Any advice from the experts - I've done a few refinishes but never worked on new wood so any advice would be appreciated.
Mahogany body, maple cap - do I need to use grain filler and sanding sealer?
Maybe grain fill the back, but how about a once over with tobacco on the top and then sand it back to make the grain stand out before giving it a few coats of amber lacquer and then a burst with tobacco. Finish with a clear lacquer and we're good.
Back and sides in amber should work but does anyone mask the binding or just scrape after the colour coats.
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I grain filled the mahogany, but not the maple and it turned out OK. The maple came with a thin figured veneer.
I started with a dilute very dark brown which I vigorously sanded back to expose the grain.
Then using those little Liberon dye pots - brown, red and yellow - I built up a mild burst applying various dilutions of various colour mixes with a cloth.
I was merrily experimenting with colouring, drying sanding, colouring again, when I realised I was nearly going through the veneer, so I had to halt at that point and leave it there - a bit darker than planned, but it looks OK.
If you to go for the stain and sand back method it always looks more natural to start with a very dark colour.... not black. Black pigments are very different to very dark brown pigments and they kill all of the 3D effect if you are not careful. It looks good in pics but flat in real life.
no need to grainfill maple, it has no pores.
a hand rubbed burst is a good way to go if you have not sprayed before. You can add and takeaway much easier. It doesn't always look like a Gibson burst thouhh
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I’m debating if I should start with yellow or just use amber and tobacco but I guess that’s just a taste thing.
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