dpm99 Posted March 16, 2013 Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 I figured if I put "dirty" in the title it might get somebody's attention. I know we've been through this before, but I have no idea where to find it. I have a maple laminate strip surrounded by ebony and bocote. It's gotten a little discolored after sanding. I could live with it, but was wondering if there are any tricks I might try. Can I get it back to shiny, bright maple? Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted March 16, 2013 Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 I take denatured alcohol and scrub the crap out of it with a lint free rag...try to keep your wiping strokes parallel to the laminate to keep the crossover to a minimum...It will take a few rags and a little alcohol...once you clean the dust off the oily woods it will start to contaminate less It won't go back to perfectly bright,but it helps a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted March 16, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 16, 2013 I'll give that a shot. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 Scrape it with a razor blade. It wont blend the dust into it like sanding will. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotYou Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 Scrapers. http://www.rockler.com/m/product.cfm?page=4898 The alcohol works too. It can extract the color from some woods, especially rosewoods, and smear it into the light wood. I don't know if it'll do that with ebony or bacote, so it might work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 Ebony and Bocote should be better than oilier woods. Padauk, Rosewoods, etc. are absolute nightmares for contaminating adjacent laminates when sanding or cleaning with any kind of solvent like alcohol or acetone. Scraping all the way. If you don't want to purchase a scraper, take a "Stanley" craft knife blade and turn a burr on that the same as you would across a scraper. These are fantastic in a pinch. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 I need to get back to using my scrapers.I get frustrated with trying to keep them sharp and burred and I ended up putting them aside.Last year I did buy a big pack of Stanley razor blades and used them in tight corners and for some cleanup.They do work very well.There is even a handle you can get to help keep your fingers from getting sore. http://www.amazon.com/Tooluxe-Long-Razor-Blade-Scraper-Ultra-Comfort/dp/B000V666M4/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1363524183&sr=8-2&keywords=scraper+handle Scrapers are an excellent suggestion.I am just mad I brain farted and didn't think of it myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NotYou Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 (edited) Scrapers are priceless tools for guitar building. I keep an un-burred set around for when I want to do subtle shaping and smoothing, especially on belly carves and necks. When they're blunt, they're still able to scrape away wood pretty effectively when pushed instead of pulled. It's less of a "cut" than a spokeshave or a plane, but more than a properly burred scraper being pulled. It's great when you get down to the final stages of neck carving and lets you be very precise and helps keep the wood smooth and even. I even use that set for stripping finishes, excess glue, and anything messy like that. Edited March 17, 2013 by NotYou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar2005 Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 Scrapers are the key to getting laminates that include such contrasting woods as Maple and Ebony. Any solvent might make things worse i.e. stain the wood. I would blow compressed air over the maple and lightly scrape. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 Denatured alcohol doesn't stain wood,dude. Admittedly,as I said,scrapers are a better solution,but since I use ebony boards on maple necks regularly and I use denatured alcohol to clean everything after sanding,I can tell you without resorting to theory or just making stuff up that it in no way "makes things worse" and actually does a good job cleaning out the ebony dust. Since a picture is worth a thousand words,even if the focus is off. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted March 17, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 I use scrapers all the time. It didn't really work on this. If it were a laminate in a neck, that would have been the way to go. This is in a headstock veneer and a matching truss rod cover. Unfortunately, I don't have a picture right now. Anyway, the maple is actually bent in a curve. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar2005 Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 Denatured alcohol doesn't stain wood,dude. Of course not, not on its own, you fool... but If you mix very fine ebony dust on maple with just water, it can stain/get stuck in the maple. I know from experience Apparently, your experience is different than mine so there must be something different in how we're doing this. I have an old maple with ebony board neck that has ebony stuck in the tiny maple pores. Maybe it depends on how fine the dust is and the maple itself. I don't know. Like I said - I'd use compressed air to get as much out before wetting it with anything. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
guitar2005 Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 double post Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted March 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 Incidentally, I tried the scraper again tonight and it worked. I don't know why I was having trouble before. Incidentally, I envy your skill, Wes. Especially that fretwork. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
demonx Posted March 18, 2013 Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 A lot of the time a blow with an air hose at high pressure can fix this. Clean out the grain. Usually it's just the saw dust in the grains from the other woods (if its what I'm imagining). 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dpm99 Posted March 18, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 18, 2013 It was. I don't have an air compressor though. I could have used compressed air, I suppose. Anyway, done now, and there's a light finish coat protecting it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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