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Short Scale Fenderbird Build

#21
So for the last couple weeks or so I've been grain filling and sanding on my deck and experimenting with stains, finishes, and ways to create Faux Binding. I started with Frog Tape and Tru Oil... but it bled a little more than I wanted. I reached out to Brad Angove and he suggested masking and sealing the natural binding FIRST, then staining / painting after.

I tried it on a piece of scrap. It was already stained so I sanded it back a bit so the grain pop won't be as significant as the tru oil comparison. I used 3 coats of Varathane Diamond Finish... probably could've got away with 2 or even 1 coat. That stuff goes on pretty thick.

I stained my body top and I'm going to sand it back to bare wood and have the grain pop... I realize there are other methods but I have time haha. I'll likely stain the whole thing and sand most of it back because I have to get the sides to match the back and leave the "natural binding" as clear as possible. (not sure if that makes sense).

Anway, I have time on my hands so if I need to sand all the stain off and start again I might. I have the body sanded down to 320 and I may stain it and sand the back down to 220 and re-stain... I dunno

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#22
I should not have stained the front :sour: :banghead: :bag:

I thought that staining and then sanding off the stain would be a good strategy for "grain enhancement" ... 7 pieces of sand paper later...

I don't think it's ruined anything... but the end grain sure soaked up the stain and I'm not sure if i'll be able to sand enough to get it fully out... which may create some interesting inconsistencies with the "faux binding"

Pooop. Anyway, if it all falls to ruins I can just pain the whole thing :wacky:
 
#24
Definitely a pain :) I'd go with 120, 150, 180, 220 and do it following the grain lines in the end grain. I find it hides and blends well.. If the grain is like this ///// then use short little strokes along those lines. It will get there! :D
 
#25
[QUOTE="Beej, post:If the grain is like this ///// then use short little strokes along those lines. It will get there! :D[/QUOTE]

Okay, cause I’m some places my engrain is steeper than 45° ... so it’s almost like I’m sanding parallel.

would you suggest going one grit higher than the top/sides?
 
#26
Here is a shot of top and the endgrain. The top looks okay... the endgrain not so much. I think I'll and it all back and start fresh.

Any suggestions for a "grain popping" method? I'm using a Varathane Diamond Coat finish.
 
#28
So I re-sanded the sides with 120 this time. Really making sure to follow the grain pattern and finesse along the contours. I used a toilet paper roll to help along the horns and that worked pretty well actually.

I think that this re-sanding will help in the long run with getting a better looking finish overall. So no time wasted.

Question: What dye can I add to my water based grain filler? Would something like fabric pain work?
 
#30
Mixol pigments will work, they are incredibly potent. Industrial Plastics & Paints carry them, plus tons of stuff that can be used for luthiery. If you’ve never been there before, my apologies in advance for the money you will spend shopping there from now on, lol. :D

They are on Windsor, just off Spall Near 97, probably closed til Tuesday :thumbsup:
 
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#31
Beej said:
Mixol pigments will work, they are incredibly potent. Industrial Plastics & Paints carry them, plus tons of stuff that can be used for luthiery. If you’ve never been there before, my apologies in advance for the money you will spend shopping there from now on, lol. :D

They are on Windsor, just off Spall Near 97, probably closed til Tuesday :thumbsup:
Click to expand...

whoah, thanks for the directions! Haha I’m actually living in North Van at the moment but I’ll try to find a distributor over on this side.

good to know for future reference! I’m moving back to kelowna this summer.
 
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#33
I. Am. A. Little. Daft.

my grain filler accepts water and oil based dyes and stains. So that means I should’ve added my stain to the filler from the beginning to enhance the grain. I am going sand back to 220, add my stain the the grain fill and re-fill then sand back. I think that should work.

I can’t believe I stain and sanded when I had the option to add stain to my grain fill. Yikes.

anyway, at least my end grain is looking much better!
 
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#35
But something strange happened.

I stained the back and there's the weird spot that didn't accept the stain properly. I'm wondering if it's a patch of mineral spirits that didn't dry or something? I let it dry for 2 days... so that wouldn't be it.

I'm thinking I might have to sand it back again? Maybe I'll cave and buy some staining primer...

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#36
So I decided to move on with the top... I'm wanting to do some serious renovations to the back and I don't think I'll be wanting to do it on my deck... for now it stays until the summer when I can have access to my dad's shop. Palm sanding on the balcony... the dust is getting a little tiresome!

I applied the first coat of Keda Dye and it's popping pretty good! I like how the grain has popped. I'm glad I did the second coat of grain fill + acrylic balck pain.

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#37
If anyone's interested, you can check out my Instagram page @tromsness and see how everything's going. I do regular story updates.

I just did a time-lapse video of the first coat of varathane. It streaks quite a bit but I plan to apply many coats and level sand. I like how it's turned out so far! I'll attach a photo when it dries
 
#38
So I have put on 2 coats over the top. The issue that I'm having now is that the water based stain was reactivated by the water based Varathane. So now I have the yellow stain leaking onto my "stain-free zone". I'm hoping that I can lightly sand it off since I did 4 coats on the binding... I'm going to wait 24hrs. for it to fully dry. It pays to spray... the challenges of working out of a 10th floor balcony!

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#39
That’s interesting. I have not tried Keda dyes but I have not other dyes run with additional water based finish over them. Dyes that thin with alchohol and solvent based clear, absolutely but not water based.

I hope you get it worked out. I like that body.
 
#40
I hope you get it worked out. I like that body.[/QUOTE]

thanks! I let the stain dry and wiped it off with a lint free cloth. I didn’t have any colour rub off when I did that. Once I started to apply the varathane the yellow started to “run” a bit ...

I think I’ll let it dry for 24hr inside and take some 300 grit and lightly go over the sides. That binding edge is a tad thicker than everything else
 

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