Stains

[Xoly]

Ive seen some beautiful tops by hand staining, what are the advantages of hand stains vs. Paint gun+compressor?

http://www.guitaristjeffmiller.com/Variax-...iax-PRS2-70.jpg

http://www.eastcoastmusic.com/prs12.gif

http://www.eastcoastmusic.com/prstr006.gif

Would staining also work with black or brown?

Thank you much,

Xoly

[mikhailgtrski]

Are you talking about applying the stain/dye with a gun or spraying tinted clear lacquer? I haven't tried spraying the dye, I just wipe it on.

If you're talking about tinted lacquer vs. aniline dye, the advantage of dye is that it will penetrate the wood and enhance or "pop" the grain, whereas lacquer just sits on top.

You can do brown or black, but the figure will not show as well if you get it too dark. A common technique is to apply a very strong dark brown (or black, depending on the final color) and sand it back so that it only remains in the grain. Then lighter color(s) over that. This one was done that way:

and I think the Jeff Miller one used a similar method.

Mike

Edited August 29, 2006 by mikhailgtrski

[The Skullsplitter]

God that finish is fantastic!

[Xoly]

Thank you very much but can I wipe on dye and then spray the edges black with laquer?

[mikhailgtrski]

Thank you very much but can I wipe on dye and then spray the edges black with laquer?

Yes. That's how the old Gibson sunbursts were done.

[thegarehanman]

Staining works just fine with black and brown. There's a method, simular to sanding back, that's also often used. You simply apply your darker dye, let it soak into the wood, rub the wood down with a clean rag and some solvent(to take most of the dark dye out of the grain), leaving it in only the areas it penetrated deepest. You then apply your lighter dye over that. That's what I did for this guitar(it also has a black sunburst sprayed around the edges, as you'll see):

peace,

russ

[Xoly]

Thank you all very much,

Im going to sneak my camera into the music shop, I dont know if it dyed or laquer so ill post pic on here

[Maiden69]

Most production guitars are laquer, only a very few like Carvin and PRS to mention 2 are stain, and even they use tinted laquer to do their bursts after staining the tops the color they want.

[Xoly]

So how would i go about making my guitar look like this(i got 5a flame top) http://jacksonguitars.com/resources/colorchart.php

number 885

Thank you all for your info

[mikhailgtrski]

Pretty much what thegarehanman outlined for you: apply a strong black dye and either sand it back or wipe it off with a damp rag (water or alcohol, depending on the dye). You might need to do this a couple of times, depending on how dark you want the grain. Then a diluted black over that until it looks right.

I'm not a fan of the black dye look, because it tends to either be too light - gray instead of black - or so dark that much of the figure is obscured. Russ' turned out pretty nice, but it takes some practice. Experiment on scrap until you get the look you want, before having a go at the real thing. Keep in mind that it will look dull and not as "deep" until you clearcoat it.

This tutorial might explain the process a little better.

[Xoly]

Thanks i know im asking pretty basic questions but i go a top and i would rather be safe than sorry, also im doing black on edges of front so which would i do first, dye or edges and how would i go about doing which ever the latter is?(im guessing dye first but would like explanation please)

Pretty much what thegarehanman outlined for you: apply a strong black dye and either sand it back or wipe it off with a damp rag (water or alcohol, depending on the dye). You might need to do this a couple of times, depending on how dark you want the grain. Then a diluted black over that until it looks right.

I'm not a fan of the black dye look, because it tends to either be too light - gray instead of black - or so dark that much of the figure is obscured. Russ' turned out pretty nice, but it takes some practice. Experiment on scrap until you get the look you want, before having a go at the real thing. Keep in mind that it will look dull and not as "deep" until you clearcoat it.

This tutorial might explain the process a little better.

[mikhailgtrski]

For a traditional burst, do your dye first. Seal it with a couple of coats of clear, then spray the edges.

It is possible to do a burst entirely with wipe-on dyes (check out Myka Guitars) but it probably wouldn't work as well with an all-black scheme. You could sand it back lighter in the middle and less toward the edges. Like I said, experiment on scrap to see what works for you.

I'd really urge you to read up on finishing before you start. It will probably save you some headaches, and lessen your chance of messing up that 5A top. Stewmac's "Guitar Finishing Step-By-Step" is a good place to start.