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Well, thanks to everyone who has offered up some advice on how to do this. I spent the last two days mixing dye (I have technicolor fingers) sanding, and labeling. After all that I think I found a dirt simple way to achieve the look I wanted.
From the start I did not want to have too dramatics a look. Also, the quilting in my maple was not so pronounced that it would support it. I just wanted to get the 3D effect as the wood moved through the light.
Contrary to much of what I'd written and available on line, I found one video from a woodworking magazine that encouraged sanding to 320 prior to applying dye. His reasons seemed sound so I tried it. Bingo! The blotching nearly disappeared. Now to figure out the fastest, easiest application process.
What I did was to take a small amount of dewaxed shellac (about 2 oz.) and add the dye directly to it (3 drops of blood red and 6 drops of honey amber). The combined action of the shellac enhancing the grain and the dye soaking into the soft wood just enough (having sanded to 320) gave me just the subdued look I was going for. No raised grain, no sanding back, just 2 coats of shellac and finish up with satin lacquer. May not be as dramatic as those guitars, but it was what I was looking for. Its a bit more pronounced than the picture shows.
From the start I did not want to have too dramatics a look. Also, the quilting in my maple was not so pronounced that it would support it. I just wanted to get the 3D effect as the wood moved through the light.
Contrary to much of what I'd written and available on line, I found one video from a woodworking magazine that encouraged sanding to 320 prior to applying dye. His reasons seemed sound so I tried it. Bingo! The blotching nearly disappeared. Now to figure out the fastest, easiest application process.
What I did was to take a small amount of dewaxed shellac (about 2 oz.) and add the dye directly to it (3 drops of blood red and 6 drops of honey amber). The combined action of the shellac enhancing the grain and the dye soaking into the soft wood just enough (having sanded to 320) gave me just the subdued look I was going for. No raised grain, no sanding back, just 2 coats of shellac and finish up with satin lacquer. May not be as dramatic as those guitars, but it was what I was looking for. Its a bit more pronounced than the picture shows.
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