Dye is not a finish, all it does is colour the timber.
It does not seal it.
It does not protect it.
It can't be buffed or polished to a shine. (if you want that)
It is the same as leaving it as bare wood.
Dye is not a finish, all it does is colour the timber.
It does not seal it.
It does not protect it.
It can't be buffed or polished to a shine. (if you want that)
It is the same as leaving it as bare wood.
Cliff
It is the same as leaving it as bare wood.
Cliff
You will always need some kind of protective finish on a guitar (or anything else wood), and the nature of how guitars are used means you are best off with a hard surface you can just wipe off sweat, grime etc. If for instance you used wax polish to protect the wood you'd soon end up with 'orrible buildups of gunge all round the pickups and other hardware. As Cliff says the dye will not work as a protective coat.
I'm not clear why you are so keen on using leather dye. You can be fairly confident that's not the reason for the nice satin finish on your friends guitar.
Last edited by JimC; 22-03-2020 at 05:17 PM.
Build #1, failed solid body 6 string using neck from a scrapped acoustic (45+ odd years ago as a teenager!)
Build #2, ugly parlour semi with scratch built body and ex Peavey neck
Build #3, Appalachian Dulcimer from EMS kit
Build #4, pre-owned PB ESB-4
Build #5, Lockdown Mandolin
Build #6, Sixty six body for Squier
Build #7, Mini Midi Bass
I keep coming back to the leather dye because that was the result of my first dye question.
The name says it all!
It's ok, I've found a solution.
Thanks, everyone for your help.
The name says it all!