Post by Mattia Valente.
IMO you'll get a better result by staining the lacquer, not the bare
wood. Seal the wood with a clear coat, tint the lacquer lightly, spray
coats until you get the right colour, then clearcoat. The grain will
show just fine.
Mattia
I have used ColorTone stains in several ways. I've tried the direct
stain approach and I've used it to tint clear lacquer, and combinations.
Here's the deal:
Tinting the clear lacquer is probably the most manageable and
controllable way to get a uniform color, or, if your spray
technique is good, to get a shaded finish.
Tinting the wood itself, with the same tint, gives a very different
effect. The stain will soak in more in the more open pores in the
wood grain, making those areas darker than the rest. This has a
definite grain enhancing effect which you might find pleasant, but
you have to be careful not to overdo it because if you get too much
stain in the open grain sections, those sections will stay dark in
appearance at ANY angle you view it at, and there goes the beautiful
effect you get on curly or flamed maple as you change the angle of
the light or the instrument. This is called "chatoyance", by the way.
A Paul Reed Smith type finish is based on direct staining of the wood
as the first step. Then, depending on the intended result, sometimes
the wood gets a second staining (double stain, a special way of
doing it) and sometimes then a shader is applied in clear paint to
apply the darker rim of a sunburst.
The double stain is a neat process which I've used with great success.
It's done by choosing the two colors of stain you want on the guitar
top (say purple and light blue for an enhanced ocean-like appearance
to the flame) and first you apply the darker (purple) stain, and then
after it has dried, you sand most of it off. Some remains in the
more open grain. Then you apply the lighter stain. The result
is a dramatic, classic PRS-type finish base. It's up to you to then
apply the sealer and clear coats to the best of your ability.
The technique of staining itself is simple. Put a good rubber glove
on, mix some stain with denatured alcohol or lacquer thinner (NOT
acetone!!! It reacts!) and dip a CLEAN fresh cloth into it, and start
wiping down the top. The trick is not to have the mix too strong
on stain, but not too weak, either. Play with it on a scrap piece
before you commit to staining your first top. Also this helps you
to see how the stains interact.
Do your single or double stain as required, and then...I'm giving
away my secrets here...here's how you really give the stain job
the smooth look you're hoping for:
(At this point, if you have to do a little bit of sanding to smooth
out any minor flaws, go ahead and do it, gently. The next step
will blend any spots that lose their stain and nobody, not even you,
will ever know.)
Dip a clean cloth in straight, untinted lacquer thinner. Make sure
the rag is wet but not dripping. Not just damp, either.
Now rub it on your stained top, all around it, repeatedly, adding
more thinner to the cloth as necessary. This is the final blending
stage, and as far as I'm concerned, it's what makes the finish come
alive.
Good luck!
CJ