ToddW Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 Use a washcoat before staining. This will help stop the blotchiness and uneven absorption of the stain. And buy Bob Flexner's book. +1 on both. If you want to stain or dye this, a wash coat with 1/4 or 1/2# shellac will help decrease the blotchiness. The shellac will also soak in and harden the wood a tiny bit. I used it before lacquer on a basswood body and it did wonders to decrease denting. Course I did more than wash coat with the shellac, I put on several coats, and while I wouldn't drive nails with it, it was pretty dent resistant when done. And shellac is easy to use! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted July 17, 2008 Report Share Posted July 17, 2008 It doesn't have to be shellack. Not that there's anything wrong with using shellack for a washcoat, then something else on top, it just isn't necessary. You could just as easily use whatever the clearcoat will be for the washcoat, albiet thinned down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToddW Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 Agreed, but shellac is easy, fairly non-toxic, and washes off easily with alcohol. Want something really easy to try, Bluesy? Do a test piece with a wash coat of 1 part wood glue and 15 parts water. Let the wash coat dry and see if it stops the blotchies. Might work, might make things worse. Regards, Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesy Posted July 18, 2008 Author Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 Agreed, but shellac is easy, fairly non-toxic, and washes off easily with alcohol. Want something really easy to try, Bluesy? Do a test piece with a wash coat of 1 part wood glue and 15 parts water. Let the wash coat dry and see if it stops the blotchies. Might work, might make things worse. Regards, Todd Thanks. I was going to reply asking for clarification on exactly what a washcoat was, but I see my question has been answered by your reply and the others before it. That's guys, I will experiment on a test piece of wood. I like the idea of hardening the surface against dents too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToddW Posted July 18, 2008 Report Share Posted July 18, 2008 Yeah, a washcoat is simply a super thin coat of finish. It'll sink more into the places that would have absorbed more dye or stain, so when it dries it evens out the absorption a bit. Regarding shellac, remember that if you buy it pre mixed, it's much much thicker than 1/2#! I don't remember if it's 2# or 4# cut, but it's thick. Better to get flakes and a can of denatured alcohol. The stuff lasts for years unmixed, but only a few months mixed. On the down side, it's not the most durable finish when used alone. There's lots of good info on shellac online, probably because it's so simple. Just flakes and alcohol. Same thing with glue sizing or wash coating. Unfortunately, there's lots of BAD info on other finishes. That's why Flexner's wood finishing book is wonderful. He actually put the time in to speak with the companies, chemists, and also experimented and tested stuff before writing it. Good luck, Todd Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mr. Preston Swift Posted July 20, 2008 Report Share Posted July 20, 2008 hey that looks like my first, except the body isn't split in two pieces... My first was a pine les paul, terrible stuff to work with... way too soft. But i have to say it looks really nice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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