Obtaining a certain look

[thearmofbarlow]

I'm currently awaiting a mahogany V-K body and will be finishing it with some manner of oil (I live in an apartment and have nowhere to spray. :sad: ). The look I want is basically this:

Pretty, eh? I am an almost complete finish noob (on guitar, at least) so I'm not certain exactly what I'm looking at. Grain fill? Tung Oil? Tru Oil? Dye? I've used all of these things, but have no clue what specific combination will give me that kind of coloration and satin finish.

 

[Cagey]

Pretty, eh? I am an almost complete finish noob (on guitar, at least) so I'm not certain exactly what I'm looking at. Grain fill? Tung Oil? Tru Oil? Dye? I've used all of these things, but have no clue what specific combination will give me that kind of coloration and satin finish.

That is very attractive and obviously practical. I wouldn't use a Floyd, though; better designs exist. A Wilkinson VS100, for instance....

Or, better yet, a Schaller (if you can find one)

Otherwise, that's a winner.

I think most polymerized oils (Tru-oil, Tung Oil, Boiled Linseed oil, etc.) will return a finish like that with a minimal amount of attention. But, if it was me and I couldn't spray, I'd be looking at a wipe-on poly finish. As simple to apply as oil, but much more robust. Few finishes are as flimsy as oil.

 

[thearmofbarlow]

I only mean the finish look. The bridge is going to be a ToM. Very much a fan of the Wilkinson though. I have one on a parts mutt I built years ago.

What I'm chiefly concerned with is the coloration. I don't know how these finishes look when used on mahogany. I've used tung oil on swamp ash, but never finished mahogany before. Is this picture indicative of a straight oil finish?

 

[Cagey]

It depends on the Mahogany more than the oil. Different varieties will return different colors when wetted, and they all change color with exposure to UV light.

For instance, African Mahogany (which is what Warmoth buys) tends more toward brown than red when wetted or aged. Honduran Mahogany tends more toward a cordovan, while Indian and eastern Asian Mahogany falls between the two.

Most oils don't add a lot of coloration of their own beyond the wetting effect of a finish. If you want to see what any wood will look like with a clear finish on it, simply wipe it down with some alcohol or naptha. Neither will hurt it or leave a residue.

 

[thearmofbarlow]

Grr... lame. Why doesn't Warmoth have a "Give me this exact finish for $10 extra" feature?  :laughing7:

We'll see when it gets here then. One week down, 4-5 more to go... plus shipping time... I'm gonna die before I get this thing.

 

[Updown]

:dontknow:  Will a tung-oil finish ............................................. turn it into a right hander  :icon_biggrin:

 

[Cagey]

Grr... lame. Why doesn't Warmoth have a "Give me this exact finish for $10 extra" feature?  :laughing7:

Because time is money, and $10 won't cut it.

The technology does exist to color match stains and paints, even on dissimilar woods. You can take a raw and finished piece of wood to places with the proper equipment and they can scan it and mix up a batch of [whatever] that will make them look close enough for rock 'n' roll. I've matched up raw Pine to finished Mahogany so close it was eerie. Grain doesn't match, of course, but depending on what you're doing that may not matter.

 

[thearmofbarlow]

Because time is money, and $10 won't cut it.

OMGINEVERWOODAGUESSED!

That's sarcasm.

 

[Scuffcakes]

Once you have the body, take it to your local craft wood supply (Woodcraft, etc.) and find yourself some test pieces that have the same basic color.  Try different finishes on these before you do the body.

 

[Cagey]

Note: ask permission first.

 

[alterbridgefan]

Because time is money, and $10 won't cut it.

OMGINEVERWOODAGUESSED!

That's sarcasm.

Come, on don't be so harsh on poor Cagey. You'll make him cry. :laughing7:

 

[Kuro Uma]

Because time is money, and $10 won't cut it.

OMGINEVERWOODAGUESSED!

That's sarcasm.

Come, on don't be so harsh on poor Cagey. You'll make him cry. :laughing7:

Cagey doesn't cry. That's just a little bit of his awesome leaking out..  :icon_jokercolor:

Sorry couldn't resist... :icon_biggrin: