Les Paul double re-build project (Days 2 and 3: Grain filling)

So, after the failing to test the traditional method of Gibson grain filling I decided to make my own mixture for the task. I made a concoction of pumice powder, water and acrylic paint.

I sanded both guitars to 220 grit first

The grain fillnig process actually went quite good in a “mechanical” sense but with two unexpected let downs:

1. sanding the filler off was A LOT more laborious than I expected, and after a long session of sanding the wood down to 180 before the filler, sanding all over again with the same amount of effort was the last thing I was expecting to do.
2. I’m not liking the color at all. I made a mixture of two different shades of red acrylic paint, one slightly orangey red and a darker cherry tone. For whatever reason they amounted to pink once they dried off, as you can see in this image. The guitar on the left has the filler dried without sanding, the one on the right is already sanded down after my shoulders fell off.

Now I’m really scared that I might have screwed up that lovely natural cancharana color forever, on both guitars. It’s facepalm time!

I’m in a crossroads for what to do next. I created a new mix of grain filler with a darker shade of cherry color that I know might look good for the second (or maybe even third) coat, but I’m also considering stripping the whole thing off as deep as I can (If it is even possible) and maybe attempt to fill the grain with just pumice and water, which would supposedly end up in a sort of “clear grey-ish” grain filler that should leave the cancharana color mostly intact. That is if I’m even able to strip the existing pink-ish horribleness back to bare wood…

You’ll find out what my final decision was on the next chapter…

’Til then!