I'm about to stain & finish my first, a Saga kit (see https://www.mandolincafe.com/forum/t...for-Saga-AM-10 .)
Here are the "before finishing" pictures, from that thread.
Attachment 197958 Attachment 197959 Attachment 197960
My goal is something like this, though I'm not expecting exact color matches:
https://i0.wp.com/hillcountrystringw...pg?w=800&ssl=1
Here's another I like, though I'd want a bit more color range:
https://themandolinstore.com/wp-cont...-2-500x667.jpg
I don't know the first thing about staining and finishing, other than what I've read here. In the past I've used Formby's, which I love because it's so forgiving, but I think I want to try something else. I plan to follow this process:
1. Sand through 220 or 320, remove all marks and scratches.
2. Dampen the wood to raise the grain, let dry and then sand again. Repeat if necessary.
3. Apply the dye directly to the wood, like in @starburst's excellent video, posted below.
4. Seal?
5. Finish with Tru-oil. I think the Tru-oil is a good fit given my level of patience (way higher than most people, but not as high as most of the builders here) and experience (= 0).
So, starting with the dyes: @sunburst says "LMI sells a red aniline dye for wood, along with yellow, blue, amber, brown, and black." Makes sense to me. He also says,
I'm tempted to start with just black, red, and amber, and hope I don't need to add blue or violet. Since I don't have a specific target, chances are good.To get the dark burgundy/black cherry color, I would start with red, and add black until the darkness was getting close, testing on scrap wood as I added the black.
When it's almost dark enough, compare it to the color you're trying to match. If it's too red, add some green (yellow and blue). If it isn't yellow enough, add yellow. If it's too yellow, add violet. Whatever it takes.
The aniline dyes are alcohol-soluble. Is this a good match for use with Tru-oil? (I don't know what the solvent is for Tru-oil.)
Do I need to seal, and if so, with what?
About the back: it's maple, and I have nothing comparable to test with. I'm tempted to take the second (reddest) color from the front and do the back in just that color. I want to preserve or highlight the flames. I suspect it would be hard to do a sunburst matching the front, since the wood is so different.
That leaves the sides and neck. I'm tempted to use the darkest color (which will be lighter than most sunbursts) for those and just let it be whatever it is. But I'm open to ideas.
Finally, the headstock has a rosewood overlay. The fingerboard and bridge are rosewood as well, but none of the rosewoods match much in color. So, no idea what to do with the overlay.
@starburst's video:
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