raised grain on alder

[kdownes]

I'm building an alder J-bass and have been testing on some alder pieces with different oil finishes (Danish, Tru, Tung).  I'm planning to stain the body a deep orange color, and found a General Finishes stain that is just the color I want and looks great.  The issue is that, being a water-based stain, it raises the grain a bit, and oiling over that, I've discovered on my test pieces, leaves them feeling rougher than I'd like (I should have known...).  I really want to use this stain because of the color, but am wondering how I can knock the grain back while preserving the good deep color of the stain.  I saw on the reranch site the suggestion of wetting the bare wood with a damp cloth first, sanding down the grain with 320 grit paper, then applying the stain.  Has anyone tried this, or are their other suggestions for getting a nice, smooth but deeply-stained surface on alder?

 

[jackthehack]

Assuming you're using one of the colors on this page:

http://www.generalfinishes.com/finishes/water-base-finishes/waterbase_finishes.htm

Which one?

 

[old_metal_head]

"Grain Raise - Water based products produce more grain raising than oil based finishes - they do require a different finishing technique. Before applying the finish, spray the project with water or rub down with a damp cloth. Allow the wood to dry and then sand lightly with #220 sandpaper to remove the raised grain. This conditions the wood to accept water based finishes. The amount of grain raising is dependent on the type of wood species."

 

[Unwound G]

Just dampen the wood and let it dry to rasie the wood fibers.  Sand it down till smooth.  Repeat that a few times till no fibers are raised and you are ready for water staining.

On another issue of using water stains.  Some areas where the wood grain ends, especially inside the cutaways and bottom side of the body, water stain will soak more into the wood hence making the shade darker.  There are various ways of limiting the excess stain absorption.  One of them is to gently wet these areas with clear water before applying the stain.  This will limit the absorption.  Also try to use a brush to "paint" on the stain rather than using a cloth pad on these areas.

 

[kdownes]

Assuming you're using one of the colors on this page:

http://www.generalfinishes.com/finishes/water-base-finishes/waterbase_finishes.htm

Which one?

I'm using the Orange Dye Stain -- it's a nice, deep pumpkin-y color on the alder pieces I'm testing.  It will be paired with a birdseye maple neck with a rosewood fingerboard, and a black-white-black pickguard.

Thanks all for the tips.  I've read about the darkening of end grain areas so I'll try dampening those bits, and maybe using a foam brush on those parts instead of a rag, which was what I'd planned to use elsewhere on the body.

 

[Keyser Soze]

The common term for what has been described is 'whiskering.'  When you are going to use a finishing product that tends to raise the grain you pre-treat the surface with the same solvent (e.g. water in your case, alcohol in others), allow the surface to dry, then sand with the same grade of paper as your final prep (eg. 220 or 320.)  Repeat once or twice for best results then proceed with staining/finishing.

If you are applying shellac as a finish then it is best just to apply the first coat of shellac thinned 50/50 with alcohol, then sand smooth when dried.  The dried shellac locks the raised grain tight so that it sands off real easy and this usually does not need to be repeated.