spruce pigmented epoxy?

[David Farmer]

Anyone have experience with light colored opaque epoxy as thin spruce filler?

I have a center seem separation too narrow for a splint. It can't be brought together or widened with humidity. It is above a very large and thick twelve string bridge plate. The instrument was clearly heated and dried enough to pull the seem apart, but now that its cooled, it's held solidly open by the plate.

It seems like an ideal situation to try using epoxy as filler. Anything translucent will read as a dirty crack from a certain angle and even the thinnest splint I can pull off I think will be much more difficult to hide.

Does anyone have any tips/ experiences color matching using light colored pigments in epoxy?

I will be clear coating lacquer over the top.

I see this situation with some regularity and want to come up with a reliable, cost effective way to deal with it consistently.

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[David Farmer]

Thanks Paul.

 I think opacity is important so it won't look too dark.

Even the relatively fast high quality  epoxies I've used I can imagine penetrating too far. Ether staining surrounding wood or finding a way around whatever is use for a dam, (tape, wood cleating, etc.). My hope is the tan filler might manage penetration, increase opacity, and even be a start on color that is ready to be bent in the right direction.

 Some testing is definitely in order.

The only tan filler West has on their site is #410. I remember seeing some of it before.

[Paul Breen]

Yes, the thickening agents do give the epoxy mix some opacity. I have not colored epoxy with anything but the liquid color tints from Stew Mac (which work great) but I wonder why you couldn't use dry opaque pigments instead and just skip the thickener.

[David Farmer]

Dry pigments were my original plan. I didn't have many so I have some on the way. I also wasn't sure if liquid trans-tints would mess up the cure. It sounds like you have had them work too.

Even if I come up with my own methods, it's always worked best for me to start from where others have had success and move out from there. In this case the recipe ideas come from David Collins. Considering his experience and habit of always searching for a better way, It seems like a luxurious starting point.

I have a pile of fret work between me and this job but I wanted to get anything I might need for this new method in the mail. I'll try and post my experience with it if I can.