Finishing Mahogany

Seamas

Hero Member
Messages
517
I have ordered a new mahogany Strat body from Warmoth.

The description is "extra light" mahogany. It was an "in stock" item. Looks to be both light in both weight (under 4 lbs) and color.

I just have a couple questions on how to proceed once I get it:

1: What should I expect from a Warmoth body? Will there be substantial sanding needed? Or is it pretty much needing some light finishing sanding?

2:  I ordered some grain filler from Stew Mac--I ordered the mahogany. I plan on giving this a reddish/amber stain. Should I have purchased a lighter colored gain filler?

3: what are the best steps in finishing? (I plan on a lacquer finish)
Do I give this a coat of sealer before I do the grain filler?. At which step does the stain go? Before/after sealer ?

My understanding at this point is the following order:

1: Sand to 200 grit
2: Seal Coat
3: Sand again? (if so what grit?)
4: grain filler
5 Sand again?
6: Stain  (a few applications--with some sanding?)
7: lacquer coats --I am assuming 5-7 coats with 320-400 (and higher) grit in between each.
about six weeks after final coat, high grit sanding and buffing.

Am I on the right track?

Additional question regarding materials.
What are the preferences on stain. So far in my experience I have just done minwax stains on household woodworking  items.
I'm currently looking at the ColorTone stain products at Stewmac.
Are they recommended? I think the color I am aiming for would be something of a mix between 2 or more of the stock colors.
I see that the recommendation from Stewmac is  numerous applications of color mixed with either water or alcohol.
Is it preferable to mix the stain color first, or to layer the stain with color on color to get where you want to be--or is it a combination of the two?

Lacquer: What is preferable? Is one brand out there the go-to or is there not much difference?
I don't have a sprayer. I see that the aerosol is fairly commonly used (and it is advised to warm up the can before application). Anything important to be concerned about (other than ventilation)

I know I asked a bunch of questions, so feel free to break it down anyway you like--and let me know if there were important questions I did not ask.

:binkybaby:


 
First, I would read this article from LMII about 5 or 6 times. It's about the best thing I've ever read on finishing with lacquer. Follow their schedule/recipe, and you're almost guaranteed success. The schedule and procedures are the thing. You don't have to use the products they recommend if you don't want to, but you'll be able to tell by the descriptions what they're talking about to get roughly the same thing from other vendors/manufacturers if you'd prefer.

I've used colortone stains to good effect. I would not mix with water - it'll raise the grain. Use alcohol or acetone.

You can stack layers of stain to increase density, but the best thing to do is to get some scrap and practice on that to get the color right in the first place. Nobody does their first bodywork on a Mercedes, they start on ragrides first so they can learn what to expect and how to deal with surface prep, color, application, etc. If there's a wood mill or a furniture manufacturer or something like that anywhere near you, you can get what they call "mill ends" for next to nothing. These are the ends of boards that have been through the milling/surfacing machines. The ends of the boards usually end up somewhat abused in the process, so they cut them off and toss them. Makes for great test pieces.

If you don't have a sprayer, many folks like to use Reranch products. They cater to the DIY guitar makers.

A couple things I'd mention about finishing guitars. First, surface prep is everything. No matter how long it takes, get that right and the rest will almost just fall into line. Get it wrong, and it's difficult to recover from. Second, be patient. A good lacquer finish is liable to take you 6-8 weeks. Don't rush it, or you'll be sorry.
 
mahogany usually (in my experience) needs 3 passes with grain filler
seal
grain fill and sand (lightly 320)

seal
grain fill and sand (lightly 320)

seal
grain fill and sand (very lightly 320 maybe 400)
 
Great article and thanks.
I figured patience will come into play. I figure other hobby (home brewing) and gardening chores will have me forced to take my time anyhow.

Now I need to hunt for some mill ends.
 
Not to be a PITA, but why do you think a BRAND SPANKING NEW BODY from Warmoth would NEED to be sanded? Do you not think Warmoth sands their bodies? Do they send you a bare plank cut with a chainsaw, or do they send you a finished product?
 
Not everybody turns out products of as high a quality as Warmoth does. Plus, it's a raw part. I know I would wonder about anything made of bare wood.

But, to address the point, Warmoth's bodies are typically sanded to 220 grit. But, as I mentioned earlier, surface prep is everything, so it's worth reviewing the thing before starting on any finish work. 
 
