Roasted Maple/Roasted Swamp Ash Mooncaster

Applied the amber dye, then sanded again … i think this is as good as it get:

then I applied the first coat of oil:

and it looks like crap again … in all my years of woodworking, which is only 2, I’ve never seen wood get worse with finish. I might sand it off again and just go with a water- based poly.
 
Mmmh ... it's a little plain but I've seen worse. What don't you like about it?
The grain disappears once the oil is added … it just looks muddy and uneven. I love the back and sides … depending on how it looks when top-coated, I may just sell the body and go roasted swamp ash on body and cap.
 
In any case, ash generally has more pronounced grain then regular maple.
 
Just keep applying clear and shine it up and play it. Another idea would be go for a skullet top!
 
Thank you! I may be able to do a little mock-up tomorrow … cannibalizing an earlier build for parts, but I don’t want to strip it until I put back together another one (I just need to solder the bridge ground to a pot, install the pick guard, and string it up). I will be interested in opinions on pickups, since I have two as options.
 
I would suggest not assembling it or buffing it for several weeks or putting any other clear on it to allow the Tru-oil time to fully dry. Now is not the time to rush the process.
 
I would suggest not assembling it or buffing it for several weeks or putting any other clear on it to allow the Tru-oil time to fully dry. Now is not the time to rush the process.
good tip! I wouldn’t drill anything, but wouldn’t want to accidentally scratch it either.
 
Good morning everyone! I got really busy with work and kids sports, and haven’t had a chance to finish this. will try to finish soon.
- Pickups: Dark Moon Aurora (Alnico 2)
- Pots: CTS 500K
- Capacitors: Luxe .22uF Black Beauty in Bridge; Luxe .15uF Black Beauty ("Woman Tone") in neck
- Tone Pros tail piece and tunomatic bridge
- Tuners: graphtech ratio tuners in gold
 
I find a pre-stain conditioner is a great way to make a piece take stain more evenly BUT sometimes that means less grain variation in the final product. Works lovely on pine to make it stain uniformly.
 
Thanks for the tip! Will that work for hand-rubbed oil applications? This top looked $hitty to me from the first oil application. I didn't start putting dye on it until I sanded it back to re-do.
 
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