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i was thinking of doing a heritage cherry - think gibson sg - on honduran mahogany. but where i am, there's a restriction on shipping of flammable stuff. so no rattle cans etc.

since i do not have any spraying equipment, i am restricted to dyes and wipe-on finishes. can anyone point me towards the right direction?

many thanks!
dani

I'm not an expert but Tru-oil would probably be your best bet for an easy wipe on finish, that seems to be the consensus at mimf.com .

Mahogony is pourus wood and should be grain filled. If you apply the dye
on the raw wood,Then grain fill you run the rick of sand thru's. If you grain
fill-sand and then apply the dye... You run the risk of staining the wood.
So it's a no win sitiuation. There's no law that you have to grain fill.
You just won't get pro results. I would sand it as smooth as possable
and dye the raw wood. See if wipe on poly is avillable to you, And try
to build it up with as many layer's as you could Untill the grain is Smoothed
out. if not try tung oil or what ever sealer is avillable to you. Good Luck!!


Originally Posted by kmcguitarsMahogony is pourus wood and should be grain filled. If you apply the dye
on the raw wood,Then grain fill you run the rick of sand thru's. If you grain
fill-sand and then apply the dye... You run the risk of staining the wood.
So it's a no win sitiuation. There's no law that you have to grain fill.
You just won't get pro results. I would sand it as smooth as possable
and dye the raw wood. See if wipe on poly is avillable to you, And try
to build it up with as many layer's as you could Untill the grain is Smoothed
out. if not try tung oil or what ever sealer is avillable to you. Good Luck!!

i understand where you are coming from kmc. as per your suggestion about smoothing out with wipe-on poly, i reckon it will be too thick a finish for the body to properly resonate.

i came across waterlox sealer/finish which is a tung oil-based wipe-on finish (highly recommended by the folks at usacg forum), and i will probably use it to finish the body.

from : localhost/waterlox.com/product.cfm?productid=5

correct me if i am wrong, but i think its possible to use oil-based stain (are they the same as alcohol-based aniline dyes) mixed with waterlox as a sanding sealer followed by clear coats. i will most probably also use lmii's micro-bead acrylic paste filler.

from : localhost/said, here is my proposed finishing schedule.

- paste filler then sand smooth.
- 1 or 2 coats of waterlox sealer/finish mixed with stain/dye.
- 3 or 2 coats of clear waterlox sealer/finish. (total of 4 coats as recommended by waterlox)

does anybody think this won't work? all opinions and recommendations are much welcomed and appreciated!

thanks as always,
dani

i always like to do this:
once the grain is filled and sanded, wipe on one thin coat of shellac, then while it is still wet apply some stain. apply another coat of stain if it is desired. use more shellac, (2 coats) a little thicker this time but still pretty thin and then sand til smooth. do not sand into the layers of stain. there should be no blotchy marks of anything like that. if you want to use a tougher laquer on top of the shellac you can if not just add a few more thin coats of shellac and the wood will breath like it should and you will have a nice high gloss finish that is pretty tough but sensitive to water.

i used that method for a book case and a desk. it worked out wonderfully but i think you may want some sort of laquer on top for a guitar.