9956 Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 I have veneered and stained my wood, however the veneer rippled slightly, so that when i stained i obtained this pattern would it be possible via repeated sanding to even this out? bearing in mind i need to be extremely careful of the veneer, which may have to be redone anyway. Could i sand flat and then restain? May just redo it anyway in my quest for perfection, meh. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted February 20, 2006 Report Share Posted February 20, 2006 (edited) That looks like a rough sketch of what stained flame/curly maple is supposed to look like. Isn't that the look you were going for? red flame ibanez The grain in flame maple makes it look rippled even though the surface is perfectly flat - are you sure the veneer itself is actually rippled? Did you use a block when you did your sand back? How thick is the veneer? A picture would really help! Mike Edited February 20, 2006 by mikhailgtrski Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9956 Posted February 21, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Bad explanation sorry, the flame stripes are the horizontal black lines. Im positive the surface is ever so slightly uneven, and the sanding back has thus lightened some areas more than others as they are higher. Camera way too **** to show that, will try and borrow dads if he visits. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 So (assuming the neck pocket is "north") the red ripples are running north and south vs. east to west? I'm sure you know this, but on a "normal" flame top the grain lines generally run north-south and the figuring (or flame) runs east-west. Do you think it rippled on you when you glued it on or when you sanded? How thick is the veneer anyway? Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted February 21, 2006 Report Share Posted February 21, 2006 Most likely you have either uneven thickness of glue, or it did not lay flat. For the bumps you could try ironing them flat with a steam iron, it may or may not help (work from the center outward). You don't want to stain until the surface is flat. With the stain, what may have happened is that the glue may have soaked through your veneer where it was thickest and sealed off the grain, so that the stain doesn't penetrate. No amount of sanding will take care of a problem like that...you may have to shoot dyed lacquer instead. The glue for veneers has to be very thin for this reason. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9956 Posted February 22, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 22, 2006 Im re veneering then, this project WILL be perfect. Veneer is hella cheap for what it looks like anyway, and I have the cash. One thing im really having trouble finding is naptha in the UK. Another thing is ideas on how to make the flame really stand out. When the veneer is natural and out the packet i have a beautiful flame, but after any sanding, it appears lost. I got far better results on my headstock, where i just stained and laquered, than my body where i stained, sanded back with 400 and restained. I lost a considerable amount of figure....even after i laquered. Ah well irrelevant now, i will need to find out before i stain again...now onto some major sanding Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted February 22, 2006 Report Share Posted February 22, 2006 If you got good results with the headstock, then do the body exactly the same way. Part of the problem with veneer is that if you sand it after gluing it down, you can pretty quickly come to a depth in the veneer where the wood pores are filled with glue (from underneath) and won't take stain. The figure will suffer. Get it to lay flat right off the bat and you shouldn't have to sand to get it flat. On the other hand, if you have the buck$ then you could go with a 1/4" thick flame maple cap. I always find caps easier to work with than veneers (for exactly the reasons you are experiencing). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mikhailgtrski Posted February 22, 2006 Report Share Posted February 22, 2006 +1 What erikbojerik said. Go with a thicker cap if you can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9956 Posted February 28, 2006 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 Thicker cap is not an option, I reveneered and its perfect. REALLY REALLY need some help/info from people living in the UK preferably how you make the flame extreme. The natural veneer has a BEAUTIFUL flame at the moment, and its a PERFECT job. I cannot mess the staining and finishing up, i will go insane. Im open to suggestions, based on bright red flaming. I have black and red water based dyes, can buy others if necessary. I know i need to practice on scrap till its perfect. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 To make the flame stand out more, only sand to 220 or so. The finer you sand, the less the difference in grain. Good luck with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daniel Sorbera Posted February 28, 2006 Report Share Posted February 28, 2006 Hey Drak! glad to see you back But I thought if you sanded higher the flame would stand out more? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickCormier Posted March 1, 2006 Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 wheres the cheapest place to buy veneer (good looking veneer!) and also what type of dye would be best? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
9956 Posted March 1, 2006 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2006 In the US I have heard amazing stuff about thewoodwell.com In the uk i get it from marquetry.co.uk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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