Staining Tips

[mr.b]

hi. i'm new here and i'm looking for some advice. i am buildig a custom JPM. Have ordered an alder body with flamed maple top which i plan to stain on the picasso graphics. my concern is will there be any stain bleeding when i mask off the graphics then stain the darker wood colour?

any advice greatly appreciated.

B.

[mikhailgtrski]

Yes, you will probably experience some bleed, depending on how much stain you use and how well you mask it off. Applying a sealer like shellac over the stained-on graphics could help, but you'd have to be careful not to let the shellac bleed onto the area you want to stain darker. It might take some practice to get a good clean edge. Try it out on scrap first.

[mr.b]

Yes, you will probably experience some bleed, depending on how much stain you use and how well you mask it off. Applying a sealer like shellac over the stained-on graphics could help, but you'd have to be careful not to let the shellac bleed onto the area you want to stain darker. It might take some practice to get a good clean edge. Try it out on scrap first.

thanks for those tips. i am concerened as to whether i will get bleed marks whilst it soaks through the maple cap???

[mikhailgtrski]

It can bleed through if you really saturate it with stain.

I'd try using some high tack pinstriping tape (1/8" 3M green seems to work pretty well) to mask the edges of your graphics. Rub it down hard to a get a good seal.

You might try doing the dark stain first... mask off the graphics, stain the body, seal it, then unmask and stain your graphics. If get a little bleed you can usually scrape it off with a razor blade, as long as it hasn't soaked in too deep. Anyway, try it on scrap to see what method works for you.

Mike