Staining Mahogany with no grain fill

[JSG]

For a mahogany body, can I simply stain it until I get the color desired and then shoot it with Deft Satin?  I don't want to deal with grain filling, so does anyone know what I'm looking at as far as the number of coats?  I don't know what stain I will use yet but I had pretty good luck with Danish oil on Black Korina.  Took about 7 coats to get the desired color.  I didn't use any other finishing product, but I kind of wish I had because I'm finding the Black Korina to be so soft that I have dented it with my fingernail.  Would the Deft Satin have helped that at all?  I'm just wondering if what I did on that project would work for Mahogany, and also if I should put a satin finish on it to protect it once I have the color I want.     

 

[KKorina]

You don't have to fill grain. The main thing is that it will take a lot more coats of clear is you want a mirror smooth finish, as the top coats will eventually fill in the wood pores.

I'm doing a Black Limba (korina) Strat body with danish oil and MinWax wipe on poly. I didn't use any grain filler as I prefer a more natural look. The project is coming out great, but I fully realize that for me to get a perfectly smooth finish will require a ton of clears coats (which I'm doing).

 

[tfarny]

If you want a truly smooth finish, grain filling is the best and easiest way, and it looks perfectly natural if done right. If you want that 'low-end Gibson' finish (special faded? I forget) then, yeah, skip the filler.
You'll want at a minimum two coats of sealer and 5-6 thin coats of satin, spaced by at least a day, more if it's not warm and dry in your area.

 

[JSG]

KKorina,

How many coats of Danish oil and Minwax poly are you using?

 

[neuftone]

Is Danish Oil a stain?  I thought it was just an oil/varnish blend?  I was planning on using it possibly as a finish for my next project.

 

[KKorina]

KKorina,

How many coats of Danish oil and Minwax poly are you using?

I used two coats of Danish oil. It looks fantastic on a Black Limba body. It also looks great on Zebrawood.
I applied one coat heavily. Let it soak in for an hour, then applied another coat. Let that soak in for an hour, then wiped it down every few hours or so. Total wipe downs = about 4 as the oil seemed to come up from the wood. The whole body was then left to dry for an entire week.

I'm up to 8 coats of MinWax wipe on poly. I go over the entire body with 0000 steel wool every 3 coats.
The pores are starting to fill nicely. I'll probably end up with another 7-10 coats, as the wipe on poly is VERY thin, which I like. The trade off is more coats/time.

Grain filling would of been easier, and I do know that a clear grain filler can look very natural. I just prefer to have the entire guitar finished with one product.

 

[JSG]

Is the amount of Danish oil you're using just to get the color you want or is two coats pretty standard? 

 

[KKorina]

Is the amount of Danish oil you're using just to get the color you want or is two coats pretty standard? 

The two coats is to achieve the color I want. You could use one. I like two as it really pops the figure.
Any more then 2 is still fine, but it really won't change the look as much.

Also, with a lot of coats of Danish Oil, the drying time can get really long before you could put a hard finish (such as poly) on.

 

[JSG]

Man, thanks a lot.  I really appreciate it.