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New How-To: Dye/Oil/Varnish finish Process

#41
Thanks so much Lonny.

I'm not sure whether I want to go the h2o or Alcohol route... I guess one (another) good thing about the transtints is they'll work with both... I should get a few colours and run tests.
'ppreciate you sharing your experiences Lonny!
 
#42
sargebaker said:
Thanks so much Lonny.

I'm not sure whether I want to go the h2o or Alcohol route... I guess one (another) good thing about the transtints is they'll work with both... I should get a few colours and run tests.
'ppreciate you sharing your experiences Lonny!
Click to expand...

You got it my friend. The main difference with water vs. alchohol is that water tends to raise the grain on certain woods, and may require a light scuff sanding afterwards. But remember to be gentle, because you can sand through the color if you press too hard. The other consideration if you use water is to make sure it's hot when you first mix it with the dye in order to dissolve all the particles.

Let me know if you have more questions, happy to help!

Lonnybass
 
#43
At this point, the finish on the bass has been leveled out back to flat and I've identified a few potential low spots around the area of the controls that could form witness lines, the biggest enemy in this kind of finish.

In order to ensure this doesn't happen, I will continue to apply another batch of clear coats and allow time to cure before leveling. Fortunately, at this stage I am able to get a good look at what the polished grain and color pattern will look like...

coatingphase2_zps6b2eb6bb.jpg


(my wife's favorite part is that caramel-to-red colored swirl in the rays near the neck pocket and upper pickup!)
 
#45
gbarcus said:
Very cool looking and so many variations in that top!
Can't wait to see it all put together.
Click to expand...

Thanks Greg! This is one of the most "alive" tops I've worked with - it's from an 800 year-old log that was milled around the year 1800 in Redwood National Forest, then sank in a river near Mendicito, California while being floated to the sawmill. That's where all the cool figuring comes from, soaking up all those minerals and iron deposits in the water.

The downside is that this is quite possibly the most brittle board I've ever used, and have had to take several precautions I wouldn't otherwise have needed. And stabilizing for finish was a bear!

Lonnybass
 
#47
After an unforeseen two-week delay finishing the bass (in the shape of a 6 lb. bouncing baby boy who decided to show up almost a month early), I was able to complete the bulk of the rubout process.

Here, the body has been rubbed out to 2000 grit (wet sanding), and then buffed with Meguiars auto polishing compounds (Fine Cut, Mirror Glaze & Swirl Remover). All the colors and graining really pop at this point, and I'm pleased at how vibrant it all looks.

I'll give it a once over in good sunlight to make sure I haven't missed any fine surface marks, and then will do another round of polishing and cleaning once assembly is underway to clean up fingerprints and any gunk from being handled on the bench.

IMG_0549_zpsb6d1a9e4.jpg


IMG_0551_zps52558f4f.jpg


IMG_0550_zpscc9ded12.jpg


Lonnybass
 
#48
The fingerboard has received special treatment as well. For this bass, I found a really nice tiger maple board in my lumber collection and radiused it to shape using my sanding blocks.

image_zps96413a75.jpg


Once woodwork was complete, I then applied dark brown Transtint to the surface of the fingerboard to make the stripes really POP. After letting dry and sanding back using 320, here is what we got...

image_zpsf4feb681.jpg


Looking very good. With the stripes jumping off the fingerboard, it's ready to be epoxied with System 3 Mirror Coat. Here is the neck:

image_zpscfbbed7e.jpg


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Lonnybass
 
#55
Firesalt said:
I can identify. My youngest just turned 7 months old yesterday. I've got enough projects lined up to last me 3+ years at this pace and I still want to buy more stuff for projects, lol.
Click to expand...

Yeah me too! I've actually turned down a couple of commissions over the past few months knowing that my "awake and alert" time to safely use power tools was about to diminish significantly. :)
 
#58
I'm enjoying this build; beautiful work! As a newb to finishing, could you clarify for me what you mean by "witness lines". I'm nearing the end of a Tru-Oil finish, and want to avoid any potential pitfalls. Thanks!
 
#59
cvsurg said:
I'm enjoying this build; beautiful work! As a newb to finishing, could you clarify for me what you mean by "witness lines". I'm nearing the end of a Tru-Oil finish, and want to avoid any potential pitfalls. Thanks!
Click to expand...

Glad you are finding this helpful!

In answer to your question, a witness line is the unfortunate result of sanding too much through one area of your finish into the next layer beneath it. Varnish and oil finishes are generally non-coalescing - unlike lacquers, the coats applied don't melt into each other...they build successive layers. So, extra precautions must be taken to ensure you are sanding back your layers evenly as you rub out the finish.

Witness lines are almost impossible to spot when wetsanding, as the glossy nature of the wetted top makes it very tough to see what you are doing.

But when dry, that's when the lines become apparent. What they look like are essentially cloudy patches on the bass that don't match the rest of your sanding scuff pattern.

If you look at post #38 in this thread, there's a good picture where you can actually see an section right around the control knob layout that shows the warning signs of a witness line - it looks quite different from the rest of the sanded top. Fortunately, any witness line is easy to eliminate by reapplying a few finish coats over the entire topwood and re-buffing. Remember - you can't just reapply finish to the area with the witness line - the entire surface needs an evenly applied coat.

I've had great success with Tru-Oil as a finish treatment on my necks, including this particular bass. Keep in mind that it is indeed a varnish and not true oil :ninja:. and should be rubbed out accordingly. Not sure what kind of look you're going for, but I typically just buff Tru-Oil with 0000 steel wool and Minwax Paste Furniture wax, let it dry for 15 or 20 minutes, and then polish back some shine with a clean rag or old t-shirt.

Lonnybass
 
#60
So that's what you call those! Yes, I've seen that, and I've done as you suggested to fix it. I'm finishing a figured black korina body, and wanting a fairly glossy finish, without the plastic-y look that of the thick poly finish that it came with; it's currently 'curing' after the last coat. Do you do the final buff with steel wool only before the Minwax? I've heard of some that use an auto polishing compound before the wax, but I'm worried that it might take too much of the finish off, getting me back to witness lines/splotches. Apologies for the hijack (detour?), but we first-time finishers need the benefits of you pros' experience. Thanks!
 

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