MIMF

Whait is your favorite recipe for vintage amber on maple Fender style necks?

My "recipe" is to use Stew-Mac's vintage amber tint in some shellac. I apply with french polish until I get the color I want, then lacquer over it. You can also use a amber or orange shellac. Or mix the tint with the lacquer, but I like the shellac base coats.

There are lots of approaches to amber. Mark's is one. Mine, if I'm doing toned lacquer, is 5 drops amber/ 2 cherry red per oz. lac. Some ambers tend to brown, some to yellow, some to red.....you really have to experiment.

I usually go with Stew Mac Vintage Amber Tint and add a few drops Tobacco brown to take out some of the yellow in the Vintage Amber.

It takes practice to get the color and evenness you need. Get to it.

Something to remember if you haven't thought of it yet, is that all wood naturally has some color, and depending on the effect you desire you may have to do some "color correcting" in your finish to get your color right.

Or as per Frank Ford. Set a glass jar of lacquer in a sunny spot for a period (mine was there for a few months) until the color is something you might be looking for. I believe he uses it more for repair touch-ups. I have used it for a uke previously. Gives that aged look right away.

Darrel Friesen wrote:Or as per Frank Ford. Set a glass jar of lacquer in a sunny spot for a period (mine was there for a few months) until the color is something you might be looking for. I believe he uses it more for repair touch-ups. I have used it for a uke previously. Gives that aged look right away.

Interesting. I've never heard that. I'm going to give it a try.

My "vintage amber" of choice is plain 'ol orange shellac.

Here's a link to Frank's article. http://frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Qui ... erlac.html

Darrel Friesen wrote:Here's a link to Frank's article. http://frets.com/FretsPages/Luthier/Qui ... erlac.html

Thanks for the info.