Unusual finish

[delz]

This is totally a newbie question, as I have little experience with woodstaining. Im looking to create an effect whereby the darker grain is darkened to black and the lighter grain is lightened to white if possible. I then plan to finish the wood to a high gloss. Ive spent hours trawling the web with no real success.

I have seen this effect done before on guitars with black and red but never black and white, and Im looking for any advice that may help me achive this.

Im planning to use this effect on a homebuilt pine cabinate for my amp, unusual sounding i know but thats the idea.

Many thanks:2tsup:

[willie]

This is totally a newbie question, as I have little experience with woodstaining. Im looking to create an effect whereby the darker grain is darkened to black and the lighter grain is lightened to white if possible. I then plan to finish the wood to a high gloss. Ive spent hours trawling the web with no real success.

I have seen this effect done before on guitars with black and red but never black and white, and Im looking for any advice that may help me achive this.

Im planning to use this effect on a homebuilt pine cabinate for my amp, unusual sounding i know but thats the idea.

Many thanks:2tsup:

What wood are you using? From what you say, I would guess that this effect is used with open grain woods like mahogany.
In this case all I know is that there is a big difference in the order in which you seal the wood, use filler (with stain added to it or neutral) and then stain.

For example. You can add stain to the raw wood. Sand it back lightly. The stain will remain in the endgrain but not in the rest. You can then restain in a lighter colour. The endgrain will remain much darker. (sealing with shellac or similair before restaining will also alter the effect)
OR
If the wood is grain filled with neutral, then sealed and then stained. The effect will be more consistant with little contrast.
I know there is stuff out there on the net but can't remember where I came across it. Go to
http://usacustomguitars.com/links.html

(For other muso members, I have a lot of experience with this USA Custom Guitars and their stuff is absolutely beautiful. First rate guys to deal with as well.)

Lots of good stuff here. In particular follow the link to Guitar ReRanch. These guys are finishing gurus and provide some info on their site. Their "Finishing 101" may give you some ideas.

Also I know that some violin makers use nifty tricks to bring out the "curl" in their maple. If you can find out about this then I think you will be on the right track.

I am no expert by the way and I would guess others on this forum could be more helpful to you. All the best.

Willie

[delz]

Cheers for the advice. Fortunately because I have a clear image of the finish I want I have decided to do my research before building the cabinet in case the effect can only be achieved with particular kinds of woods; as you have suggested.

I was however initially planning to use pine for cost effectiveness and for its reasonably attractive grain, you mention mahogany might work, any other suggestions?

Also - I’m aware that most white stains are generally opaque, is there any chance that you are aware of a translucent white stain available or should i just apply thinly? Alternatively would it be possible to use a finish or stain for the darker grain that would resist the light stain?

Once again, many thanks,

Adam

[old_picker]

Stewmac (http://www.stewmac.com/freeinfo/)site has good info
As does MIMF (http://www.mimf.com/)
Telemodders (http://www.aimoo.com/forum/freeboard.cfm?id=361709&NoCaches=Yes)

Get open grain wood like swamp ash, lightly seal and spread a wash of coloured waterbased woodfiller. sand her back lightly and keep doin it till the grain stands out

http://www.carltonguitars.com.au/resources/Image/tele1/body01.jpg

Theres a tele I done a while ago just like that

[willie]

http://www.manchesterguitartech.co.uk/telecaster.html

This is a link to a guy who has done a "blond" tele. This is a well known translucent white finish. I think this guy has done a pretty good job of it.

Here is a "recipe" of the same finish. I think it's a pretty good guide to acheiving this look.

Reproducing a Fender "Blond" Finish.
You can't buy a blond Fender finish pre-mixed. You must "hand mix" it. This is how I do a blond finish.


Finish sand the ASH body (yes, it must be Ash, otherwise the finish won't look right no matter how good a job you do!). Sand progressively up to 320 or 400 grit sandpaper.
(Optional, but suggested). Spray one "wash coat" of clear nitrocellulose lacquer or sanding sealer on the body to seal it. lightly sand with 400 after dry. I personally use sanding sealer as it's cheaper than lacquer, and sands easier.
PORE FILL the body. Stew Mac (www.stewmac.com or www.guitarshopsupply.com) sells pore filler. I use the "natural" color. Brush the stuff on, let it dry for 30 minutes (or until the thick pore filler has gotten firm), then use an old credit card to "wipe" the pore filler off the body. This leaves the pore filler in the pores of the wood. Let the body dry for 48 hours.
Clear coat with nitrocellulose lacquer or sanding sealer (again, I prefer sanding sealer). This will lock-in the pore filler. Spray about four coats. After all 4 coats were srayed and dry for a day or two, sand smooth with 600 grit. If I "broke through" the clear finish above from sanding, I would spray one more coat of clear lacquer or sanding sealer. Note I would NOT sand between coats after this point. The body should be nice and smooth.
Now comes the fun. Take some WHITE nitrocellulose lacquer, and mix it about 1:10 with clear lacquer. Spray on a board to test, and adjust the amount of white or clear to get a good translucent color. After you got that figured out, spray the body. DO NOT SPRAY HEAVY! Remember, you want the finish to be translucent! If you are doing a 1955 to 1959 Telecaster blond finish, note the SIDES of the body are LESS translucent than the face and back of the body! (i.e. spray more white finish on the sides).
Let the body dry a day. Spray ONE coat of clear lacquer to lock in the white translucent finish.
Aging the finish: the body will be really "white". You may want to make it look a bit old. if you are doing a 1954 or earlier Telecaster finish, this is where you get that "butterscotch" look. Use a small amount of yellow liquid ainline dye, and add it to some clear lacquer. Also add just a TOUCH of red and brown. Spray the lacquer on your test board (that you used for the white translucent paint above), and adjust the color. You want a clear lacquer that has an "old" tint to it. After you have that set, LIGHTLY spray the body. How much you spray will depend on your eye, and if you want that butterscotch look, or the 1960's and later style Tele translucent look. IMPORTANT: if you are doing a 1955 to 1959 tele finish, SKIP this step! The next step of spraying the clear nitrocellulose lacquer will "take the white edge" off the finish enough.
Spray four coats of clear nitrocellulose lacquer on the body.
Let dry for two to four weeks. Rub out with 600 grit, then 1200, then 2000 grit. Be carful when sanding, especially on the body edges!!! You do not want to "break through" the new finish.
Rub out the body using rubbing compound, then polishing compound. Personally I like using Novus3 then Novus2 for these steps if you are rubbing the body out by hand.
Other tips: I use straight ACETONE as my thinner for lacquer. You will get much better lacquer dry times with this. If the lacquer is drying too fast with acetone while you are spraying, add some lacquer retarder. I also always add a sqirt of "smoothie" (available at automotive paint stores) to a mixed quart of lacquer or sanding sealer to prevent "fish eyes", and to generally make the finish a bit smoother.

[willie]

And that's a GREAT job on that tele oldpicker. Just had a good look at how you got that grain to stand out. I've got a tele body that I'm not happy with the finish on. I think you've just inspired me to strip it.