My First Build EXM-1

[Sachin]

Hi Everyone,

Something went wrong it’s my previous thread, so started this.

After a busy week, got to staining the veneer top with the back and sides painted. However, there were so many glue spots around the edges of the veneer near the binding that the stain just wouldn’t soak in and I was left with patches of wood which really looked ugly. So I decided to spray paint a contour around the edge of the veneer in solid black to avoid the issue of the glue spots, which I couldn’t remove with GOOF OFF or steel wool.

With the glue spots covered and a contour of black paint around the veneer edge, I am looking to do some sort of makeshift purple burst. I stained the top black and then sanded it back to highlight the quilt maple. Currently preparing it for the purple stain.

[Sachin]

Hi all,

I had my first attempt at staining. I used all purpose RIT dye and attempted mixing a variety of colours to get a blend somewhere between a wine red and deep purple. I don’t know if I’ve succeeded but I’m sure many of you are much more experienced. How do you rate this colour? Will the combination of paint on the perimeter and stain on the inside cause future problems?

Thanks in advance
Sachin.

[Sonic Mountain]

Looks good, clear will really make it pop and look much richer. So long as you spray a clear that is compatible with the black you;ve used there shouldn't be any problems. Just take your time building it up. If you are using automotive acrylic, do a couple of coats over a week, leave it at least a week to dry, knock back with a nice flat block and 1500 and then repeat. The more you do the deeper the lustre will be. Just be careful around the hard edges when knocking back as that is the first place you will cut through. I tape them and let the buffing compound do the work in the final stages.

[Sachin]

Thanks Sonic Mountain. Before spraying the clear, do I need to sand the top for mechanical adhesion, or can I just go straight to spraying? I’m just mindful that if I sand I might remove some of the darkness from the stain

[Sonic Mountain]

No you don’t need to sand. The wood is porous, that alone will give better adhesion than any sanding. For the first one I’d do a very light spray, let it dry for 5-10 mins and then do another light spray. Do that 3 times then leave it to dry properly. Don’t worry too much about getting a nice even finish with the first few coats, you are mostly concerned with fixing the dye in place and starting to fill the grain up. The finish will even up as you add more layers.

[TZK321]

I like it!

[JohnH]

Yeah, looks great!

[Sachin]

Hi all,

Thanks for the encouragement!

Revised the colour of the body a touch and it looks divine, you’ll have to wait to see it though. Keeping it a suspense.

In the meanwhile, I was working on the neck and decided to do a two tone black purple design with tru oil finish. Pretty happy with the way it came out and will employ the 30% methylated spirits trick upon the final coats. This is about 6 coats on.

[Sachin]

One thing that did baffle me though is that the tru oil finished to a high gloss. Everyone seems to mention it sweeping into the wood pores and providing a nice satin finish that’s similar to bare wood. Am I doing something wrong? Is there a way to get to act as a sealant on the neck as a satin finish instead of an outright gloss?

[RocknRolf]

That neck is awesome mate, well done!