Ebony Dust Tinted My Mahogany

[lowrider]

I radiused my fretboard and the ebony has tinted the mahogany a bit. I'm sure I can keep sanding until it comes out. The neck still needs some final shaping anyway. I was just curious if there is a good way to get it off if say I did'nt have sanding to do? I think I'll tape it off next time.

[Rick500]

Tack cloth maybe? Never tried it, just an idea. [Edit: Or maybe even compressed air.]

Edited September 13, 2007 by Rick500

[low end fuzz]

samr\e thing happens when you sand padauk around anything lighter;

tack cloth should work as good as anything

[Rick500]

samr\e thing happens when you sand padauk around anything lighter;

tack cloth should work as good as anything

Good to know... I'm working on a black limba/padauk/flamed maple/padauk/black limba neck.

Anything you can think of to prevent the problem rather than fix it? I guess I could just use a scraper as much as possible.

[Edit: spelling]

Edited September 13, 2007 by Rick500

[Jon]

I just use heavy grit sandpaper so the oily/darker wood isn't bleeding into anything. Then towards the finishing stage around 150-180 grit I'll seal the wood(s) with shellac, then work up to higher grits and apply finish. It's no fun having your project nice and ready to have the finish applied and have the ebony/wenge/padauk bleed into your maple from sanding to higher grits. I don't run into this issue when the wood is sealed off.

[Jon]

Anything you can think of to prevent the problem rather than fix it? I guess I could just use a scraper as much as possible.

When doing my 5-lam 6-string neck, it was difficult keeping the laminates all consistent with each other because of the vast difference in densities (Wenge - softer Maple). I used a scraper to get them level, but regardless of using the scraper I still needed to final sand. I would recommend sealing the wood as mentioned in my previous post.

[low end fuzz]

again; a tack cloth will take everthing out of everyhting;

i would no longr put a soft finish underneath a finish even to keep dust from falling onto/into anohter piece

at the most w/multi lam pieces take a grit higher then your final sand a polish up the impregnated areas right before you finish; this is in extreme cases i.e. the lado hawk i refinished that was all padauk w' 3 strips of birdseye, but that was even before i knw what tack cloth was; it has never let me down

[doug]

Sanding the back of the neck with a grit such as 180 or 220 prior to doing much with the ebony will greatly reduce the amount of ebony being smeared into the lighter wood. I find these light/dark combinations to be sort of a pain, however by sanding the whole back evenly up to a finer grit really helps. Something else to consider: when your abrasive gets "dirty" don't use it anymore. It may only be a few strokes.

Compressed air works miracles! No matter what combinations of wood I've used, blowing the dust off does the trick. Then in those pesky areas like along the edge of your fingerboard where it meets the neck shaft, use long lateral strokes being careful not to 'cross the line'. Again, don't wipe the dust, just blow it off.

Tack cloths leave residue.

It's always a bit of a challenge to bind ebony with nice white figured maple. However, it is remarkable how simple compressed air can solve the discoloration issue.

Ebony dust on your hands will also make keeping your neck clean a real pain in the back side! Get that black residue off frequently with soap and water.

The type of abrasive used will also make a significant difference. AO on not-so-stiff backing works great.

Just a couple tips for ya...

-Doug

[erikbojerik]

As Jon said this is a problem only when you start moving to finer grits, like 220 and above. A tack cloth helps, but it won't get all the fine dust out of deep pores. A light blowing with compressed air helps too, but a strong blast will drive the dust deeper into the pores.

Taping off is good when you can, but with laminated necks you need to seal with shellac after ~150 grit to seal off the bottoms of the prores, then keep going (making liberal use of the compressed air). You may need to reapply once or twice. I've done this on ebony against maple and spruce, so if it works with that wood combo, it'll work on anything. And scuff-sanded shellac is compatible with just about any other topcoat.

I use the Zinnsers rattle-can shellac and just tape off the places I don't want it to go.

[doug]

True... the dust settles in the deep scratches of course grit abrasive. Sand them off, and with it will go the ebony dust (don't use too much pressure or it will grind in). A blast of air just gets the already loose stuff off. Once the deep scratches have been removed there is no place for the ebony dust to cling.

I use 3m 180 grit AO abrasive like a washrag for wood... Doesn't matter what color woods or combinations of them, it cleans it perfectly every time.

[westhemann]

I use a shop vac to clean the wood pores...I hit it with the vac often while sanding,as well as washing my hands often.keeps the room cleaner than compressed air.if you were really inventive i bet you could make your own attachment to focus the vaccum to a smaller area,thus increasing the suction power.

[lowrider]

Thanks all. I'll try some things and see what happens.