About to stain a bass body...

[MascisMan]

I am about to begin staining a bass body. I was planning on following the directions on ReRanch's website.

The body is a raw warmoth body. According to ReRanch, sanding is the first step.

My question is, does a Warmoth body still need to be sanded before the grain filler is put on? The body seems like it is pre-sanded if that makes sense.

Also, any other tips before I get started? Again, Im planning on using ReRanch's directions of sanding (or not sanding), then applying grain filler, then sand & sealer, sanding again, then applying the stain (im not using primer because I want it to be translucent) and finally a satin finish.

Anything I'm missing? Im planning on using Minwax Oil-based or Cabot Oil-based stain. The body is mahogany.

[Jensby design]

Sanding is a way of cleaning the wood,I would just lightly sand if I were you.You could also use a tack cloth or mineral spirits.

[Pilgrim]

More sanding to smooth the finish is always a good thing. Chances are that you can improve on a factory sanding job, thereby improving the final result.

[praisegig]

I'm not sure what you want for the finished look for your project. To start, I would sand the body with 400 grit paper, to clean things up. Brush or blow off the dust and wipe it down with a rag dampened with naptha. Let dry. Then spray a couple of mist coats of lacquer to seal the wood and let dry overnight. This will keep the grain filler from staining the wood. If you haven't decided on the color of the grain filler, the darker it is will enhance the grain. Continue on with the rest of your finish schedule. JMHO, but I think that mahogany looks great with dark filler and no stain. If the coloring is not what you want, then after the S&S stage, you could spray a toner/tinted lacquer for the final coloring, then the coats of clear.

[MascisMan]

Originally Posted by Lon

I'm not sure what you want for the finished look for your project. To start, I would sand the body with 400 grit paper, to clean things up. Brush or blow off the dust and wipe it down with a rag dampened with naptha. Let dry. Then spray a couple of mist coats of lacquer to seal the wood and let dry overnight. This will keep the grain filler from staining the wood. If you haven't decided on the color of the grain filler, the darker it is will enhance the grain. Continue on with the rest of your finish schedule. JMHO, but I think that mahogany looks great with dark filler and no stain. If the coloring is not what you want, then after the S&S stage, you could spray a toner/tinted lacquer for the final coloring, then the coats of clear.

Thanks Lon. So you are suggesting to sand, then use the grain filler (I am using dark filler by the way), then mist on a couple coats of S&S? Then if the color from the filler is good just to skip to the clear coat?

The end result Im looking for is a brownish/walnut color that is translucent and shows the grain.

[praisegig]

Originally Posted by MascisMan

Thanks Lon. So you are suggesting to sand, then use the grain filler (I am using dark filler by the way), then mist on a couple coats of S&S? Then if the color from the filler is good just to skip to the clear coat?

The end result Im looking for is a brownish/walnut color that is translucent and shows the grain.

1. Dry sand the body with 400
2. Apply 2 mist coats of clear lacquer, Let dry overnight.
3. Apply grain filler using a old credit card to trowel the filler into the pores. Rub off excess across the grain with a rag dampened with naptha. Let dry over night. Block sand smooth. If pores are not filled, then repeat the process.
4. Apply 2 coats of S&S, let dry and block sand with 600. Repeat and sand with 800. Ensure that the surface has no shiny spots
(low area).
5. Apply coloring with tinted lacquer(toner) to desired depth. The more use apply the darker the color, but still transparent. If you use an oil based stain, you coloring will look muddy and not as transparent. These toner spray bombs are like these:
http://www.woodworker.com/cgi-bin/FU...ARTNUM=851-148
6. Apply 9-12 coats of clear nitro. Let cure 30 days. Wet sand with 800-200 and polish.

With this finishing schedule, you are doing basically the same steps as applying ReRanch's transparent finishes.