Crystalac Wood Grain Filler - How good is it?

I bought this grain filler because of the reviews I saw saying it was easy to use and worked well. This is the third time I have tried to use it and the results have been disappointing each time. I thought I should share this with others in case they were thinking about using it also.

[@harrisongrass]

I can tell you that I share your frustration about filling grain on rosewood and mahogany. Through the years, I have tried every grain filler I could purchase without much satisfaction. It seems like no matter what I use, I end up having to spray a lot of lacquer on top of it to get a smooth finish. I share your theory that the filler tends to come out of the pores when you sand. I've also had times when I stained the wood after I applied the filler and that seemed to remove some filler too when I wiped off the excess. I think I have gotten more success with plain old fashioned shellac. It seems to fill the grain better than other so called grain fillers. It also adds an amber tint to the finish which I like. I stain it first and when I first sand the shellac, I come back and spot stain the places where I sand through and apply some more shellac. It usually does not show up in the finished lacquer. I use the shellac flakes mixed with alcohol. I wish I had the answer to this problem, too. Ronnie Nichols

[@hartshut]

I ended up using shellac. I sanded it back to wood, mixed flakes with alcohol and used a French polishing pad to wipe on 4 to 5 heavy coats of shellac. Then sanded smooth with 400 grit. I had to do this 3 times to get all the pores filled. But I did it in one afternoon. I have built another guitar since then and used shellac on it also. Thanks for the comment. I watch your videos and really enjoy them.

[@harrisongrass]

One tip I might pass along to you is that you can use a little coarser sandpaper between coats. It may make the sanding easier for you. You could probably use up to 220 paper between the coats without a problem. The 400 certainly will be smoother but may take more time. Thanks for watching my videos and keep on building those guitars.
@@hartshut