Just to be sure....

[Tele-me about it]

Finally getting around to working on the bass pieces I ordered back in March, and now that I've seen a few other threads I'd like to be absolutely sure I don't screw up this beautiful piece of Black Korina.

This is the cherry red dye I bought from stewmac http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_Supplies/Finishing_Supplies/Colors_and_Tints_and_Stains/ColorTone_Liquid_Stains.html
1) Considering that BK is apparently a bit oily, will this stain even take to the wood?
2) I saw someone comment on a thread about stripping the oils away with naptha before staining, should I do this?
3) Is there any benefit to using naptha to raise the grain as opposed to water? (for de-whiskering before staining)

(Just bought a bottle of Klean-Strip VM&P Naptha just in case while I was running errands.)

 

[sixstringsamurai]

Korina in and of itself, should, at its darkest, be finished with and oil based finish like Tru-oil.
Which as it builds get you that nice almost vintage tint clear.

I think that staining/dying you might loose the natural coloration of the wood that really makes it desirable in the first place.

Just my two cents.

Looking forward to seeing some pics!

:rock-on:

 

[Cagey]

While black Limba is very attractive on its own, it can be tinted to good effect. I did one a couple years ago in red...

... and was pleased with the results.

>> 1) Considering that BK is apparently a bit oily, will this stain even take to the wood?

Obviously, yes.

>> 2) I saw someone comment on a thread about stripping the oils away with naptha before staining, should I do this?

Naphtha is the duct tape of finishing. It solves a lotta problems.

>> 3) Is there any benefit to using naptha to raise the grain as opposed to water? (for de-whiskering before staining)

Naphtha won't raise grain. It boils off pretty fast. Same with denatured alcohol or acetone.

Limba doesn't get too "whiskery". Once you sand it off and clean it up, it's pretty much ready to go unless you want a smooth/glossy finish - then you have to fill it. It's pretty porous stuff due to its open grain. If you don't fill the grain, you'll never get a good finish on it. But, sometimes people want a raw look, so...

 

[Cagey]

Incidentally, I didn't mean to imply that naphtha, alcohol and acetone were equally effective cleaners/solvents. They each have their uses, and depending on the finish you're dealing with, they can be really mean. Acetone will eat lacquer (among other things, such as most plastics (read: binding)) and alcohol will eat oil-based finishes. Naphtha is surprisingly good about leaving things alone while cleaning off undesirables.

 

[Tele-me about it]

Phew, I feel a lot better about this now. Will hopefully be able to post pics sometime in the near future of the work/results  :guitaristgif: