Need help deciding on a grain filler

[systemofameow]

Hey folks, over the past year I've been lazily refinishing a mahogany Yamaha SG body I picked up off of Reverb. I opted to use a French polishing method I learned from an online video by the luthier Brian Howard. This method involves NOT dewaxing the shellac prior to application because I didn't want to have to mess around with using oils to lubricate my mouser only to have to remove the oil in later steps (see "lazily refinishing" ). The grain filler that Brian uses is like, $80 dollars and I was looking for a cheaper option in terms of grain fillers that would be compatible with non-dewaxed shellac. I'd prefer a grain filler that's darker in color to help accentuate the grain a bit and would rather not have to mess around with dyes or altering the filler in some way before the application. Thanks in advance for any advice y'all are able to provide!

[Mudfuzz]

https://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_S ... PcQAvD_BwE

Doesn't specifically mention non-dewaxed shellac but you could always email them and ask them..

[systemofameow]

Ahhh, thank you! I'll shoot them an email later today and hopefully it works out.

[repoman]

I used that Stewmac grain filler a while ago and must've used it wrong because it didn't fill shit. I must've done 4-5 coat/sand/coat/sand, etc and it's like it did nothing. It looks like its clay with acrylic paint mixed into it.
Ha, I just looked at the reviews on Stewmac for it and like 50% say the same thing, that it doesn't work.

[Mudfuzz]

I used that Stewmac grain filler a while ago and must've used it wrong because it didn't fill shit. I must've done 4-5 coat/sand/coat/sand, etc and it's like it did nothing. It looks like its clay with acrylic paint mixed into it.
Ha, I just looked at the reviews on Stewmac for it and like 50% say the same thing, that it doesn't work.

Yes, that is what traditional filler is like. It takes practice to get it to work right.. I've use the stuff sparingly but personally I usually do things the hard way.. more coats MORE sanding..

[repoman]

The problem with the Stewmac stuff is you sand it flat, but it dries to basically dust, theres no bonding procedure, so it falls out, or there is a lot of room in the material packed in so when paint hits it it just reconstitutes, sucks up the fluid and shrinks right up into the pore. It looks really really good when you get done sanding it, then when you put the paint on it goes to shit. Maybe it works for some woods, I used it on mahogany and the pores are pretty big on that, I thought it was pretty crummy filler.

[systemofameow]

Have you folks tried any of the oil based fillers? I know I said I wanted to avoid oil during the shellacking process but maybe it wouldn't be so bad for just the pore filling? Although I hear it's a bastard to sand that stuff...