Build #3, MKA

[Simon Barden]

If in doubt, try it out. Sanding sealer on a scrap piece of wood, then try the poly over the top. There are various types of sanding sealer, so I expect not all will work well with poly, but most should.

Any gloss finish, be it nitro, poly, acrylic etc. rellys on being able to get the final surface really flat. You can just apply lots of coats of the final coat, so it’s deep enough to fill all the grain and have enough finish height over the wood to sand down all the ripples so it is smooth and can be polished.

But using the final coat like this is normally the most expensive and slowest way to to it. It’s much better to get the wood surface as flat and level as possible, then grain fill (depending on the wood) then sanding sealer (to help get the surface flatter as almost all grain filler shrinks a bit), so that you can minimise the number of final finish coats required.

[XP Rider]

Simon. you are determined to make sure I don't screw this up. Next trip to Salt Lake City, I will pick up some scraps of ash and see what happens. The great thing about the internet and YouTube is that you can find a number of conflicting answers to most any question. So it is nice to have the first-hand experience available on the PBG forum. I'm grateful.

Thanks, Andy. I will see if Feast Watson can be found here.

[XP Rider]

Well, I got de-railed for a season, but hopefully I am back. Been working on the neck, and it's coming along nicely. I've been lucky with the necks on all 3 builds, they all have started out pretty good. I'm also happy with the reshaping I'm doing on the body. But a question as I approach the finish. I have Timbermate grain filler, and ColorTone liquid stain in cherry red. As I get a little more adventuresome, I'm wondering about trying a subtle burst (pretty daring for me!). Dark red at the edges, blending into the cherry center. Thought about spraying the dark edges, but the ColorTone is water soluble, while most spray paints are solvent based. What could I use for the dark edges, and how do I get a smooth transition to cherry? I obviously don't know much! Thanks in advance.

[XP Rider]

And the next question: MKA, ash body. Timbermate grain filler. I am sanding at 220 grit. How much sanding is required before applying the grain filler? Visible scratches and unevenness, or smooth as the proverbial baby's bottom? Thanks, fellers.

[McCreed]

And the next question: MKA, ash body. Timbermate grain filler. I am sanding at 220 grit. How much sanding is required before applying the grain filler? Visible scratches and unevenness, or smooth as the proverbial baby's bottom? Thanks, fellers.

"Visible scratches and unevenness..." This and any tooling/machine marks. If you have significant or deep marks you may need to go to a coarser grade and then your 220. I say your (USA) 220*. That should be as fine as you need to go.

*I think you may have been part of this conversation a while ago, but it's worth mentioning again, that your 220 is slightly more coarse than the P240 you see mentioned repeatedly here (often the "P" is omitted and just written as "240" which makes it less clear). There is only a 5 micron difference between the two, but again, worth pointing out IMO.
Your 240 is closer to our P320 and would probably still be ok. You basically don't want to with so fine a grit that the bare timber is too smooth and may not take stain evenly.

I'll post this link again just for reference: 240 vs P240

[Simon Barden]

If you want a full gloss finish, then you want the top and bottom of the body to be really flat and level, with no dips and undulations. Once it’s properly flat, with no production sanding or tooling marks showing (these are most noticeable on the sides, especially on end grain), then sand to 220 and grain fill.

Grain filling and sanding back may show some marks you missed the first time, so you may have to sand back a bit more until they’re gone. Always grain fill at least twice, and maybe even three times as it’s ash. The more level the body before grain filling, the less likely you are to get small patches of solid grain filler left in dips (as opposed to just in the grain pattern).

[XP Rider]

McCreed, thanks for the clarification on sandpaper grit. Makes me think I am coming along alright. And Simon, your advice is explicit as always, and exactly what I need to know. The two of you at opposite ends of the planet are always on the same page. Thanks to both.

[XP Rider]

Have not posted in a while, as I sit here staring at my half-finished build. Ash body, Timbermate grain filled, front and back water-based stained cherry red. So far, so good. But I would like to do a burst from dark red edges to cherry. I am totally freaked about getting the colors to blend and fade. I've looked at the YouTube videos over and over, but I have no confidence in my ability to get a smooth color transition. Any suggestions??? I am considering a cop-out and just doing dark sides with a hard line to red front and back.

[McCreed]

I've not done a burst with stain, but I would say just go for it!

My thinking is that you can keep sanding it back until you get what you like. You may not be able to sand back to completely bare wood, but if you're using the same colours and just trying to get the fade right, I reckon you'd be fine.
Plus the videos I've seen doing stain bursts, sanding back is part of the process for getting a smooth fade.

[XP Rider]

And so, fortified with McCreed's encouragement, if not his experience (you've never steered me wrong, Mac), I dove in. And it might not turn out too bad. Although it might be one of those projects that looks better the farther away you get.
The Colortone is pretty well set, which is good. The Rit dye is very forgiving, you can clean up any missteps with sanding or a wet rag, even after it's dry. A wine/black mix on the edges, sanded back until the grain shows. Wine with just a little black coming over the edges, then wine fading into the body interior. Gently rubbing with a circular motion seems to help blend to each lighter color, using water for the final fade to the cherry. This sound about right? Her cotton makeup pads are the best applicator pads I've found. Nearly time to buy her a new package. I'll post a photo when my daughter comes by to take it.