How to achieve this finish ?

[fretless]

Le Fay calls it "Acrylic open-pore satin finish, black stained"
http://www.lefay.de/english/bass_pangton_fanfret.html#!prettyPhoto

on this  :cool01:

 

[swarfrat]

I'm not a finishing expert (just ask my wife, there's a stack of unfinished projects around the house). But I'd say the description is a pretty good starting point. No filler, Sand, Stain. The finish looks nice here, but I'm really liking that design for a headless.

 

[fretless]

I'm not a finishing expert (just ask my wife, there's a stack of unfinished projects around the house). But I'd say the description is a pretty good starting point. No filler, Sand, Stain. The finish looks nice here, but I'm really liking that design for a headless.

yeah I'm on the hunt for the right dye , looks like leather dye may be it . Those Le Fay are amazing instruments !

 

[bagman67]

That body is never going to give you the look of the LeFay instrument because the Lefay is an open grained wood (probably ash) while the Warmoth body is alder, a nice uniformly tight-grained wood.  Start with ash, sand to 220, and apply your dye (I have had very good luck with India ink, actually) and you're probably there.  Then apply an oil or satin wipe-on poly for your topcoat per manufacturer's instructions.

 

[fretless]

That body is never going to give you the look of the LeFay instrument because the Lefay is an open grained wood (probably ash) while the Warmoth body is alder, a nice uniformly tight-grained wood.  Start with ash, sand to 220, and apply your dye (I have had very good luck with India ink, actually) and you're probably there.  Then apply an oil or satin wipe-on poly for your topcoat per manufacturer's instructions.

Cool , yeah not so much into the grain look as much as the color . But Thanks , I am leaning toward this ink finish . hmmm...

 

[bagman67]

Stewmac's fingerboard stain might also do the trick.  I suspect it's also just repurposed leather dye.


http://www.stewmac.com/Luthier_Tools/Tools_by_Job/Fretting/Fingerboard_cleaner_stain_and_oil/Black_Fingerboard_Stain.html


If you go with the India ink, make sure it's the product that contains shellac.  It's more opaque.  Some are dyes rather than pigments, and they end up streaky and see-thru.


And as always, test your finishing plans on scrap of the same wood species - it will save you a lot of headaches.

 

[fretless]

Thanks man , yup got the Shellac stuff . So far it's seems to be the blacker of the dyes . We'll see  :glasses9:

 

[Syntheticocean]

Cool , yeah not so much into the grain look as much as the color . But Thanks , I am leaning toward this ink finish . hmmm...

I'm confused. So basically what you are looking for is just an every day regular black satin finish? Why are you over-complicating it? The beauty in the bass you posted  is the grain IMO. The color is the same black as every other black to me.

 

[stratamania]

The Lefay bass colour looks a little like one of those Wudtone finishes. I've never tried it but it has that look about it.

 

[fretless]

I got pretty close with India Ink  :glasses9:
http://unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=23699.0