ES-12G - Can I fix this messed up staining job

[aleexman]

Was in a rush to just finish off the stain on my maple top. Did not check for glue, spots, tried to hack out the veneer and match colour with timber mate as had no luck with goof off technique, sanded through spots, etc.

Attached is the result. What should I do from here, paint? Where I've dug out the spots are quite deep. It's worse than I could capture.

Took my time on the back and it turned out quite nice so very upset.

https://imgur.com/a/sp8W7cJ

[wazkelly]

Try and find a blue sharpie marking pen the same colour so that you can cover the white lines and once dry apply top coats.

Cheers, Waz

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

[aleexman]

Try and find a blue sharpie marking pen the same colour so that you can cover the white lines and once dry apply top coats.

Cheers, Waz

Sent from my SM-A520F using Tapatalk

The problem is they're quite deep and irregular. I thought about just cutting a thin even strip then filling with coloured timber filler or painting pin stripe for the centre? Could be a disaster.

For some of the marks I think the sharpie or even pencil ideas I've heard sound good. Either way I don't think I'll get a great result in the end.

I've also found that when applied a permanent marker colours can change alot aka black turns a sort of purple.

[Simon Barden]

Picture to save using the link:

[Simon Barden]

I've touched up finish blemishes with Sharpies. On top of a finish you get less variation in colour than on straight wood, but sometimes you need to bend a couple of colours and also use your fingers to smear out the ink to blend it in. If it looks awful, then naptha/lighter fluid (not lighter gas) on a cloth is good for removing the ink, though without any finish on the wood, it may well remove some stain as well.

I've also used acrylic paints to try and match finish colours. It's not easy, as the wet colour never looks the same as the dry, but it's a lot easier to mix paint than Sharpie ink.

Symmetry is also important in making it look natural, so if you end up with a slightly darker spot on one side, try and reproduce it on the other.

[wazkelly]

Good advice there from Simon.

It would be handy to know what you used for the stain? Water based or Spirit based?

[TZK321]

Sorry to hear about your troubles. Before you decide how to deal with this you need to decide how much work you're willing to do. Sharpie would be the easiest and you might be satisfied with the result. Maybe you can get creative and add other colors to the top in a haphazard fashion. It might look really cool! Painting over it would certainly have the most potential for a great result and also the most work.

[aleexman]

Been away for a while. I filled the gouges with natural timber mate sanded it smooth. I applied the same mixture of acrylic stamp ink with in water, using a cotton rag with moderate pressure as before.

To my suprise about 90% of the timber mate came off leaving me back at square one. I'm scratching my head as to why this happened??

[Simon Barden]

Timbermate is water-based and water-soluble. So adding more water is going to soften it. Add even more and it will come away as a slurry.

Maybe it's not really sticking because of the glue in the wood prevents it grabbing the surface of the wood. The same reason the stain isn't taking.

[aleexman]

Timbermate is water-based and water-soluble. So adding more water is going to soften it. Add even more and it will come away as a slurry.

Maybe it's not really sticking because of the glue in the wood prevents it grabbing the surface of the wood. The same reason the stain isn't taking.

Makes sense.

Would getting some sealer in there help adhesion? Or I I could try a pure ink/less dilute stain but then I would have to blend it with the rest of the body. Not quite sure at this point.