Roasted Maple/Roasted Swamp Ash Mooncaster

[Dero08]

Started a new build … because I’ve always wanted a hollow body guitar (BB King is one of my favorite), and I am stripping/rebuilding an older build … I need something to put the old hardware on

https://flic.kr/p/2oe8AQg

https://flic.kr/p/2oeb5NL

 

[Dero08]

Used timbermate ebony/walnut mix on the back ash:

https://flic.kr/p/2oecxXM

sanded off:

https://flic.kr/p/2oeb5MP

1st coat of danish oil:

https://flic.kr/p/2oeb5Md

 

[Dero08]

I plan to do a wiping oil on the roasted maple top (Danish Oil, Tru Oil, or Tung Oil), then finish with Arm R Seal. However, I am worried about the roasted maple looking blotchy … not sure why I’m concerned, it’s just giving out the blotchyness vibes .

Any tips on how to prevent/minimize it?

 

[Dero08]

Used timbermate ebony/walnut mix on the back ash:

wenge hombre neck with indian rosewood fretboard, gold inlays, gold frets

https://flic.kr/p/2oebbRc

 

[bagman67]

I commented in your finishing thread but neglected to mention that this is gonna be a beautiful instrument when it all comes together. Congrats on some lovely parts.

 

[Dero08]

Here’s an update of the top … I gotta say, I am not happy with it. the grain patterns have basically vanished somehow. It has four coats of Tung oil, two coats of tru oil at this point. I talked to the employees at my local woodcraft. they think it was possibly how they roasted the maple (like not long enough). So, when I sanded the to, it may have sanded down to maple that was not as roasted .. hence the inconsistent color.

https://flic.kr/p/2ogdKuj

 

[triple jim]

I don't mean to diminish your work, since it's hard to be sure of what I'm seeing from the photos, but it may be more likely that the lighter spots were sanded more than the darker spots, so they were smoother and didn't darken as much when oiled. The overall look appears to be that it didn't get sanded enough, or uniformly enough. Roasting seems unlikely to be just a surface effect so thin that sanding would get through it, even if not roasted much.

 

[stratamania]

I think the not roasted enough is a wrong steer. You could always sand it back and redo it, and accentuate the grain with a contrasting colour.

 

[Spud]

Maple is sometimes a tough wood to stain uniformly, the roasting didn't do it. Maybe get some pure black stain and wipe that on after sanding back to accentuate the grain (as in a wiping stain, cloth it on and then wipe it back off leaving the grain darker).

 

[Dero08]

I don't mean to diminish your work, since it's hard to be sure of what I'm seeing from the photos, but it may be more likely that the lighter spots were sanded more than the darker spots, so they were smoother and didn't darken as much when oiled. The overall look appears to be that it didn't get sanded enough, or uniformly enough. Roasting seems unlikely to be just a surface effect so thin that sanding would get through it, even if not roasted much.

That’s possible, but I spent a lot of time sanding it. I sanded, wiped off, sanded, wiped off, etc. the areas that look uneven looked uneven before I put oil on it, and they never got better even with more sanding. i actually did sand it back after the first coat … it unfortunately never got better. I initially thought maybe the top was a veneer glued to maple and I sanded through it.

 

[ragamuffin]

Looks pretty good to me!

 

[Dero08]

i sanded the absolute $hit out of this thing … took it from 80 grit up to 320 … here’s the result:

https://flic.kr/p/2ogtkbB

it basically looks like it did after sanding the first time

 

[Dero08]

i mixed some coffee brown with black aniline dye, and applied two coats:

https://flic.kr/p/2ogtFVq

 

[triple jim]

I'd say you made a huge improvement. It's beautiful! The stain took evenly this time because of your thorough sanding, I suspect.

 

[Dero08]

I'd say you made a huge improvement. It's beautiful! The stain took evenly this time because of your thorough sanding, I suspect.

Thanks, we’ll see … just added some Jacobean Oak to the water and am going to try to darken it up, then sand back, the start oiling

 

[triple jim]

Thanks, we’ll see … just added some Jacobean Oak to the water and am going to try to darken it up, then sand back, the start oiling

And I thought it was ready for some gloss urethane.

 

[Dero08]

Current status … will sand it back tomorrow morning and reassess … I mixed up some amber and yellow to potentially put on top after I sand. I know it won’t probably do much to lighten it up. I also mixed some golden yellow oak aniline dye into some danish oil, so hopefully that will give it a nice finish.

https://flic.kr/p/2oguFNz

 

[Dero08]

And I thought it was ready for some gloss urethane.

It was ready for some gloss urethane about 2 weeks ago before I messed it up … lol.

 

[Spud]

Here’s an update of the top … I gotta say, I am not happy with it. the grain patterns have basically vanished somehow. It has four coats of Tung oil, two coats of tru oil at this point. I talked to the employees at my local woodcraft. they think it was possibly how they roasted the maple (like not long enough). So, when I sanded the to, it may have sanded down to maple that was not as roasted .. hence the inconsistent color.

https://flic.kr/p/2ogdKuj

That looks awesome!

 

[Dero08]

This is how it looks dry … that’s dark! I may keep this for the base of a quilted maple top I’ll be doing at some point:

https://flic.kr/p/2ogxFdN

Sanded back to 320:

https://flic.kr/p/2ogsRtK