H's JBA-4 Fretless

[UpperCaseH]

OK, makes sense. Thanks!

I haven't really settled on a stain yet except for "dark", so I'm using ebony timbermate to make sure it still stands out under whatever I end up going with. I was thinking something about like Wudtone Dark Tease, then I thought maybe it'd be cool if it was a little more towards the colour of the fretboard, so I sent DB an email about a week ago asking about a rosewood-ish custom Dingotone colour but haven't heard back.

[wokkaboy]

Hi H, I had a quick chat to DB and he said the PBG email has been down for a bit. Once you make up your mind on the stain colour may be best to PM Dingobass with your choice. I think either colour will look excellent. Andy40's TLA-1 was done in rosewood stain, the latest September GOTM entry

[UpperCaseH]

Oh wow, that's pretty much the exact colour I'm after!

I'll PM him soon. Thanks!

[wazkelly]

G'day H, be careful with the amount of moisture you introduce. That first wipe is a good thing to do as you can now knock down those stubborn dominant fibres.

On my Ash J Bass I used a combination of Colour Tone Cherry Red & a Deep Red Fountain Pen Ink and there must have been a high moisture content which opened up the grain pores even after they were sealed by using ebony timber mate. Took forever trying to level out by applying more top coats and in the end decided it looked better still showing some of the grain definition rather than keep chasing the look of being encased in a glassy plastic finish.

[UpperCaseH]

Reckon I might have gone a bit overboard on the timbermate. It was trickier to mix and apply nicely than I thought it would be.

How long until it's sandable? 24 hours? If I start tomorrow I might get finished by the end of the year...

[wokkaboy]

Hey H, no you haven't gone overboard with Timbermate the idea is to cover the surface entirely. You will know when it's dry it changes to a lighter colour, looks half dry in the photo.
Give it 3-4 hours to be on the safe side and you should be able to sand it off. Good idea with the toothpicks to blocks some of the drill holes. You will have to apply Timbermate to the back as well.
Don't ever worry about the time it takes, the finish is the most important part of the build so take your time and you will have a better finished axe at the end of the build.

[stan]

looks like you've done it perfectly H

[UpperCaseH]

Thanks guys. It was demoralising to see thick black stuff covering the body, but I'm happy to hear I did it properly.

The timbermate sanded off relatively easily. Definitely easier than sanding the bare wood. This stuff is basically magic and I'm really glad I heard about it!



Now that I see it with the grain popped, I'm thinking of maybe a lighter stain (Nullarbor Ochre?) to make it really stand out. Also considering leaving the pickguard on if I do that to get a contrast with the lighter body colour.

The nippers I ordered arrived today, so I'll think about it some more while I work on the neck. Lots more sanding to do before I have to decide anyway.

e: Back and sides are done too. Any advice on getting the end grain to darken a bit less? Sand more? I noticed the same thing on my tele - the heel and especially the inner curves at the front stained a bit darker than the rest.

[wokkaboy]

looks great H well done.Timbermate is magic stuff hey how it transforms the grain. I'd leave your pickguard colour choice until you get some stain on. Don't think it matters what colour you choose.
The end grain will naturally be darker so only way to even up the colour is to stain the end grain less than rest of the body.

[Andy40]

Hi H,

bit of extra info to help you make your mind up.

1. If the timbermate is to dark still, I can see you can sand that back a bit more. It might lighten up the areas outside the grain and keep the ebony timbermate mainly within the grain rings;
2. The Rosewood DT only goes really dark the more coats you put on. The first coat is much lighter than the last stain coat. PS I used Neutral Timbermate not ebony. I can't comment on NO but I think Wokks has used it.