2 Dingotone questions - 1) Colour blending and 2) Ceruse (?) over Dingotone

[armchair_spaceman]

G'day Dingotoners. I have a swamp ash tele project on the body project and I'm thinking I want a shade with a little more yellow/orange flavour than Karajini red - something a bit more in the ballpark of the 'carmine gypsy' tint that wudtone does ( I've used Karajini on a previous build). Can Dingo tones be blended or would I be better with uncoloured dingotone and do my own tint with a dye (and which dye?

Second question is about cerusing - adding a highlight grain fill (usually wax-based, i think) after the stain coats - like these guys:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qCH0sAczZEA

and

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4AaDPin2EDo

the rub 'n buff Dan uses in the second clip seems to be readily available here in Aust

So questions are - do the dingo stains tolerate this sort of treatment and will the Dingo finishing coat tolerate having a wax-based filler underneath it?

TIA

[Andy40]

Hi Armchair spaceman,

I have mixed Dingotone colours with other Digntone colours - not a problem. I have also made a burst from them - not a problem and requires the blending of digotone.

I have also mixed a bit more Colortone Dye solution with Dingotone Stain coats - not a problem. I would not mix your Feast Watson or other prooftint stains with Dingotone as they are lacklustre and are spirit based.

I have popped the grain in ash bodies by using a waterbased grain filler such as Timbermate - not a problem.

Never used a "wax based" grain filler. sorry I cannot help you there.

[armchair_spaceman]

Hi Armchair spaceman,



I have popped the grain in ash bodies by using a waterbased grain filler such as Timbermate - not a problem.

Hi Andy & thanks for your reply, when you've using Timbermate to highlight the grain, did you fill before or after the stain coats?

[Andy40]

Before anything, except sanding.

I sand the body down the grits to about 240 grit. The reasons is that dingot tone takes better when there is a bit of tooth in the timber at 240 grit.

Once I'm happy with the sanding, I mix the timbermate into a slurry, then get some nitrile gloves and rub that paste into the body. I then leave it 24 hours to dry properly, then I sand off with 240 grit. I really like to use Ebony or walnut timbermate to pop the grain.

Only then to I apply the first Dingotone stain coat. wait at least 7 days to cure. Apply the next DT stain coat. wait at least 7 days to cure. and so on and so forth. I usually apply 3 - 4 stain coats and 3 - 4 intensifying coats as I like my colours to be rich. (3 is enough though).

As each coat cures it may get progressively "bumpy". You can gently wet sand the bumps down with 1500 grit. but be careful its really easy to take off the stain when wet sanding, so no sanding while drunk.

[wazkelly]

Well said Andy.

I reckon Outback Sunset might be pretty close to Carmine Gypsy but it all depends on what timber it is being applied to. Basswood is very pale and stubborn to absorb stain so I would discourage sanding past 180 on this timber. Ash can have various tinges of background colour from earthy mushroom tones to blonde. Alder has that redwood tinge and Mahogany tends to have a slightly darker brown shade. These are all factors that contribute to the final colour when using any stain.

On my EX5 I bought Outback Sunset and initially thought it was too dark and ordered a batch of Coolangatta Gold to blend with the aim of getting somewhere near a Korina type of colour. The experimental swatches on scrap timber gave me a few ideas but the end result on Basswood was a complete surprise when it turned out as orange as a Mandarin. Showed a few people for their reaction before sanding off and starting again, except everyone raved about the colour and I continued down that path. It is now my Hi-Viz Bass, just in case I need to go FIFO or on any construction sites with it.

Cheers, Waz