Finishing Question

[Lazarus1140]

Yes, I can Google, but I'm more interested in mining the experience of the SDUGF brotherhood.

Can Maple be stained successfully? I am specifically talking about a Maple neck ... not the fingerboard. If it is possible, are there any particular precautions or possible negative effects? Would I use an aniline dye in alcohol?

 

[CTN]

Re: Finishing Question

in a word, yes.

Surely you realize that a lot of flame-top guitars are stained and not just sprayed with transparent/tinted lacquers. some do both.

But anyway, there are no negative effects as long as you work through the finishing process properly. You can use alcohol or water as a base, but just be aware that water will raise the grain and you'll need to sand it back down after the stain coat dries.

 

[dr. ad]

Re: Finishing Question

that's how they do those weird tops, isn't it?
stain it with dye, then sand it back and put another colour on
just wondering, the back of a neck may be a good place to try something like that
:scratchch

 

[CTN]

Re: Finishing Question

yeah, you can stain one colour (like black or a darker colour to make the figuring "pop"), sand it back as much as you want and then use a different or similar colour on top. Easy to do, but difficult to make it look really really good. By the end of the staining, if you're good at it, all you need to do is cover it with a clear coat of whatever - lacquer, polyurethane, or an oil finish.

or you can stain it one colour to make the figuring have some depth and then cover it with tinted lacquer/poly which doesn't penetrate the wood grain, but lies on top of the wood. Then clear coat.

All depends on what you have in mind as far as appearance.