Worn out finish question

[Demetrius]

Ok so maybe this us a strange question but I'm curious.
So in a very short amount of time I've worn right through the varnish on the top of my mandolin. It's engleman spruce so it's very white and doesn't visually look very good in contrast of the dark stain on the rest of the top. When you see Sam Bushs Hoss or David a grismans Crusher, the wood looks like a nice golden warm hue so it actually looks great. I realize a lot of it could be from age and over time has really darkened, but even Dominick's Leslie's Gilchrist which had almost no marks on it when he first got it has that nice darker look. Is there anything I could do to tone that bright white engleman some?

[MikeEdgerton]

I'm actually proud of the spots where I've worn through the finish on my Gibson. It means I've been playing it.

With that said there are lots of ways to darken wood. A few drops of cold strong tea or coffee come too mind. That's what I've done when replacing braces and such on old instruments to make the repair look like the old wood.

[foldedpath]

I wouldn't try staining it, because if you continue to wear away finish at the edges that show now, the color of the newly exposed wood will be different. Also, getting the right color that simulates aged wood can be tricky.

If you keep the mandolin in a case when you're not playing it, then try leaving it out on a stand or wall hanger instead, where it's exposed to light. This will darken the newly exposed spruce over time.

You can even hasten that process if you set your instrument near a window where it's exposed to sunlight for part of the day, but *only* if the room is climate controlled and the sun isn't actually heating the top. Be careful about that, and I wouldn't try it in an equatorial zone where the sun can get pretty intense. I did that with a guitar that had a refrigerator-white Italian Spruce top when it was new, and in less than a year it started to amber up nicely.

Whether you use sunlight or just ambient room light, whatever happens to the wood color using that method will look perfectly natural. It just takes a little while.

[BrianWilliam]

Pictures or it never happened

- - - Updated - - -

I bet it looks cool

[pointpergame]

I wonder about a touch of orange shellac? A spot of French polish.

[Tobin]

Just out of curiosity, how did the scroll get worn like that?

[BrianWilliam]

Officespace has a fierce pick stroke!

[Demetrius]

Honestly? I'm not even entirely sure.
I've been attending this Irish session
Where everyone plugs in except me so
I tend to really lay in on it... However my guitar and Uke both look like that too.
Maybe I'm just sloppy lol

[Demetrius]

I'm a little stressed about it

[BrianWilliam]

So you pick up around the 16th-18th frets?

Regardless, why stress? As mike said, it's from play wear. Be proud of it. People pay money to have that look

[Demetrius]

Typically I pick single notes further back towards the bridge, but a lot of the time I do strum and tremolo at the 18th fret up towards the scroll. I love the tension and the woody thud you get on the g string when strumming in that region. Especially when angling the beveled wagen pick, it creates such a killer warm tone. Unfortunately for the scroll area it's right in the path and is looking worn out very quick. I don't mind the finish wearing off but like my original post Id love for the white engleman to be a bit darker to match the hue of the rest of the top.

[MikeEdgerton]

I'd still stain it with coffee or tea. It'll darken up. If you wear more off you simply add more. Easy fix.

[Demetrius]

Mike im intrigued by your idea. How do I tea stain it? What is the process kind Sir?

[soliver]

Sharpie,... done

JK

[Jeff Mando]

Sharpie,... done

JK

Yup, brown Sharpie, the "luthier's" friend.

[MikeEdgerton]

Boil some water, like a cup. Put in a two or three tea bags and let them sit for about 30 minutes. Try wiping some of the tea off on an unfinished light piece of wood with a paper towel or rag. Let it sit for a few minutes and wipe it off. Did it make the wood darker? If so, try a little (cold) on your mandolin on the worn spots. They aren't going to go away, they are just going darken down.

Frank Ford mentions this method in passing in this article.

[Demetrius]

It's my beloved Dude so I wanna be certain to do this right...

[Ron McMillan]

I can't imagine what kind of strumming technique would lead to that level of damage. Maybe it's time to re-think how you play?

[johnhgayjr]

It's my beloved Dude so I wanna be certain to do this right...

Bro - you've done this to a $20k Dudenbostel? You gotta quit thrashing that thing so hard...

[Demetrius]

Ron- are you gonna tell these guys that?






John-
It was already thrashed hard before I got it.
The thing had a broken scroll on the headstock,
that is the reason I don't feel quite as bad.
I don't care about resale value I'll never sell in anyhow,
I play the heck out of it and enjoy it. I was never one to
be too careful.

That being said my post was originally to seek advice on how to make the light exposed wood
a little darker...

[gtani7]

Maybe you could just add another loop to your strap to go between scroll and fingerboard to cover those where the sun don't shine parts

[Phil Goodson]

Why not call up Lynn "Dude" and tell him you're beating the heck out of that nice mandolin and ask him what you should do?

[Mandoplumb]

Whip it like a rented mule

[Randy Linam]

How she cooks is more important than how she looks.

[Mark Gunter]

It never hurts to back up and critique your technique - it's important to improve throughout your lifetime, I think. That said, it would be pretty arrogant to tell a guy how to play his instrument just because it's wearing from the play. Like Mandoplumb said, "Whip it like a rented mule," and more power to ya.

Similarly, darkening the wood, I know you want suggestions what to do. In the end, you just need to try something to please yourself and don't worry too much about whether you've done the "right" thing. It's your baby, you're not concerned about resale, and if you keep playing, you're eventually going to wear through whatever you put on there anyway.

The best advice so far, IMHO, is to test 'whatever' on a raw piece of wood before proceeding, to be sure you've gotten close to what you want. Tea and coffee are good old tricks. I would experiment also with "blotting" the tea bag on your test scrap. Try some stains if you have any about. Also, don't discount the shellac idea. I think you should put a little protective finish of choice over the areas even if you stain with coffee, tea or other. Orange shellac might be just fine by itself.

I have a Breedlove guitar I play for most gigs and jam sessions, and due to lots of fingerpicking with picks (and no pick guard) I have an area that wears away around the lower soundhole. I brush a little lacquer there from time to time just because I don't like the contrast of raw, white wood showing.

Good luck!