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Hey guys...I'm building my very first electric guitar. I made the baulk out of Mahogany and I made the book matched face out of AAAA curly maple. I am a huge fan of the way Paul Reed Smith finishes their guitars in the Aquamarine finish. Here is a picture:

http://www.prsguitars.com/privatestock/ ... color.html

I don't expect I can pull off this incredible of a finish but I'd like to give it my best shot. I bought an airbrush gun off of Stewart-Macdonald and am ready to try anything. Anyone have any advice for me? Thanks!

look in youtube for "popping maple"

there are a few, but they all give the general idea.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWCptCxNx4I

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Test various approaches on scrap; some like to seal the wood and work with tinted finishes to achieve the right look (gives you a more 3D look, more dynamic), other prefer direct-staining the wood (gives you a more dramatic, looks great in pictures look, but you loose a little of the 3-dimensionality), still others do a mix and match of both; on my last coloured electric, I did a black stain +sandback and then sprayed tinted color coats until I got the results I wanted, and sprayed clear on top of that:



I'll probably do the next 'tiger eye' style guitar using more direct stains, because it gives you a particular sort of 'in your face' look and coloration. The most important thing to get clean, clear blues is to start off with a piece of maple that is as white as humany possible; no reds, no yellow/amber tint, you want the whitest maple you can find. Western big leaf or euro maple also like stains better than rock maple does, by a fair margin.

Good video on bursting/staining using dyes is this one from Taunton Press:

http://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAn ... x?id=30182

Though this is not a guitar, the finish process was much the same as Mattia's.

I use House of Kolor solvent based dyes. I sanded the stock to about 150 grit then did a black wash with a little dye and some solvent. Let this dry, then take a block and sand the sufrace level because even the solvent will raise the grain some. Take as much black off as you can but watch the surface and you can actually use the black wash as a guide coat to help you remove all sanding scratches. If you have some scratches that are not removed with the first wash sanding, re-wash with the black, dry and repeat the process. Once I have all the sand scratches out, I then mix a finish color wash and apply to the surface allowing the wood to absord all the dye it will. Let this dry, then spray one or two very light coats of the dye on the wood to darken it. Be careful in this step as you can make it blotchy with the spray. Once this is dry, apply one or two very light coats of clear (on this stock I used automotive clearcoat) and let it dry. Once dry to the touch, sand very lightly just enough to de-nib then tack, and begin your clear process.

One negative to doing this process the way I do it, is surface finish pull back as the finish cures. Part of this is due to the fact I do not use fillers but allow the clear to fill the pores, and this makes it a very time consuming process in addition to the pull back. If you will only apply one or two thin coats at a time, and allow plenty of drying time between applications, the finish will harden better as you go through the process. I have a tendency to rush things, then have to go back later and re-coat, re-sand and re-polish! I told you it is better to go slow!


Mike




Mattia, of all the guitars you have shown than I have seen, the red one here is my favorite!

Nice rifle butt! Gets the heart pumpin'! Also love the red guitar, Mattia!
Oh, I've got nothing to add to the OP's question, but I just learned something. Always a good thing.

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Mike

The only thing nescessary for evil to thrive is for good men to do nothing.

Thanks guys! Awesome videos...this looks doable. Any advice on where to buy dyes? I saw Stewart Mac has Liquid Stains and Liquid pigment. Are these the same as dyes?

Awesome guitar and rifle!

Stewmac's Colortone liquid stains are what you want. Mix with either alcohol or water, or use as tints. Small bottle goes a long, long way.

a long long long LONG long way!!!

I don't reckon I'll need to buy any more this decade!

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