Fixing Uneven Sanding After Beginning the Finishing Process

[locrian.vii]

Hi all,
I bought a kit from Pitbull back in November and have been slowly working on it in between work trips.
This is my first kit, let alone woodworking project of any kind.

When I started, I read that the purpose of sanding the guitar was to remove any uneven-ness in the wood, so I spent a lot of time sanding out blemishes from the areas of the wood that appeared obvious to me at the time. What I -didn’t- realize was that by sanding some areas more than others would create an uneven color tone as I began applying the wood stains.

I bought the Cherry Flamenco stain from Wudtone, and after beginning the process it was obvious to me that the wood was taking the stain unevenly. I am wondering if there is any way of evening this out without sanding everything off and starting over. From the Wudtone kit, I have applied the deep color coat and two coats of mixed grain filler and the first coating.

I’ve attached a couple of photos from different angles. You can clearly see the lighter area behind the bridge area.

Is there anything I can do to fix this? If not, it’s no big deal—making mistakes are what first builds are for anyway! =)

[FrankenWashie]

Hi Locrian, typically its recommended not to sand the veneer tops as they are perilously thin.

You can try reapplying, this may give you some evening out of the stain or it might make things worse. You could re-apply across the entirety and then use a damp rag to wipe off from the areas that already have good coverage to see if this then evens things out.
In both cases i would experiment first on some scrap.

What grade sandpaper did I you sand the top with? If you go much higher than 320 then what you can do is “Polish” the timber in spots so that it doesn’t really take up stain, and this may be what you are seeing. The very prominent border at the lower rear of the guitar looks to be glue smear from where the binding has been applied and where factory hasn’t really done a good job of clean up.
We (the regular lurkers here on BYOG) recommend wiping down before you do any work with something like gum turpentine, this will highlight areas compromised by glue smear, and you can deal with these by using Goo Off glue remover and judicious use of small wire brushes. This usually breaks the glue enough for stain to penetrate, if it doesn’t remove it completely.

I’m sorry that this is all after the fact, its information you probably could have used before starting. I think you can still get a good result with a very, VERY careful sand back. Probably with a soft sanding pad and really light pressure, no more than 2-3 strokes with the grain at a time in one spot, and re-checking after each go. You only want to break the polish and rough the surface up a bit. Once youve done this, you need to deal with that glue smear again very carefully, apply some Goo Off, a couple of strokes with a clean, small wire brush and then check with a wipe down of Turpentine to see if you’ve lifted it off. If it is working then just work along that smear until you are happy that it is under control or reduced to your satisfaction.

I hope this helps and good luck with it, post up your progress and ask questions where you need, the collective here is pretty good at lending assistance and advice.

EDIT: Just to Emphasise, the sand back should be a Last Resort, those veneer tops are really thin and you may be really close to breaking through already if you’ve sanded back. If you do break through then you’d need to go with a solid colour, which would be a shame as that one is a lovely looking top!

[locrian.vii]

Thanks, FrankenWashe!
I used 400 grit pretty vigorously on the lighter section to remove some blemishes, and that, I think, is what produced the effect I’m seeing.
For the extremely light sanding back, would you recommend a lower or higher grit paper? I think this is my only option at this point because the wood doesn’t appear to be taking any more of the finish.
And I’ll definitely try the Goo Off and wire brush; I didn’t even see the glue around the border before I started the finish.
I’m not too worried about the results of the looks for this—this is my first build, and really the first time I’ve done anything with my hands like this... really ever. =) It’s a learning process and I’m grateful for your ideas.
Thanks again!

[FrankenWashie]

Thanks, FrankenWashe!
I used 400 grit pretty vigorously on the lighter section to remove some blemishes, and that, I think, is what produced the effect I’m seeing.
For the extremely light sanding back, would you recommend a lower or higher grit paper? I think this is my only option at this point because the wood doesn’t appear to be taking any more of the finish.
And I’ll definitely try the Goo Off and wire brush; I didn’t even see the glue around the border before I started the finish.
I’m not too worried about the results of the looks for this—this is my first build, and really the first time I’ve done anything with my hands like this... really ever. =) It’s a learning process and I’m grateful for your ideas.
Thanks again!

I’d very cautiously take a couple of light passes with 240 grit. Once you have the stain in there and even you can achieve shine with your clear coats. Just take it a stroke at a time and really light on the pressure.
Generally for stain you don’t go past 320, and veneer tops are a tricky proposition for sanding as they are only 0.6 mm thick in most cases.
Good luck with it and remember less is more. You can take another pass at it but you can’t take an extra pass back once you’ve done it.