Can Warmoth do one of these sort of satin finishes?

[Chris of Arabia]

From the PRS site. These sort of satin finishes really appeal to me. From what I can see, I'm just assuming that they don't grain fill before applying the finish, but there's perhaps more to it than that. It looks like the sort of thing that would work well on either mahogany (as here) or swamp ash.

 

[jackthehack]

Per recent posts from Gregg and the website, there isn't any bandwidth to so any custom finishes other than the "Special" ones that appear from time to time.

Looking at the PRS page: http://www.prsguitars.com/standardsatin/index.html, it looks like that finish would be so easy to duplicate you really wouldn't have any excuse not to do it yourself

1.) Stain or dye mahogany body the color you want; that charcoal color is pretty easy to reproduce with some experimentation diluting Sherwin Williams Black universal color concentrate in lacquer thinner or diluting out some other liquid based black dye; allow to dry thoroughly.
2.) No need to grain fill/level sand or probably even seal
3.) Apply any number of available wipe on or brush on satin poly or lacquer top finishes like Minwax Wipe-on Satin Poly or Deft Satin Brushing Lacquer. 3 or 4 coats will do the trick.
4.) Let the satin poly or lacquer cure/shrink back into the mahogany pores for a few days and sand out any wiping/brushing marks with 3M #320 sanding sponges/pads, then do a final sand with #600 sandpaper.

I did a very similar finish on a koa/swamp ash Jazz bass body: http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=4659.0 and it turned out really nice with a real minimum of work involved, but shot body with Fender Neck Amber for color instead of using dye or stain

 

[DangerousR6]

I seen a strat body in the showcase quite awhile back with a finish similar to that, and haven't seen another since...And I think this subject was covered once before, but I don't remember where the thread was...

 

[DangerousR6]

Found it.....http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=4113.msg45303#msg45303

BTW here's a pic of one of my 2 Jackson's that are done that way...

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Does this look promising for the dye part? Wood Stain - Nice range of other colours too - colours

 

[jackthehack]

Does this look promising for the dye part? Wood Stain - Nice range of other colours too - colours

That link was broken, here it is again:

http://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/products/wood-finishes/wood-stains/water-based-stain.htm#water-based-stain-colours-jump]colours

Never heard of/used that brand, may work great; a lot depends on the type of wood you're trying to dye and the color. I prefer oil based stains or dye concentrates soluable in lacquer thinner. Some woods like Black Korina are pretty "waxy" and hard to get a water based stain/dye to "take" to. It can be harder to get really dark colors to come out like the example on some woods.

Don't believe their "A generous coat of water based wood stain will normally dry within 4 hours at room temperature. A thin coat of wood stain will normally dry in around 2 hours. Drying times vary according to temperature, how much stain is applied and the wood being worked on." If you apply a water based stain to ANY kind of wood you're going to need to wait 24 hours or longer before it's really dry...

Price seems pretty reasonable; get some and try it on a test board and let us know?

 

[Chris of Arabia]

The trick with all of this stuff is getting it to Riyadh to do anything with anything.

I'm thinking of using it on a swamp ash G4 (currently fulminating in the back of my addled cranial cavity). Whilst I've not worked with the stuff raw for finishing purposes, what I've read would suggest that it may take a colour better than korina or anything similar. Don't know whether you noticed, but that site also does solvent based stains and dyes (what's the difference?), so there are options away from the water based stuff I linked to.

One last question, would a wax finish over the top of the stain work OK, or would that be a little too fragile?

If I could get a result even remotely like DR6's Jackson, I'd be highly delighted.

 

[jackthehack]

It may be easier to get water-based stuff shipped via air than anything oil/solvent based/flammable. Swamp ash takes any kind of color/stain/dye very well, but water based products can be a pain in the ass as the grain in swamp ash will raise with application of a waterbased product probably worse than with any other wood choice.

Another alternative would be to order dye concentrates and mix them with alcohol/lacquer thinner/other solvents that should be available there.

The link below is to an Ace Hardware outlet that has a shipping page that will bring up Saudi Arabia. You should be able to order items like the MinWax satin wipe-on poly from them; note that any items like aerosol cans of Deft lacquer will come up with a "Ground shipping only" or other shipping restrictions if they couldn't ship to your location.

https://www.acehardwareoutlet.com/(ocge1lyqplpfvwyq1hzi0b45)/SearchResults.aspx?manufacturer=10348

 

[ZGOZZ]

Found it.....http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=4113.msg45303#msg45303

BTW here's a pic of one of my 2 Jackson's that are done that way...

Nice

 

[DangerousR6]

Found it.....http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=4113.msg45303#msg45303

BTW here's a pic of one of my 2 Jackson's that are done that way...

Nice

:headbang1:, thanks Ron...

