Official Luthiers Forum!

Well about two weeks ago I decided to build a flamenco guitar with only hand tools as a learning experiment. I decided to only go with inexpensive materials I either had or could buy locally. Well, for cheap back and sides I used one of the $6 indian rosewood sets I have. They all seem pretty good, and so did this one, until today when I was scraping the binding. I made a pass with the scraper and this big white stain appeared. I continued to scrape the the spot and it became bigger. Is there anything I can do to fix this?

Try rubbing a cloth with acetone on it, and see if it does anything. I've had success with that method when fighting mineral deposits on IRW.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

Acetone may or may not work, it depends how deep it is. Try many applications in the course of a few days. Sometimes those stains disappear with the first coat of sealer, sometimes they don't.
Some people state that muriatic acid works, but it doesn't. Besides it will give EIR a reddish tint that's impossible to get rid of.
If nothing works some artistic staining to match is your best bet, with some thin magic markers.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

this is where you learn how to use stain to help hide things. If the solvents don't help the staining and finishing process should. Here is a tidbit to put in your log. When you have an area like this , it often helps during the finishing process to (fog) the area with satin finish under the gloss . This helps to diffuse light and make the area less noticeable .
I think that this should clear up before you get to that stage . Wood often has softer areas and these tend to look like this . I bet it may be mildly warped in this area to go with it .

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

I just remembered I had something very similar on Ovengkol and removed most of it using CLR diluted in water.

Here is the tread about it: viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=30651

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

I'm new here and am anything but could be called a luthier but I have sprayed thousands of gallons of lacquer and made my living for years by doing furniture and cabinet touch up. I realize that stain or dyes are anathema to most high end makers of guitars and furniture, as am I, if you seal the guitar then tint your lacquer, very lightly, you could shade the area and feather it into the surrounding area. I realize this takes some level of skill but if you have an eye for color it shouldn't be to difficult.
TRY WIPING THE AREA WITH NAPTHA, MINERAL SPIRTS, etc first. see what happens to the color. Others above have suggested this and it is a wise move. You could be home free before you start.

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No one appreciates the very special genius of your conversation as the dog does.
Christopher Morley

If using acetone, and probably some / all of the other solvents mentioned in this thread, keep in mind that it can cause bleeding of pigment from darker areas into lighter ones, so you'll want to be careful how you apply it. Just wiping it on with a rag may result in blurring of the grain lines in your wood. Unfortunately, I've done that.

I have to respectfully disagree on staining. A touch of stain can help unify color and make grain pop . Often stain is mixed in with the filling . Many high end builders and finishers I know use both stain and toner . It is all part of making things look good .

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John Hall
blues creek guitars
Authorized CF Martin Repair
Co President of ASIA
You Don't know what you don't know until you know it

Hey, try acetone or something, and if the acetone dissolves the pigments, maybe you can wipe some onto that white area and blend it together that way....
Never done it, but if acetone makesthe color bleed, maybe you can use that to your advantage?

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I've cleared this sort of mineral with MEK before too.

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John Mayes
http://www.mayesluthier.com

Thanks, I'll try the acetone. What is MEK mr. Mayes?

Methyl ethyl ketone, a strong solvent. Use in a well ventilated place, or better: outside. I would stick with acetone, it flashes off so quickly that it is probably much more benign than slower toxic solvents like MEK or lacquer thinner that linger in the air.
The goal in using acetone (or MEK) is to actually leach the IER oils over the mineral deposits to colour them. Avoid doing it close to white/maple purflings. Seal with shellac immediately after.

BTW Brian, since you're starting so young, you may want to pay attention to dust and solvents seriously. Most allergies (and more serious problems) are due to repeated exposure.

Serious dust collection, good ventilation and good habits (wearing a dust mask and respirator when appropriate) truly pay off.

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Laurent Brondel
West Paris, Maine - USA
http://www.laurentbrondel.com/

So Brian, how did the IRW stain issue turn out?