j. pierce Posted August 25, 2007 Report Share Posted August 25, 2007 I'm working on a couple of builds with Paduak tops right now - I'm still debating a sunburst-type finish - it will be my first so I'll to do plenty of practicing before I hit the guitar. Fortunately I've got plenty of off cuts to experiment with, but I'm trying to find some pictures of paduak with a burst, as I'm not sure quite how to work around the fact that having red as my basecoat throws off the traditional 3 colour burst style. It seems like simply doing a subtle burst with dark black may be best, but perhaps the brown in there as well may be a good idea. I guess I'll find out as I experiment, but I'd love to see something already done on this wood to give me some ideas to work towards. I can't find anything. Anyone here seen something like that, know where to look? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted August 25, 2007 Report Share Posted August 25, 2007 A few things to consider: you're working with a 'red' basecoat that's very likely going to be a dark reddish brown in a few years' time. Most padauk doesn't seem to hold on to its colour for very long, so keep that in mind, or let it pre-oxidise (sanded, leave it in the sun for a few weeks) to see what it's most likely to end up like. Might look fine with blanks and browns, but it will be fairly dark guitar. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Sulzer Posted August 25, 2007 Report Share Posted August 25, 2007 A few things to consider: you're working with a 'red' basecoat that's very likely going to be a dark reddish brown in a few years' time. Most padauk doesn't seem to hold on to its colour for very long, so keep that in mind, or let it pre-oxidise (sanded, leave it in the sun for a few weeks) to see what it's most likely to end up like. Might look fine with blanks and browns, but it will be fairly dark guitar. Mattia I think it takes more than a few weeks. I finished an amp head cabinet in Padauk, and have had it sitting in a window here in the tropics for a few months, and it has not changed yet. I really like the way you can get different colors with Padauk depending on how you do the pore filling/sealing. With water base, it stays pretty light, almost orange. With System 3 clear coat epoxy it gets pretty dark right away. I think the epoxy really penetrates and allows the light to do so too, where it is scattered and so does not get back out. Mike Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mattia Posted August 25, 2007 Report Share Posted August 25, 2007 Mike: good to know. I haven't got a lot of experience with the stuff, but the bits I have all went dark quite fast if left exposed to sunlight unfinished. Finish seems to slow the process a lot, but not indefinitely. May also be that some pieces just stay brighter than others, depending on the wood, the finish (epoxy can come with UV protection built in, ditto finishes)...but it is something to consider when bursting, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
j. pierce Posted August 26, 2007 Author Report Share Posted August 26, 2007 Good point. The stuff I had got a rather bright orange after cutting sanding; didn't get to work on it for a month or so and got darker- although I didn't realize until I started sanding again. Comparing it to the colour of the wood I haven't touched at all, it's still rather light. Glad somebody mentioned this too me, I might not have thought of this at all. I'm doing matching panels out of the same wood for the amp I'm building - Perhaps I'll burst the back panel of amp (which gets left out in the light pretty much all the time) and see how that holds up and contemplate bursting the guitar next year after I see how the colour looks under finish after a while. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Sulzer Posted August 27, 2007 Report Share Posted August 27, 2007 In addition to UV protection, I suspect that finishing has this effect: Since the pore filling/sealing allows the light to penetrate, it distributes the photons over a greater deph than in unfinished wood. That is, with unfinished wood, all the light energy goes into a very thin surface layer which is rapidly alered. With the finish, the energy is distributed over a greater deph, and so the final color takes longer to achieve. I do not know if this is what happens, but it makes sense. Mike: good to know. I haven't got a lot of experience with the stuff, but the bits I have all went dark quite fast if left exposed to sunlight unfinished. Finish seems to slow the process a lot, but not indefinitely. May also be that some pieces just stay brighter than others, depending on the wood, the finish (epoxy can come with UV protection built in, ditto finishes)...but it is something to consider when bursting, I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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