BK finishing help please

[Scuffcakes]

Just got myself a BK LP body (see here)

The trouble I'm running into is that I can't find a local place to grab some test wood.  I understand it's porosity (is that a word?) is much like mahogany while it's color is close to poplar.  I'm hoping I can do my color testing on poplar and get at least some idea of how it'll look.  I've read the other threads here about finishing BK but there's not much about colored grain filling or transparent colored finishes.

I'm thinking of tinting neutral grain filler with dye to color the wood but am not entirely sure how good this processes might work on BK.  Would it be better to dye then grain fill or do both together?  My thought was a couple of grain fills with tinted grain filler, a coat of sealer, a little dye to get the color I want, fill as needed and clear. 

Any ideas, commentary or experiences would be greatly appreciated.

 

[jackthehack]

Was going to point you to woodcraft.com, but although they have sample boards of dozens of exotic woods, they don't seem to carry BK any more...

BK is pretty waxy, I'd recommend oil stains like Minwax, as water/alcohol based dyes may not apply very evenly; what color were you going for?

Here's a thread of a BK L5S I used Minwax oil based stains on: http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=1946.msg18774#msg18774

If you can't find oil based stain in the color you prefer, you can always do the clear grain fill and shoot with a transparent toner.

 

[Scuffcakes]

Thanks Jack.  That's the kind of info I'm looking for and couldn't find using the search function (I promise I tried).  I was planning on usint Behlen pore-o-pac tinted a cherry red.  Do you think I'll get better results just using the neutral grain fill and shooting a transparent color?

 

[Cagey]

This is my tinted BK VIP body w/ Ebony over Bloodwood neck...

Poplar isn't a great wood to color test on, particularly if you're going to use something transparent. The greenish tinge will heavily affect your results. If you've got any laying around, Oak is probably a better choice, although it won't have the streaks in it.

On my VIP, I stripped the body (it had some clear lacquer on it to start with), sanded it clean, shot some sealer on it, filled it with clear grain filler (Colortone, water-based), sanded that out and did it again, then stained it with the color you see now, which is mostly red with a few drops of black (Colortone, in alcohol). After some misadventure with Deft brush-on lacquer, I got it level again and shot 8-10 coats of clear (Behlen's Instrument Lacquer, solvent-based). Sanded that out, buffed it, and the pictures are above.

 

[Scuffcakes]

Awesome info Cagey.  Many thanks.

Sounds like the sealer then color is the way to get around the waxy nature Jack described.  I'm guessing that I should mask the binding before these steps and only uncover it before shooting the final clear?

 

[Cagey]

I don't have any experience finishing bound bodies, but masking will certainly cut down on the amount of work you have to do to clean it up. I think you end up having to scrape it almost no matter what you do.

 

[Scuffcakes]

Masked off the binding and laid on a few coats of Behlen vinyl sealer.  I'm liking the look of this wood and wondering if I want to put much color on it now.


IMG_20121125_150056 by scuffcakes, on Flickr


IMG_20121125_150131 by scuffcakes, on Flickr

 

[pabloman]

Hey Cagey, she's pretty but how does she sound?

 

[Cagey]

Masked off the binding and laid on a few coats of Behlen vinyl sealer.  I'm liking the look of this wood and wondering if I want to put much color on it now.

Actually, that's where most people end up. BK is a very attractive wood on its own, so you don't see many tinted finishes on it.

I tinted mine because everybody+dog does clear finishes on Limba, so I wanted something different. And guess what? It's still an attractive wood. But, mine didn't have the natural color streaks in it that yours does and you may want to show those off. Plus, those different-colored streaks may have a detrimental effect on any color you might apply.

 

[Cagey]

Hey Cagey, she's pretty but how does she sound?

Dunno yet. I just quickly threw her together a couple weekends ago to take out and show off the finish but didn't have time to wire it. There are still other projects to get out of the pipe before I tend to my own stuff.

 

[jackthehack]

Masked off the binding and laid on a few coats of Behlen vinyl sealer.  I'm liking the look of this wood and wondering if I want to put much color on it now.


IMG_20121125_150056 by scuffcakes, on Flickr


IMG_20121125_150131 by scuffcakes, on Flickr

I don't know that I'd put any color on that, DEFINITELY not the back any way; maybe do the red on the top and leave the back clear?

 

[Pelagaard]

Is it just me, or do a lot of the BK bodies showing up in the showcase have more interesting/attractive grain on the back instead of the front?

 

[Cagey]

It may be you, but it's more likely just what's been in the Showcase lately. I've seen a lotta BK bodies with stunning tops. I'm not gonna look 'em up, but I suspect if you went through the Gallery or the completed builds section of the forum, you'd see 'em too.

To be fair, they do seem to come in batches. Earlier this year, it seemed like everybody was putting together something with one of those bodies, and they were all nice. Now, you're not seeing many. Probably depends on what Warmoth's buyers find on their searches for exotic woods and their curing schedules. Fall into a deal on Ziricote, and a year later there are a pile of those necks up for sale.

 

[Scuffcakes]

I don't know that I'd put any color on that, DEFINITELY not the back any way; maybe do the red on the top and leave the back clear?

That's the way I'm leaning right now.  Maybe a burst to clear on the back.  I'd love it if the top turned out like Cagey's though.  Maybe just a little more transparent.

 

[AutoBat]

i'd do a green or blue tint to the front, and leave that beautiful back clear.

 

[Scuffcakes]

After several good coats of sealer I've been grain filling with neutral Behlen Pore-O-Pac grain filler.  I started by stirring it to a nice pasty consistency (which took way longer than I would have imagined).

IMG_20121201_134606 by scuffcakes, on Flickr

Then I slathered it on with a cheap brush and waited.

IMG_20121201_134547 by scuffcakes, on Flickr

Once it hazed over I squeegeed it at an angle to the grain and rubbed it down with a coarse shop rag.

IMG_20121201_135721 by scuffcakes, on Flickr

This was fill number 2 and I'm planning on 2 more passes at it just to be sure (waiting a day in-between each time).  Does anyone see an problem with this method?  I can see the filler in the pores and the wood feels much smoother.  I can still see/feel just a tiny amount of texture in some areas.  Any tips or corrections are appreciated.

 

[Cagey]

You're doing fine. Some woods require more than one or two passes with the filler. I remember when I did my Mahogany Strat, I thought grain filling was going to become a second career.

 

[Scuffcakes]

Another question just popped up.  How long should I wait after the final grain fill before hitting it with sealer again?


Also, I just learned that the bridge stud holes are exactly the same size as a standard popsicle stick.  Makes getting globs of filler out of there easy.

 

[Cagey]

I always give it a couple/few days, if for no other reason than it's thicker than paint and so may take longer to off-gas/cure. The can may tell you a minimum time, and you can probably run with that, but for as much work as sanding/finishing is, I like to be sure. Starting over is a real pain in the shorts.

 

[Scuffcakes]

Thanks Cagey.  It'll probably end up sitting a little while anyway.  Sucks when fun is interrupted by the work week.