Help me out! First time finishing checklist.

[iraggie]

For my first time building a bass, I've decided to go with a Carvin kit. I've got one on the way with a swamp ash body. The only part I'm a little nervous about is getting a nice finish on the body. I would like a dark wood color - something that looks like walnut. So here's my "checklist." I'd like a little help knowing if I'm leaving anything out, doing anything unnecessary, or looking at a crap product.

1) Wood filler.

2) Stain - Medium or Tobacco Brown

First question: do I mix these together, or is it better to apply one and then the other? If the latter, what order?

3) Lacquer or Tung Oil. I really think I want the tung oil on the back of the neck, but am not sure if it will be durable enough for the body.

That's about it, I guess. Obviously there will be a lot of sanding and waiting between all this stuff, but do I have the general idea?

Thanks!

[Brian]

Welcome to the forum iraggie

For an even finish if you lay down the filler first make sure (by testing on scrap wood) that it will take the stain, otherwise I would probably stain first, then fill and clear over.

When it comes to the Lacquer vs Tung Oil the Lacquer will give you a more slppery finish while the natural finish of the Tung Oil is more pleasing to the eye for some people. The Oil however will require recoating from time to time but not all that much, just a dab on a clean cloth and rub it in.

[Drak]

I think Tru-Oil is one of the easiest 'first time' finishes out there, and if you build 20-30 coats of it on, you'll wind up with a gloss/build that will pretty much equal lacquer, more or less, but it takes a lot of thin coats to get there, but it's also pretty cheap too.

Or you can stop anywhere along the way up to those 20-30 coats and be happy with that. It's a wipe-on finish that's harder than regular Tung-Oil.

I know this is sacriligeous to say here, but you could also send it out to a pro finisher and you do the rest of the build.

Just a thought...

[guitar_ed]

Hi Iraggie,

I have done a couple of swamp ash bodies now, and I always use a water based stain first, then I fill the pores, and then I stain again. Then sand again. Then clear nitro in a can. I find that it works pretty well.

Guitar Ed

[iraggie]

Thanks for the replys. My next question might seem like a no-brainer, but a lot of the tutorials seem to kind of glaze over this. What is the best way to hold the body up when applying with a rag or brush? Can I just lay it down and do the top, then the bottom, or do I need to hang it from something? If you recommend hanging it, wouldn't it have a tendancy to sway when you start running the brush or rag against it?

Thanks again.

[iraggie]

Then clear nitro in a can.

Could you give me an example of what you're talking about? I'm really really really new at this.

[Guitarfrenzy]

From my experience with Swamp Ash it doesn't take a stain very good at all when applied to the wood. It will look botchy and the color won't be uniform across the body. What I found was the best way to prepare the body for finishing is Epoxy. Yup Epoxy, the kind you can get at any hardware store. Mix it together and spread it evenly, pushing it into the grain with a plastic spreader you can get from any automotive place. You want to go with the direction of the grain, moving the spreader at a 45° angle while really pushing the epoxy into the grain. Let it dry, sand with 220 grit until the body is level. Then mix some dye with your lacquer and spray it on. It's better to use a spray rig to do this. This is the best way I've found to do Swamp Ash. Hope this helps.

Matt Vinson

[daveq]

Just curious - why go with the grain (as opposed to across it) when applying the epoxy?

[Guitarfrenzy]

Just curious - why go with the grain (as opposed to across it) when applying the epoxy?

Because the spreader needs to spread the epoxy in the pores evenly with the rest of the wood. If you go with the grain you have a flat surface to go with, and the epoxy will go into the pores level with the surface. But if you go against the grain the spreader will follow the surface also, and it will dip down into the pores, thus taking the epoxy with it. Leaving you with an uneven surface still. You still want to hold the spreader at a 45° degree angle though.

[daveq]

I don't know if this is why you think I'm out to get you but the reason I asked is because I was given conflicting information at a finishing class I took recently. That's all - didn't mean to sound like I was attacking you.

[guitar_ed]

Hi Iraggie,

You can see some what I mean about finishing swamp ash Here. Scroll down and click on the Bigsby Tele. I stain the wood directly, fill the grain and stain again, then I use clear nitro from Stewmac. Don't forget the sanding steps. Same with the Walnunt Tele and Strat.

I have not had any problems staining ash where the dye was properly mixed. If you check out the Blue guitar, the black back is pretty. But I also did not mix the dye properly.

If you have a specific question, please feel free to drop me an email.

Guitar Ed

[silvertonessuckbutigotone]

i think the reason he goes with the grain because if you go against, the leveler thing, would fall into the cracks, pushing the epoxy down with it, like he said. If im not mistaken this is what i mean (i know, the grain is giant, but it was for the purpose) pic