Aquacoat Clear grain filler and Tru-oil

Hi everyone, my question is specific to this particular filler and Tru-oil. It is water based and I have dyed a mahogany body, sealed it with shellac then applied the Aquacoat. Will Tru oil go straight over it ok, or should I apply another coat of Shellac(dewaxed) before the Tru oil? Thanks Mike

Well I'm surprised nobody's tried this combination, so let me try it from a different angle. I've searched the archives and google without success. I've seen it suggested that Aquacoat can turn Koa green, and also it is advised by many to test compatibility on scrap wood. I've done this on some scrap mahogany, shellac, aquacoat then 3 applications of tru-oil. It looks fine but how do I know it won't fall off in 6 months time? In other words, if they were incompatible, would it be immediately obvious in some way?

In the absence of any other advice I'll say it will be fine. I haven't used this grain filler, but Tru-Oil and similar products adhere just fine to just about anything. Forget about oil vs water - once the water based filler is 'dry' it has no water left. (The same wouldn't be true of oil based filler under a water based top coat).

If your test pieces dried okay, there's no reason to think won't stay okay.

I've done several test panels with AquaCoat but haven't screwed up the courage to use it on an instrument. My experience has been that its water content severely bows test panels that approximate the thickness of backs, sides and tops. They do relax as the filler dries but don't get back to flat. This happens even when the panels are first coated with shellac. It's true that others have reported using it successfully, particularly in the guitar world, but I'm reluctant to introduce an unknown stress to the wood and the structure. There are other so many ways to fill pores that don't make me nervous. Of course, YMMV.

Well, it's done. I've started Tru-oil application, had 2 coats so far so good. Watch this space. Thanks Dan, and Saltytri I don't have a problem with the aquacoat itself nor it's water content. It dries almost instantly when applied with a cloth. The question was whether it would be ok with Tru-oil. Thanks.

I have not had much luck with the water based pore fillers. I am convinced using them on bare wood is a mistake. I have had koa turn green when I tried that. They don't seem to fill pores as well and have more shrinkback than epoxy or CA. If you are trying to fill a wood with large pores it can take many many coats.

I used a Shellac product called Seal-Lac
http://www.shellacfinishes.com/product/seal-lac/
It worked great filling pores on mahogany.
It doesnt dry as fast as Aqua Seal, but you can lay on the coats about 10 minutes apart