Taking some advice from strangers on the internet, i used epoxy to fill the grain. This image gives a good representation of the purpose of filling wood grain. Epoxy was applied to the right via a razor blade and allowed to cure. The layer of epoxy was sanded completely away until i got back to the wood. It was shot with 2 coats of sanding sealer and a topcoat of lacquer. No furthur modification was made to the wood up to this picture. As you can see, a well defined cut-off point is shown signifying where i did and did not grain fill. To achieve a 'smooth as glass' finish, the grain must be filled. As a side note, this process is needed only for porous woods like mahogany, walnut, and ash.
I began by applying Loctite 60 minute extra time epoxy to the back and let it cure. Unfortunately, after 3 days, it was still as tacky as when i applied it. So my advice to others would be to never use the Loctite 60 minute stuff unless you have a week or two to burn waiting for it to cure until sandable. I triple checked the two part mix and was certain i didn't just mix it wrong. Also, it's less viscous than the 5 minute version, so it soaks pretty far into the wood. I spent a whole day removed the tacky goop that I didn't even hesitate to smear all over the back of my guitar. I switched back to the 5 minute Loctite and things went much more smoothly, with the surface ready to sand in 5 or so hours. I proceeded to apply the epoxy to the remainder of the guitar in small batches using a Dollar General gift card.
I should mention i gave the wood a good sanding beforehand with 100, 150, 220, and 400 grit sandpapers. Followed by a judicious wiping with naphtha. This same process was repeated after sanding the epoxy back down with a random orbital sander.
I built a spray booth in my basement using a couple drop clothes (1 mil 10x20) from Home Depot. A couple sticks of poplar were wedged onto the ceiling to provide a frame. The resulting booth measures about 5'x7'. A 2'x2' fan exhausts the fumes via a make-shift duct out through an ajar garage door.
A copper wire was tied to the garage door tracks and threaded through the booth, providing a good spot to hang the guitar from. Shown is the guitar after 2 coats of sanding sealer.
Again.
An old tshirt was stuffed into the f-holes to stop any spray from getting into the guitar. I also drilled the electronics holes in, literally, 4 minutes. 'Measure twice, cut once' as everyone I know has told me. This time, i measured once, and cut once. I'm sure there shouldn't be any repercussions...
The amateur luthier standing next to his baby. Remember kids, safety first. Latex gloves, respirator, and goggles (they do nothing)**. The booth is also equipped with an $8 digital thermometer/humidostatometergrapher. Frequent checks throughout the day show good signs, with the temperature hovering between 75 and 83 degrees, with the humidity gracefully fluttering between 42 and 50 percent. Excellent, in my opinion, for spraying.
**The goggles, they do something. This is only a 15 year old reference to a popular television series, so please, wear goggles.
Tonight i will apply one more coat of sanding sealer and tomorrow begin with the topcoat applications. One thing i've learned with this whole build, is that if you plan on shaping a bone nut for the headstock, be aware of the location of any dogs within 100 feet or so. I took the nut to the belt sander (ouch) and walked inside, covered in bone dust, only to be chased and licked by our pet beagle. Absolutely terrifying.
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