So I'm struggling with the top coat.

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It might just be that it's too cold here - however I've tried applying it in a heated room that I kept heated for several hours and heated again the next day. Top coat did the same thing - that is, it seemed to disappear.

This time however, I'd left the body flat, so I don't think it ran off onto the floor.

So I showed it to a friend locally. He said he'd seen something similar with an ash body (and this IB-5 is ash) where it sucked up all the top coat it was given until it was given several coats of sanding sealer.

What do you think? Should I try some sanding sealer?

It's had a couple of coats of the stain and intensifying stain, and seems to have vanished four top coats.

Should I be concerned about the veneer/cap and all the stuff it's apparently soaking in?