Taylor Finish Matching

[SlideBender]

Greetings all:

First I would like to admit, I have started down the slippery slope of luthiery, I have decided prior to starting a new build, to fix a few broken guitars to get"broken in" to the woodworking levels required...so the first project is a broken neck taylor 412 I picked up for cheap on craigslist...

I have: glued the break with superglue, milled out 1/16-1/8 inch off the back of the head, formed a veneer from rosewood, glued the backstrap overlay onto the head, drilled the holes for the tuners, finished the sanding, now its time to finish the project (check pic attached).

What is the best finish to use, or better yet, what are the acceptible ranges of finishes, can I just shellac with clear and be done, would it be better to use a satin oil/lacquer, should I use a clear or a honey? I have read up on how taylor finishes and I dont want to do UV, and I bet its $$$, so what is the sensible alternative...when I am done with this project, I'll be re-fretting an old Kay I bought for $30, and I'll be building a Weisenborn style slide guitar...Exciting projects for 09...

Note to Frank: If this project sounds familiar you and I spoke at the store 2 weeks ago, thank you so much for your assistance, I am very happy to live close to Gryph, an amazing local resource.

[Nick Anthony]

actually taylor doesnt use uv on there satin necks..its a catalysed finish wich is very deadly(wouldnt recomend trying without a good spray booth and tyvec suit) ..the paste filler wich gives the browns there color however is uv...mohawk makes a spray bomb satin/paste filler that will match the finish but wont give you the color. i am a taylor warranty tech at a service center and have always used the brown uv paste filler for these repairs and then shoot the ez flat from mohawk to do the satin. good luck with the color ....best chance is some stew mac stain a steady hand and air brush skills
hope this helped...also in the future anytime you can with a neck crack it's best not to use ca glue...wood glue or epoxy are much better..ca glue tends to be brittle and any high tension area such as a neck or x brace good ol' tight bond is just better. a good epozy is west system epoxy check them out on the web....that's the stuff we would use at taylor in the factory repair shop

[Nick Anthony]

also uv set up is a little pricy but not a complete killer ..and if you learn how to apply it it can be very profitable since it cures instantly....about 1500 in tools and paint

[FRANK]

TAYLOR FINISH THERE ARE MANY FOR THE RESULTS I LIKE BEST ARE WITH OIL FIRST AND FRENCH POLISH SECOND / NITRO CELLULOSE . BY OILING UNDER A LACQUER WILL MAKE THE FIGURE IN THE WOOD JUMP LIKE 3D FRANKS ALUMNI RV

[Nick Anthony]

french polish and nitro are different things i'm unclear on what you mean

[SlideBender]

OK, so any brand names you recommend? Is this something I can pick up from home depot which is 2 blocks away, or stewmac, I am like a horse who sees the finish line, though prudence pays here and there (meaning I can wait if its really worth it)...