stain

[jtmullet2006]

Hey this is kind of a newb question but I am staining a piece of mahogany in stew mac cherry red recomended mix using achohol and when I put it on its a very nice briliant red then once dries or soaks in the wood it dulls down but my questin is once it dries there are some areas where the stain is thick that is closer to what it looks like when it's wet so am I trying to make the whole guitar look like this or am I trying to make it all look like the dull area and once I seal and laquer it it the bright brilliant red will come back. All help is apreciated cheers.

[old_picker]

Raw staining is difficult to get on in an even coat. Hopefully you are talking about a test piece and not the guitar. It is easier to get even if you weaken the dye to 50% or even 30% and dampen the wood before applying. Apply in several coats to get it even and the right density. Some say a very thin coat of shellac or sanding sealer should be applied before staining as it evens up the timbers propensity to suck in more stain in some areas especially end grain. Others spray on what is known as a "shader". A shader is a mix of lacquer and stain or colour applied in a few coats to get the right colour density.

It is tricky but getting a good even coat of stain is also tricky.

The dull look will dissapear when you get some lacquer over it.

[JupiterCreek]

I give the body a quick wipe with uBeaut sanding sealer on a piece of old towel first. It helps raise the grain and lets me know which areas are more likely to suck in the stain.... areas like cutaways and any other concave area always seem to grab the stain more. A quick light 320 grit hand sand gets rid of the raised fluff and then another really light wipeover with sealer. To give you an idea of how little of the sealer I use I bought two small bottles at the WWW show 2 years ago and I still have half a bottle left!

I use Wattyl gel stain applied with a cut up damp Wettex and try to keep the stain from pooling in any one area.

[JackG]

The stain is.. a pain to get right, make sure you raise the grain with a damp cloth and sand it lighty and repeat until it does not raise anymore, then like old_picker said I also get better results thinning the dye 50-70 solvent seems about right but be aware that thinning it will change its tone. (I use NC based stains, not sure if the others work the same way)

Maybe I am saying something obvious here but make sure you wipe completely the stain and dont let it dry on the timber, unless you spray it the way to proceed is to lightly wet a clean cloth and work on small areas making sure that it is not dry when you move to the adjacent area (just like paining).
Resist to the temptation of wiping again with the wet cloth an area you already made, the idea is to have an uniform coat, spend the same time with the same cloth condition on every part of the piece to be stained.

If you work with soft woods (like mahogany) it is more difficult and any darker area is almost impossible to recover, make sure your cloth never stops, you must always have motion else the timber will suck up more stain and will darken, this is even more valid in end gran areas like the heel of your neck.


Good luck, it will be my turn to stain a neck this or next weekend :)

[JupiterCreek]

Jack's comments just reminded me.... I always work from the darkest area to the lightest and try to just extend the stained area by a bit more each pass. I've totally fallen for the "natural burst" effect that Gibson uses on some of their SG's. Most of my instrument bodies are in Fijian grown mahogany which is an absolute pleasure to work, finish and stain, so I start with the outside surfaces and get the timber to the darkest colour I'm looking for, then gradually creep in around to the front and back and just shade in with the stain.

I got a bit overexcited earlier today and tried to build up three wet coats of nitro in about 10 minutes... 35 degrees here in Adelaide... lots of checking. So it's out to the workshop tonight to sand it back and start again! :~

[rhoads56]

I got a bit overexcited earlier today and tried to build up three wet coats of nitro in about 10 minutes... 35 degrees here in Adelaide... lots of checking. So it's out to the workshop tonight to sand it back and start again! :~


Huh?? Which brand? I dont use nitro every day, only about once every ten days, so i make sure i get lots of coats on during that particular day. Ive done up to five coats in an hour, or three heavy coats in ten minutes, then chuck it into a heat box (40-55 degrees)band never have checking. I often do a real thinned (thinned, not thin) coat on to finish up with each day. Never have checking, bubbles, cracks, soft spots, runs, etc etc etc.

[JupiterCreek]

Mirotone Miralac precat rattle-can nitro stuff.

[rhoads56]

Mirotone Miralac precat rattle-can nitro stuff.

...there you go...

[Phil Mailloux]

Perry, which nitro do you use? I'm pretty surprised at the amount you spray in such a short time.
What's your drying box like? A plain box with a couple of light bulbs?

jtmullet2006, the color will "come out" a lot more when you spray lacquer on it. Before you start staining your body it's a good idea to take some offcuts and stain it with different shades of the stain you want in different spots. Once done spray it with lacquer (any lacquer is fine, even a cheapo spray can you found at bunnies) and you'll see what the end result will be like. From there just choose the shade you prefer from your sample.

[rhoads56]

Perry, which nitro do you use? I'm pretty surprised at the amount you spray in such a short time.
What's your drying box like? A plain box with a couple of light bulbs?

.

It was Mitortone, but im not sure who the main supplier is now. I'll check today. I THINK its mirotone, but decanted and repackaged.

I dont have a problem laying on that many coats, but i do use a spray gun, which is more efficient at getting the stuff on there.

The heat box WAS a toilet room, with a 500w light globe and a small fan heater. I now have a proper booth (walk in type) but i havent used the heat room in it yet (still waiting on the floor to be installed and globe fittings to be wired in). Its got four 500w heater globes.

[MoonShine]

I mixed the stain into the Precat (NC) before spraying.
Used 3 coats of Rosewood stain/Precat for the neck, then 2 clear Precat 95% Gloss thinned down to about 80precat/20% lacquer thinners.

Look at it in a sunny area and its 'ruby' transparent and an extremely wet looking gloss....nice:p