brings out the depth of the wood -- the lacquer top coat is just a protective layer.
after the lacquer hardens i polish it with mequiar's swirl remover -  then followed with 2 coats of black bison wax.
for pieces that do not get a lot of surface use (unlike tables) i don't use lacquer - just the shellac, polish, and wax.
jerry

[Wildwood]

Haven’t done much padding with shellac & mineral oil in years back then did several coats too. Mostly did repairs using this laborious method. Like it better than French polishing dealing with shellac, pumice, mineral oil which is even more laborious.

Never used a swirl remover but sounds simple we simply used rottenstone & mineral oil to rub out a shellac finish. We never went beyond using shellac.

I love both shellac & lacquer finishes by themselves, but have seen spit coat of shellac & Japan dryer under lacquer before on refinishing projects.

Good luck with your project sounds like have pretty good handle on it.

[jcousins2]

hi all - I wanted to share my experience with aqua coat grain filler. This is my first time using it and overall pretty positive. Much cleaner than oil based filler - so much easier clean up – it is water based – so it dries pretty quickly, sanding was not too gummy, and the shop did not reek and not as messy rags. It is a gel so carding off the excess was pretty simple.
 
I used it on a large claro walnut table top (not sure how to get the phone pic to really shows much grain fill detail) and needed 3 coats to successfully fill all the pores. My inexperience could have attributed to needing the 3rd coat – directions say 2.
 
I first sprayed the piece with a 1# shellac coat as a sanding sealer and then applied the aqua coat as directed. On the following day, once final sanding was done, the succeeding coats of shellac rubbed in nicely and the whole thing then polished very deeply.
Definitely needs further exploring and plan to work with it again

jerry

[jteneyck]

That is gorgeous, Jerry.  I've used AquaCoat a couple of times and found it pretty easy to use, too.  Far faster and less mess than OB ones, for sure.  

John

[Kansas City Fireslayer]

Very nice work. You can always add some dark walnut TT to help even out light or reddish walnut with darker brown walnut tones.