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Quilted Maple: water-based dye question(s)...

Great Ape

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On a quilt maple laminate top, will the grain do that luscious,
3D thing when dyed with one color? Or do I need to hit it with a darker color first, and sand it back to enhance the grain? I'm starting a finishing/woodburning project and will no doubt have
many questions as it progresses. I'm not anywhere near the point of dying (I hope), but I'd like
to at least have the color/grain-pop knowledge in the brain bank early on. I'll post pics as the project gets under way. Thanks, I know many of you have loads of experience with finishing, and
I'm going to take advantage of that.
                                                          Best,  Greg
 
Depends on the grain and the color you are hoping to achieve.  I have seen some quilt REALLY pop.  Others will not.  I think other colors pop the grain better too.  A good test is to simply wipe with naptha.  This will give it a wet look and should pop the grain and it will give you a good idea of what you will have.

I have always used the sandback method.  IT is really not that hard.  Depending on the colors you want, sometimes it is only as much as mixing different strengths of the dye.

A tip I do, I always use StewMac Colortone dyes.  They can be mixed with either water or alcohol.  If I am doing a sandback, I always mix the 1st color with water.  This will really raise the grain and get the dye in the places you want.  Sand back with 220, i use the foam blocks.  Depending on the finish I will even hit it lightly with 400.  Then dye the second color, mixed in alcohol.  This will not raise the grain as much and leave the surface nice an smooth.

Since you are woodburning, the act of sanding back may effect your burn.  Not sure how deep you are going.

HEre is an example of a non-sanded back example of quilt maple and red.  looks great but the "3-D" effect is not realy huge.
DSC00146.jpg


Good luck
 
OK...Will try the naptha first to get an idea of what I've got
right out of the box (if you'll excuse the expression), and go from there...the area within the burned/illustrated area will probably be heavily outlined to decrease the bleed factor, since my idea is to color the design differently than the rest of the body...that's a whole 'nuther can of
worms that is still a long ways off...thanks very much for the help, and of course feel free to hop
right in and toss a coupla' pennies around any time at all.  G
 
I have had the best luck with sealing the top , then using translucent lacquer  .
I'm happy with the results , and if I ever decide to change , the color isn't "in" the wood .

 

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greywolf said:
I have had the best luck with sealing the top , then using translucent lacquer  .
I'm happy with the results , and if I ever decide to change , the color isn't "in" the wood .


That's a pretty guitar.  I feel increasingly as if I really need a blue guitar soon.
 
Bagman67 said:
That's a pretty guitar.  I feel increasingly as if I really need a blue guitar soon.

Right with you on that one. I'm going to do a quilted Maple top in blue pretty soon here. Gotta get the cranberry VIP off the stand, which should happen tomorrow, then I can start stripping the VIP I'm going to do in blue. It's got a kukka finish on it now that has to be eliminated.

Maybe I'll just get started on that now. We're supposed to get a thunderstorm here shortly, so I can't shoot any lacquer. Lotta water in the air.
 
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