1: Sand to 200 grit
320 is what I start with and usually do not need to do much on Warmoth bodies. You might need to steam up some minor dings.  Make sure to blow off the surface with air to get any sanding dust out of the grain.
2: Seal Coat
Wash coat- well thinned finish to soak deeply into the grain.
3: Sand again?
Light sand with a well used 320 sanding sponge just to knock back the hairy feel you will get with the wash coat. Blow the surface off real well again.
4: grain filler
What you have will work well. Apply the filler with a brush and wipe it of with burlap after it flashes off. Let it set a couple of days to shrink in.
5 Sand again?
Sand it again with the worn out sponge and make sure any excess gets taken off the surface.
6: Stain  (a few applications--with some sanding?)
No. Do another wash coat and check to see if you need another application of filler. The bottom line is you will need to get it level before you take the next step. If it need more filler do it if not shoot 3 coats of clear then sanding it back. Keep doing this until you have a level surface. At this point make a shading lacquer with your dye and add you color after the surface is level. I just used ColorTone Concentrated Liquid Stain #5032 with with some Cherry Red mixed in to get the color I was after which was a blood red.
7: lacquer coats --I am assuming 5-7 coats with 320-400 (and higher) grit in between each.
about six weeks after final coat, high grit sanding and buffing.
I shoot 4 coats of clear and level sand with 320 and then shoot 4 final coats and let it set for 14 days. Then I  wet sand and rub it out starting with 1000 grit wet dry going to 2000 grit before final polish. I use Seagrave lacquer from LMI.
[/quote]
 
AirCap said:
Not to be a PITA, but why do you think a BRAND SPANKING NEW BODY from Warmoth would NEED to be sanded? Do you not think Warmoth sands their bodies? Do they send you a bare plank cut with a chainsaw, or do they send you a finished product?

I didn't think one way or another. I just made no assumptions at all--that is why I asked.
They could very well have just sent it out sanded with 100 or 150 grit--my first purchase, how would I know?
 
Sorry for necro-posting - but I just wanted to share some more observations as I get more experienced with this process.

I just completed my 3rd pass of grain filling on a mahogany body last night, (the sanding it off part)
then did an other coat of Birchwood Casey sealer.

For filler - I've been using Lmi fmbf8(r)
which looks like melted Hershey's chocolate when it's being applied.

The new observations:
Something I've been noticing during the work on this body is what I'd call micro-pores and how they also take some grain filler,
but it's also very easy to sand down through those very tiny pores. Size = the sharp tip / end of a small pin in size. Very small.
I'm using 3M Pro Grade 320 Grit - purple.
The micro pores are so small that I can only see them (individually) when wearing an optivisor, which I do use through the whole process.

So, the micro-pores aren't obvious on the whole body. Some parts of the wood don't seem to have them.
Probably because of the way the body is cut(?), and consequently, there can be a slight inconsistency of colour across the whole body,
because the micro-pores do take some grain filler ...

... and the result is - those areas of the body have a very slightly shaded / darker colour,
i.e. UNLESS
I do choose to go a little farther with the sanding, going below the micro-pores.
Gently buffing with the 320 grit.

Initially - to my eyes - on other mahogany bodies in the past - it has been attempting to get a consistent look.
I wasn't seeing the real reason those areas were shaded a little darker.
The micro-pore areas will have a slightly darker colour - so gently buffing that colour off makes it match the rest of the body.

The B/C sealer is enough to fill the micro-pores.
I've taken to buffing the shine off the B/C sealer every pass - with a grey Scotchbrite. Supposedly rated between 800 and 1,000 grit.
My process now is <> Sealer / Buff / Filler / Sand - repeat repeat - and maybe repeat again.

I'll know for sure if I need an other pass after buffing this last coat of sealer and then inspecting with the optivisor.

If I can I'll try to zero in on the pore size differences with a macro lens and show some photos.
That's all for now.
 
Last edited:
Update and correction:
Those micro-pores are everywhere. They're just harder to see in some places. Pictures - - - ehhh - - - not worth seeing really.

Tonight's progress:
I buffed back the sealer coat lightly with 320 grit - just making it look frosty.
Blow off with air and wipe off with naphtha.

Then sanded the whole body lightly with 400 Grit.
Blow off with air and wipe off with naphtha.

Inspected and sanded out a few scratches with 400 Grit.
Wipe off with naphtha twice - clean rag for second pass.
Then applied an other light coat of B/C sealer.

Next step is buff back the last light coat of B/C sealer with 400 Grit.
Then go over the whole body with 600 Grit - all in one direction - no back'n' forth.

After that --- if everything looks good -
My final clear coats with be with Minwax Clear Satin Poly - wipe on.

EDIT and UPDATE:
I've got 6 coats of Minwax Wipe-On Satin Poly applied as of last night.
Need to inspect closely tonight and determine if I want to stop at 6 or add more.
 
Last edited:
Back
Top