Behlen Solar Lux Black Dye...

[sarcazmo]

Hey guys, long time lurker first time poster.  I have a swamp ash body on the way and went out and purchased some supplies and scraps to practice on.  I was planning on staining with Old Masters "Spanish Oak" stain, and then grain filling with a similar dark color.  I have all those supplies and am actually waiting for my seal coat shellac to dry before mixing up the grain filler and stain.

I recently saw a video on youtube of an ash stained cabinet.  The person used the above dye, let it dry, 2 coats shellac, and then grain filled with a white picking stain grain filler and I thought the results looked pretty cool.  Actually heres a picture I just found

I did a search for 'solarlux' and 'solar lux' and only found mentions of the dye, not actual pictures.  When I searched google I read a lot of reports that this dye isn't very forgiving, and you will see every lap mark and every spot you've gone over.

I was just curious if anyone has any direct experience with this product?  Is it difficult to work with?  Any tips?  I was going to practice on a piece of scrap I have before committing to the whole guitar.  (Althought right now I really like the spanish oak stain, darker than the minwax ebony if anyone was wondering)

THank you very much

 

[AirCap]

No experience with Solar Lux stuff, but that makes for a nice dramatic effect!

 

[sarcazmo]

I thought it looked neat too!

So far here is where I'm at

Sorry for the lousy quality, the sun has already set here so I cant get a good shot in natural light. 

The bottom piece:  Left side is 2 coats Minwax Ebony.  Right side is 2 coats Old Masters Spanish Oak.  2 fairly thick coats of tru oil have been applied and the wetness can be seen.

The top piece: Left side is 1 coat Minwax Ebony.  Right side is 1 coat Old Masters Spanish Oak.  Two coats of Zinnser Shellac Seal coat followed.  The entire piece was then grain filled with a 2:1 Mix of Old Masters Grain Filler and Spanish Oak.  It was left on for approx 5 minutes then wiped off.  I think I probably should have left it on a bit longer, as it sits it probably needs one or two more sessions of grain fill.  I was a bit nervous about the grain filler part, as it seemed to be a tricky part.  The Old Masters stuff was super easy to work with and I think it came out looking pretty good.  I'm going to let it dry overnight before sanding with 320 and reapplying another coat of filler tomorrow.

I want to use one of the back sides to try the other effect, but that behlen stuff is pricey!  20 bucks for something I may or may not use.  Since it's a dye rather than a stain, I wonder if I could achieve a similar product with mixol pigment?  Sorry if thats silly, still new to all this.

 

[stratamania]

I do not see the picture showing up. Just something resembling a grey no entry sign.

 

[sarcazmo]

I do not see the picture showing up. Just something resembling a grey no entry sign.

Hm, I uploaded it to imgur and think I changed the link correctly now.

 

[stratamania]

I do not see the picture showing up. Just something resembling a grey no entry sign.

Hm, I uploaded it to imgur and think I changed the link correctly now.

yes, its showing up now.