A Minwax Finish

[led_guitar]

Hello,

I am about to apply a finish on my guitar, hopefully this upcoming weekend. However,

I am not entirely sure hot to go about it. Its a les paul style guitar, and I would like to do a burst finish.

On the back and neck I am planning on sanding to 400 grit, then staining twice with Minwax red mahogany

stain. I believe it is oil based, but i dont know.

http://www.epaintstore.com/xcart4/product....at=0&page=5

On the front I am going to sand to 400, then stain using water based analine dies. First, I will stain the guitar

black, let it dry and sand it off to try and bring out more flame. Then I will dye it with amber, then red and black towards the edges.

http://www.lmii.com/CartTwo/thirdproducts....s+Water+Soluble

After that I am going to use Minwax spray on Plyurethane. Again I believe its oil-based, but i dont know for sure.

Anybody have experience with this stuff?

http://www.acehardwaresuperstore.com/minwa...388.html?ref=42

My question ultimately is should i use a wood filler for the mahogany back insteadof stain? If so, what type, and where can

I get it?

Any opinions or advice would be most welcome

[guitar101]

Here is a link to a topic on Minwax. I followed Southpa's advice and got good results.

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...l=minwax+granpa

[guitar101]

Here is a link to a topic on Minwax. I followed Southpa's advice and got good results.

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...l=minwax+granpa

I left out some info that he gave me. He coats one side at a time and does not hang the guitar. He leaves the guitar horizontal and level. I used a piece of wood that I screwed into the neck pocket using the four holes in the neck cavity. I clamped this handle into a vice to hold the guitar level. Make sure the minwax spray is warm not cold or hot and don't rush between coats.

Tony...

[led_guitar]

Here is a link to a topic on Minwax. I followed Southpa's advice and got good results.

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...l=minwax+granpa

I left out some info that he gave me. He coats one side at a time and does not hang the guitar. He leaves the guitar horizontal and level. I used a piece of wood that I screwed into the neck pocket using the four holes in the neck cavity. I clamped this handle into a vice to hold the guitar level. Make sure the minwax spray is warm not cold or hot and don't rush between coats.

Tony...

thanks tony,

i appreciate your advice. Does anybody know if water based analine dyes will be ok with Minwax? or whether or not i should fill the mahogany?

[guitar101]

Here is a link to a topic on Minwax. I followed Southpa's advice and got good results.

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.ph...l=minwax+granpa

I left out some info that he gave me. He coats one side at a time and does not hang the guitar. He leaves the guitar horizontal and level. I used a piece of wood that I screwed into the neck pocket using the four holes in the neck cavity. I clamped this handle into a vice to hold the guitar level. Make sure the minwax spray is warm not cold or hot and don't rush between coats.

Tony...

thanks tony,

i appreciate your advice. Does anybody know if water based analine dyes will be ok with Minwax? or whether or not i should fill the mahogany?

Yes they work. Thats what I used on my Strat that I assembled from parts. The nice thing about water based analine dyes is that you use bleach to remove them if something goes wrong. I think most people here fill mahogany but I'm not really qualified to give any advice on the methods. Try doing a keyword search, mahogany or grain fill and see what comes up..

[Southpa]

You can put the poly over top of most anything, ' stay away from lacquer tho. The poly requires a mechanical bond between coating sessions. I'll shoot about 3 coats within an hour, let it dry for 3 or 4 days then scuff ...carefully, with 600 or 800 grit then repeat the process until I have enough of a buildup to wetsand... if that becomes necessary.

If you want a smooth glossy finish you should grainfill mahogany. Its not an easy job, as a matter of fact its very hard work and a royal pain in the ass, no foolin! I've had mixed results with various materials. You'll have to experiment with materials and methods for yourself.

Filler options:

CA glue

Mahogany tinted paste from hardware store

Clear water-based filler from Stewmac

Fill with your clearcoat from the beginning.

I had the best success with the tinted paste. Method of application was with the fingers and I just rubbed it HARD into the grain. Let it dry thoroughly (next day) and then gently sand the excess away until the wood grain shows through. A proper job required 3 to 4 applications.

The Stewmac grain filler was the worst, I don't know, maybe that was when this whole grainfilling thing was new to me. They said to "scree" it into the grain with a plastic scraper (or credit card) at a 45 deg. angle. I couldn't seem to get enough of it worked deep enough into the grain with this method. The result was a surface film that ended up getting sanded away quickly. I guess I needed to really soak the wood more.

When grain filling with CA glue you are taking your life into your hands. It will burn your eyes and nose, very obnoxious stuff.

I filled my first mahogany guitar with 3 cans of Minwax poly. If you want to go that route then prepare for the long haul. Nuf said. Give it 3 years and your finish will invariably shrink back and your grain surface pattern will pop up everywhere. Fix it by scuffing again and shooting more poly.

[Prostheta]

When grain filling with CA glue you are taking your life into your hands. It will burn your eyes and nose, very obnoxious stuff.

It's certainly nasty stuff to work with, but it fills up the pores of it's own accord and a little goes a LONG way if you work with it quickly enough. If you want to make it a hundred times worse, try cutting it with acetone. :

[Sami Ghouri]

i did the same finishin setup on my Aria Pro II 1979 standard les paul when i refinished it. the stain is SEXY.... but the polyu will yellow big time. and it's kinda lacking grain wise.... but hey i really gotta check this CA grain filling thing !!!!!! sounds very tempting but i gotta be UBER fast!!!!