Sanding / Dyeing Zebrawood

[Mark Beattie]

Good day,

I have a Tele body ( Ash body with Zebrawood top ). I've sanded the Zebrawood top 150, 220, 240, 320. In dyeing a practice piece of Zebrawood with a water based aniline dye I've noticed that the pits in the wood, even after sanding, are not always taking the dye so well. I end up with a very nice tint but the pits are the color of the un-died wood.

Would anybody have suggestions for a uniform dyeing job?

Thanks in advance,

Mark

[piece of ash]

Has the wood ever had a finish on it before?

[davmac]

Are you dampening the surface before applying the dye? I saw this as a tip to ensure a more even coverage of the dye. The video and source of the tip http://www.finewoodworking.com/Skill....aspx?id=30182

[SacDAve]

You might be better off tinting the clear. Myself I would just clear Zebra wood just leave it natural

[Mark Beattie]

Thanks for all the replies so far. The piece is new and has never had a finish on it. As I've mentioned I've sanded to about 320 but no matter how much I sand there are always slight pits in the wood ( I'm thinking that's a characteristic of the wood itself ). I really like the combination of dyes that I've tested ( Antique Cherry and Russet Amber ) so I'd rather not finish clear for this particular body. As well, I only have a rattle can of Nitro so not sure that tinting a lacquer is an option without other equipment.

I've watched the video and will test another application and wet the wood before I stain.

Thanks again for your replies.

[Rhomco Guitars]

May I suggest you look into using a toner in lieu of or even jointly with the stains. It is available in aerosol from several sources but I use Mohawk brand. You use it after the surface is sealed and flat to get the color depthness you want and then clear coat over it to get the desired thickness for final wet sand/buffing. Works very well and the only trick is to go slow and easy with the toner as it is quite thin and will run if you get in a hurry.
Just a suggestion,
Rob

[Movingpictures]

Please post some pics when your done! Here is my Zebrawood Tru-oiled T build..

[spook777]

Originally Posted by SacDAve

You might be better off tinting the clear. Myself I would just clear Zebra wood just leave it natural

+1

Just out of curiosity, how come you aren't grain filling it ? As far as rattle cans go...I feel you...thats what I'm using too. Maybe spray it into a small container (I'm using a detergent measuring cup for my little things) and then add the dye...dab it into the holes (I bet there are hundreds) and then scrape it /sand it flat again. Wouldn't that solve it?

BTW a boxcutter razor makes a great mini scraper.

Here's the one I'm building for my brother in law...nitro satin finish. I see lots of those little holes in his too.