MIMF

Hi,

this question concerns a guitar project i have already shown in a sketch:


Meanwhile the instrument is short before i can put strings on it (saddle is missing, will be brass).



My idea is to use a transparent varnish as a finish - intentionally leave the structure of that cheap wood visible. My idea tends toward a deep blueish violet. First attempts with violet stain (Clou) were pretty discouraging: the coulor is more purple than blueish. Moreover i am afraid that the end-grain portions of the spruce will become a lot darker than the surface, and andy staining result will become grossly uneven.

So i am looking for transparent varnish. Unfortunately i do not find anything in violet.
Any suggestions?

Thanks

Beate

First, the way you're posting the images isn't working and they don't show! Try using the "add file" box under the main text box in the full editor.
Ok, a stain if applied to the bare wood can sometimes soak in unevenly such as end grain and cause blotchy color. the key is to put the color, in this case a tint, in the finish itself. So you need to use a dye that you can mix with your clear coat to get the color you need. I buy mine locally, but you can order these dyes from Stew-Mac and other places that sell finish supplies. I've used the Stew-Mac purple dye and liked what I got but if you don't like the shades as sold you may need to mix.

First of all - thanks for the infos.

Mark Swanson wrote:First, the way you're posting the images isn't working and they don't show!

Thanks for the note. I am just using a reference to an external image in IMG-tags. I did not recognize that You must be logged in that other forum in order to see the images. At present i am not logged in there, but still see the first of the two images. Do You see that one as well?

Beate

PS: here the photo in question... PSS: meanwhile i learned that it is possible to use alcohol solvent stain to color nitro varnish. Maybe the best idea to procede? What i did not mention - i am planning another instrument - an ergonomic bass, fretless, top figured pear, body light walnut. Neck an old Framus neck from maple, rosewood fingerboard (stabilized by a polyurethane finish). In that forthcoming instrument the violet is almost a must. The guitar is more or less a pre-study for that bass.

Yes, the image shows just fine now, thanks.
Yes, you can use stains like that to tint nitro lacquer. However, (over here anyway) lacquer is one type of finish and varnish is another. Varnish is usually used to describe an oil-based finish. So it sounds like you are using Nitrocellulose Lacquer which is what you should be using. Mix up some finish, and test it on some scrap wood before you go for the guitar.

I have used Clou water-soluble stains successfully, but lately I have preferred mixing Stewmac Color Tone stains with alcohol or thinner. Basically I have needed yellow, blue red and black stains which I have mixed with each other to achieve the right hue. Once I have found the right tone, I have diluted it with thinner and added a dash (20% or less) of lacquer to it and sprayed thin layers on the basecoat until I have reached the intended intensity and transparency of the colour. It works especially nicely with candy and flake finishes but also with a white basecoat or plain wood primed with clearcoat.

In Dan Erlewine's book on guitar finishing (available at StewMac) he has a chart of all the different possible colors that you can make by mixing two of their Colortone stains. It looks like their blue and cherry might give the color you are looking for.

Like the others, I have had good luck with their stains mixed in both nitrocellulose and water based lacquers

Before you apply the tinted finish, first seal with clear.

If you are going to use tinted lacquer, I would seal with vinyl sealer or shellac. This will keep all of the colored finish on top of the guitar and not allow it to soak into the grain which can cause uneven color.

Kevin Looker wrote:Before you apply the tinted finish, first seal with clear.

If you are going to use tinted lacquer, I would seal with vinyl sealer or shellac. This will keep all of the colored finish on top of the guitar and not allow it to soak into the grain which can cause uneven color.

Unless you are going for a quilted or other figured look. Depending on the depth of shade, etc, it sometimes is a multi-color process.