 

[rhythm]

Found it.....http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=4113.msg45303#msg45303

BTW here's a pic of one of my 2 Jackson's that are done that way...

I really want to like it, but it reminds me of plastic wood veneer that gets stuck on chipboard for really cheap mass produced furniture. My be used to look like that when I was younger. I also think Angelina Jolie is oogly............... Some might beg (or demand) to differ.

 

[line6man]

Found it.....http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=4113.msg45303#msg45303

BTW here's a pic of one of my 2 Jackson's that are done that way...

I really want to like it, but it reminds me of plastic wood veneer that gets stuck on chipboard for really cheap mass produced furniture. My be used to look like that when I was younger. I also think Angelina Jolie is oogly............... Some might beg (or demand) to differ.

i agree.
when i looked at fenders highway one strats, the very first thing that came to my mind was that it looked like the furniture laminate stuff.

 

[DangerousR6]

Found it.....http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=4113.msg45303#msg45303

BTW here's a pic of one of my 2 Jackson's that are done that way...

I really want to like it, but it reminds me of plastic wood veneer that gets stuck on chipboard for really cheap mass produced furniture. My be used to look like that when I was younger. I also think Angelina Jolie is oogly............... Some might beg (or demand) to differ.

i agree.
when i looked at fenders highway one strats, the very first thing that came to my mind was that it looked like the furniture laminate stuff.

In my opinion looks can be decieving. Cause this is the coolest type of finish there is in my opinion. I love the natural feel of it. It doesn't feel plastic, as you say it looks, as some other guitars with their super shinny finishes do...It has a raw natural feel..

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

In my opinion looks can be decieving. Cause this is the coolest type of finish there is in my opinion. I love the natural feel of it. It doesn't feel plastic, as you say it looks, as some other guitars with their super shinny finishes do...It has a raw natural feel..

I agree 100%.  The worst part about most finishes is the feel of them.  Gibsons and PRS especially.  When they are that glossy, they always look dirty because you can see every smudge and fingerprint.  All this of course is IMO.

I will agree though that most Highway 1 Fenders I've seen do look plastic and cheap.  I attribute that more to the solid color models.  The burst finishes look okay, and I saw a Butterscotch Blonde Highway 1 Tele that looked awesome.  It was very '51 RI looking, except with newer hardware and a 22nd fret.

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Another alternative would be to order dye concentrates and mix them with alcohol/lacquer thinner/other solvents that should be available there.

Can you recommend some brands for that Jack. I can get the ACE stuff locally no problem, but the concentrates will be harder to track down if I don't have a name (even a couple of names) to search for. Thanks for the help so far.

 

[ZGOZZ]

DangerousR6
Do you have a full shot of that guitar?

 

[jackthehack]

Another alternative would be to order dye concentrates and mix them with alcohol/lacquer thinner/other solvents that should be available there.

Can you recommend some brands for that Jack. I can get the ACE stuff locally no problem, but the concentrates will be harder to track down if I don't have a name (even a couple of names) to search for. Thanks for the help so far.

Here's one instance in which living in Saud might actually be useful. Best stuff I've used so far is the Sherwin Williams Universal Dye Concentrates diluted to color with lacquer thinner (requires a test board of the same wood and adding the concentrate to 1/2 cup of thinner till it looks/works OK). This stuff is a REAL pain in the ass to get in the US unless you buy gallons, but is actually the SAME stuff in the "match your paint color system", i.e., the base paint is always white and there are a number of colored concentrates that get squirted in to tint/make the final color. You want the concentrates used in ENAMEL paint, not latex. Go to a paint store that has a system like that and tell the guy you'll slip him some cash to put 4 oz. of the concentrate(s) in a small container. Should be no problem in any 3rd world country, major problem HERE.  I don't think the concentrates are going to be a whole lot different if the brand is something other than Sherwin Williams, Tonar can correct me if I'm wrong there, but just checked and there is a www.sherwinsaudi.com, so they are sold there.

Another similar item is Mixol Universal Tints - here's a link at Woodcraft.com: http://www.woodcraft.com/family.aspx?familyid=5522  They are a little pricier, but come premixed in a number of colors, a 20 ml bottle is more than you need to do a guitar; don't know if it's available in Saud, but Mixol is a German company - www.mixol.de - might be easier to order from the EU or Turkey.

Note that any of these concentrates need to be used outside while wearing latex gloves; in lacquer thinner they will stain anything they come in contact with on a semi-permanent (fingers take a couple of weeks) to permanent (you'll be repainting the white door you left fingerprints on) basis.

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Great information there Jack, should be just what I need.

Oh, and you think Saudi is a 3rd world country? Not yet they're not...  :laughing11:

 

[Chris of Arabia]

Found a Mixol supplier in the UK - Universal Tints

I vote that this gets stickied somewhere for future reference.