shad peters Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 howdy folks, I am brand new around here, so i thought i would share a little bit of my work with the community. i started building about 6 years ago when i was 15 and these are just a couple of the guitars that i have done in the last year or so. looking forward to connecting more on this forum. let me know what you think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Drak Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 All three are absolutely Hot Hot Hot!!! I see a lot of talent in your work, welcome aboard! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Anderson Posted February 14, 2011 Report Share Posted February 14, 2011 I saw you on another board and like they said, your price is crazy (in a good way) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
verhoevenc Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 Welcome to this side of lutherie forums Shad. Chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fuzzymuffler Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 Unique builds! Very nice! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IPA or death Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 Zowie! All three are very nice but I really like the Ranger. Your website is top notch too. Good luck with the business and builds Shad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shad peters Posted February 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 thanks a lot everyone. i'll be pretty regular around here i think. Chris i did not even know this place or others like it existed, i sure wish i had a long time ago. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 Hey Shad, It's great to see a 21 year old shaping his future and obviously living your dream career, your guitars are great and i wish you all the best! Looking forward to seeing more of your creations around these parts in the future. Chad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skullsession Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 Sweet man...that Ranger SOUNDS killer too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ae3 Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 "In keeping with this, I used a very old staining method which involves heat and nitric acid to bring about a reaction with the natural sugars in the wood." Interesting Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Anderson Posted February 15, 2011 Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 "In keeping with this, I used a very old staining method which involves heat and nitric acid to bring about a reaction with the natural sugars in the wood." Interesting ok Shad (quoting ae3), since this is project guitar and I think there's no secret here, are you gonna tell us how?? I'm sure everybody here wants to know talking about natural sugars in the wood, is it gonna make any difference(s) compare to regular staining method? I mean, are the sugars gonna build a layer on the surface, kinda clear film? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shad peters Posted February 15, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 15, 2011 this is a really cool staining method that i learned from a blacksmith in west Virginia a couple of years ago. the first time i saw it i was amazed, not only are the results beautiful, but the process is just cool to watch. you start with a solution of 10% nitric acid and water (doesnt need to be exact just diluted considerably). i got nitric from the guy who taught, he used to work in a big chemical plant so he has a ton of it, otherwise im not realy sure where to get it but im sure you can find it somewhere. the acid has to be neutralized, the stuff i have was neutralized using steel wool. the solution will be totally clear and just look like water. once you make the solution here is the actual staining process. you start out by wiping the surface down with the solution, it doesnt need to be drenched but should have an even damp coat across the whole surface. after that you let it set until the surface is totally dry. the guy who taught me said to lay it in the sun to dry, i dont think this actually does anything but help it dry a little quicker though. when the guitar is dry it wont look any different than when you started but that is where the heat comes in. the guy who showed me was staining knife scales so for heat he just used a red hot piece of steel, for a luthier a heat gun is much more practical. start in one small area of the guitar and work it with the heat gun. i dont know the exact chemistry behind it, but my understanding is that the heat triggers a reaction between the nitric acid and the sugars in the wood. as the wood begins to heat up all the sudden before your eyes it will start to take on a beautiful amber to honey color gradually getting darker and spreading with the heat. keep the heat in one area until the color stabilizes and stops getting darker. When one area reaches a stable color move onto the next area until you get the whole of the guitar complete. after words i will coat it with danish or linseed oil. though i have only just begun experimenting with this staining method i love using it becuase it gives great depth and transparency to the wood and gives you that sense of being able to almost look into the finish. this of course can be accomplished in other ways but where the nitric wins out is in the ease of application. with very little work you can get a beautiful finish with lots of depth. where it falls short is in its limitations, you can only get one hue,so if you want some type of burst or for you guitar to be green then its out. the other pitfall is that no two pieces of wood are the same and even among the same species each piece will yield a slightly color from the next, and different species can yield very different results. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Our Souls inc. Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 I kicked around your site for a bit, very very nice work on all accounts, the guitars and the website. You are very talented. " To each man, a measure of talent is given. " Nice to see some refining theirs so much! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Anderson Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 this is a really cool staining method that i learned from a blacksmith in west Virginia a couple of years ago. the first time i saw it i was amazed, not only are the results beautiful, but the process is just cool to watch. you start with a solution of 10% nitric acid and water (doesnt need to be exact just diluted considerably). i got nitric from the guy who taught, he used to work in a big chemical plant so he has a ton of it, otherwise im not realy sure where to get it but im sure you can find it somewhere. the acid has to be neutralized, the stuff i have was neutralized using steel wool. the solution will be totally clear and just look like water. once you make the solution here is the actual staining process. ok, so in this step, did you put any colour stain or just that solution? or is that an option to put colour stain? you start out by wiping the surface down with the solution, it doesnt need to be drenched but should have an even damp coat across the whole surface. after that you let it set until the surface is totally dry. the guy who taught me said to lay it in the sun to dry, i dont think this actually does anything but help it dry a little quicker though. when the guitar is dry it wont look any different than when you started but that is where the heat comes in. the guy who showed me was staining knife scales so for heat he just used a red hot piece of steel, for a luthier a heat gun is much more practical. start in one small area of the guitar and work it with the heat gun. i dont know the exact chemistry behind it, but my understanding is that the heat triggers a reaction between the nitric acid and the sugars in the wood. as the wood begins to heat up all the sudden before your eyes it will start to take on a beautiful amber to honey color gradually getting darker and spreading with the heat. keep the heat in one area until the color stabilizes and stops getting darker. When one area reaches a stable color move onto the next area until you get the whole of the guitar complete. after words i will coat it with danish or linseed oil. then we still have to apply oil, right? though i have only just begun experimenting with this staining method i love using it becuase it gives great depth and transparency to the wood and gives you that sense of being able to almost look into the finish. the final result is like 3D effect? what if we use nitro instead of oil? last one, instead of heat gun, can we use hair dryer? thanks a bunch mate, I love to learn new technique in finishing Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shad peters Posted February 16, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 ricky, there is no stain or or dye or anything like that in the solution, the color is actually the result of the reation. it actually physically changes the wood so there is no need for a stain. if you were to mix any stain or dye with the solution i think that you would have some weird stuff happen. you can use nitro or whatever you want over this finish, i prefer to oil all of my guitars before i spray nitro just becuase i like the slight amber hue that it gives in the finished product. lastly you could try a hair dryer, i havent so i dont know if it works or not. but honestly i really doubt that it would generate enough heat. you could also use a propane torch holding it vertically above the surface of the wood if you were very careful. you can get a heat gun from harbor freight for like 5 bucks that will do the job. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricky Anderson Posted February 16, 2011 Report Share Posted February 16, 2011 I think I get it now. so the color that will come up is the result of that method, right? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shad peters Posted February 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 yupp Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
orgmorg Posted February 17, 2011 Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 Great stuff, Shad! Really interested in the nitric acid method, but I think this ought to be posted for anyone thinking about trying it: Nitric acid warnings Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shad peters Posted February 17, 2011 Author Report Share Posted February 17, 2011 yeah you are right, nitric is some very dangerous stuff if you are handling highly concentrated amounts. and it should be dealt with with care. i keep it locked up with all my other finishing supplies, properly labled. you should take the same care when using it as you would with any other finishing chemicals. when it is highly deluted there is not as much serious risk, but you should still where gloves and the like when applying it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.