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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jan 25, 2022 17:26:55 GMT -5
Stewmac amber tint applied, sanded back a couple of times and retinted but still get that grainy wet look at the lower bout of the headstock. It doesn't feel raised.  |
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Post by Leftee on Jan 25, 2022 17:47:06 GMT -5
I’ve got some of that on the Warmoth neck on the Blue Jean caster. And I finished the neck to include a very slight golden tint. I left it.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jan 25, 2022 18:09:26 GMT -5
I had this moving along then started to wetsand the headstock. I thought I had enough lacquer in and around the tuner holes to not plug them with wax before starting wetsanding. Oh boy, I didn't take a before pic, but the wood around the tuner holes lifted like wet plywood. I thought I ruined the neck but sanded it down to bare wood and started all over again. I don't think this woodgrain is a result because I had the same issue on the initial application of amber tint.
I think this will be my last build. 😑
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Post by Leftee on Jan 25, 2022 19:34:29 GMT -5
I’ve never had maple do as you described - lifting. 🤔
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jan 25, 2022 20:39:51 GMT -5
Yeah, it was weird. I almost thought the facing of the headstock may have been laminated, but it all sanded back fine. I'll have to put some calipers on and compare thickness to my other Tele necks.
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Post by Leftee on Jan 25, 2022 20:49:10 GMT -5
I just noticed that you said wet-sanding. It must have been the water.
I guess the reason I haven’t seen this is because I dry-sand.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jan 26, 2022 12:50:09 GMT -5
Yeah, wetsanding definitely was the culprit on the lifting around the tuner holes. I just now sprayed some lacquer into a Dixie cup and used a Q-Tip to seal the inside of the holes. Don't know how much that'll offer but I may try just dry micro meshing this time.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Jan 26, 2022 13:12:21 GMT -5
Yes, it was the water. Use low-odor mineral spirits; it does not swell the wood like water does. That discoloration in the wood is due to grain runout. This is when the grain in a board's face grain is wavy; it results in the appearance of end grain on a milled face. You're seeing end grain there, and that absorbs more stain than flat face grain. This is why wood always stains unevenly around knots.  The only way to remove it is to sand it out, seal with liquid penetrating sealer, sand smooth, and then proceed with stain/dye/shader/etc. |
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Jan 26, 2022 13:18:01 GMT -5
And here's another trick when you plan on wetsanding.
After you get the bare wood sanded and shaped, the first thing to do is spritz it with water and let it dry. It will swell. Sand everything smooth. Now proceed with finishing and wetsanding. Because you've already popped the wood with water, it will not react much when more water gets in it. Give it a try.
Doing this also opens up the grain for the wood to better accept fillers, stains, etc., when you're going for a dramatic effect.
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jan 26, 2022 14:41:07 GMT -5
Thanks Peegoo, very informative stuff. Seems the sand/shape>wet>swell>sand again thing is something I knew and forgot about. Getting old man, getting old. 👴
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Jan 27, 2022 1:39:14 GMT -5
Here are some vids that contain tips you can use right away.
and...
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Post by Auf Kiltre on Jan 27, 2022 14:03:52 GMT -5
Thanks for the links Peegoo, fascinating stuff. I found myself in full Bob Ross/Joy of Painting mode in the 2nd video.
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Post by Peegoo 🏁 on Jan 27, 2022 14:18:41 GMT -5
The 'isolator' referenced in the 1st vid is a clear sealer. In this case, it's a 10-15% cut of clear polyurethane to allow penetration into the wood. You can use shellac, lacquer, etc., depending on your other finishing materials of course.
Isolator is also critical if you want a really deep-looking spray burst. Shoot color, shoot isolator, shoot color, etc. It really accentuates color seperation.
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Post by funkykikuchiyo on Jan 29, 2022 10:08:30 GMT -5
Well said on the grain run out. (Danger: upcoming tangent) This even happens on quarter sawn woods. This is why with some acoustic tops one side will appear darker, then if you turn it in the light the other side will look darker. When it is dark you're looking into the end grain.
But quarter sawn can't have end grain, right?! Isn't it perfectly cut? Well, wood is three dimensional not two... so, imagine a board not cut perfectly parallel with the length of a tree trunk, it "runs out" of the sides. You can do this while still having the perpendicular grain lines. As resawing tries to get the most yield out of wood, this is pretty common. In olden times, billets would be split with a mallet and froe, and the tension of the wood would guide the split perfectly (hence the term "split billet") and some old timey builders still do this, but it is pretty awful from a conservationist point of view because you get thick pieces that have to be planed quite a bit, and lots of left over chunks that aren't useful for anything.
I throw it in as a tangent because if you're ever trying to loosen a glue joint (removing a bridge or FB extension) knowing where the run out is will help you avoid heartache. If you dig into the "end grain" part, you'll lift wood, and at a pretty high rate. If you go in the opposite direction, you're very unlikely to lift wood. With finishing, I'm sure sealers help, but ultimately it is going to always be visible after finishing no matter what you do.
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