<html> Ever so cool!!! These are good tips! I was told once upon a time to add the stain or dye to the filler (water based paste) and I'm not greatly pleased with how it comes out. A mist coat of sealer might help it not get too blotchy. The sealer I used also seemed to come out of the pores when I lightly sand. It there something I can do to prevent all that reapplying? Very glad to hear of your upcoming articles!!! Greg Newell At 07:29 AM 6/6/2002, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>At 12:19 AM 6/6/2002 -0400, you wrote: <blockquote type=cite class=cite cite>Hi, Do you guys use burlap cloth to rub in the grain filler ?,it works great. Best, Hazen Bannister </blockquote> A water based filler is easier to use; just trowel it on, let it dry for a few hours and sand. A mist coat of sealer on the wood prior to filling will reduce drag and it will apply quicker. The sealer is then sanded off as the filler is sanded.  If you are real bold, stain first but be careful to stop sanding at the sealer to prevent sanding off the stain in areas. After removing the finish, sand everything with 100. Fill. Sand with 180 To fill finer pores, thin the filler and reapply. Sand with 320. This and others procedures will be covered in a series of articles by David Koelzer and myself. Now, where's that ambition... it's around here somewhere... Regards, Jon Page,   piano technician Harwich Port, Cape Cod, Mass. <a href="mailto:jonpage@attbi.com" eudora="autourl">mailto:jonpage@attbi.com</a> ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ </blockquote> <x-sigsep></x-sigsep> Greg Newell <a href="mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net" eudora="autourl">mailto:gnewell@ameritech.net</a></html>