LP Tribute refinish, take 2...

I'm thinking maybe the wood is so saturated and swollen it revealed those spots and when it dries out they might settle back in. I put a lot of water on it in the last 24 hours. I swear, they weren't there until I did a couple of more tea washes this morning because I sanded the hell out of those places to get rid of the flaws before I started. I mean, that's one of the reasons why I sanded it down in the first place. I'm going to let it sit and dry out for a while to see what happens before I do anything.
 
Ok, crisis averted and we're back on track now! :woohoo:

Now that it's set and dried all day I was checking it out and the dents weren't dents at all, just shiny spots were the dents used to be. I was running my finger over them and it's smooth as can be, so I took my scotchbrite pad and went at it, the spots went away in short order and it didn't take any of my tea stain off. Turns out what I was seeing as dark spots earlier were just dried buildup on top of the wood from too many tea washes. I just learned something new, cool! So I took a damp rag and wiped the whole thing down really good to get all that sediment off and voila, it looks great!

GqQ2GVb.jpg


Dry...

DRs41f5.jpg


Wet after wiping it down...

hxeIN97.jpg


I'm still going to let it dry for a while before I start the next step, which is applying a few coats of Tru-oil to seal it up.
 
DirtySteve said:
Ok, crisis averted and we're back on track now! :woohoo:

Now that it's set and dried all day I was checking it out and the dents weren't dents at all, just shiny spots were the dents used to be. I was running my finger over them and it's smooth as can be, so I took my scotchbrite pad and went at it, the spots went away in short order and it didn't take any of my tea stain off. Turns out what I was seeing as dark spots earlier were just dried buildup on top of the wood from too many tea washes. I just learned something new, cool! So I took a damp rag and wiped the whole thing down really good to get all that sediment off and voila, it looks great!

GqQ2GVb.jpg


Dry...

DRs41f5.jpg


Wet after wiping it down...

hxeIN97.jpg


I'm still going to let it dry for a while before I start the next step, which is applying a few coats of Tru-oil to seal it up.
Click to expand...
I think that tea stain is going to make a nice base color tone for the Tru-oil.
I understand the seal coats, but are you still planning to mix in some tint with the subsequent coats for a kinda fade / burst look?
 
fitz said:
I think that tea stain is going to make a nice base color tone for the Tru-oil.
I understand the seal coats, but are you still planning to mix in some tint with the subsequent coats for a kinda fade / burst look?
Click to expand...

Yes that's the plan, I'm hoping to get just a subtle burst. My biggest concern is getting a smooth transition from light to dark by hand. That's the reason I want to do a few straight oil coats first before I add color, that way I have a buffer layer in between in case I have to sand it back.

The tea wash darkened the maple more than I anticipated and since Tru-oil has a tint to it and will darken it some anyway, there's a chance that once I get a few coats on it I might like it without going any further. Of course I'll post pics along the way so you guys might help me decide. We'll see what happens, nothing is written in stone.

There's one thing for sure, whatever happens from here is going to be way better than it was before.
 
I case anyone wants to know. I use those blue shop paper towels to apply the tru-oil. I cut the sheets into 4 squares. I fold up one to apply the oil making sure it's completely covered and rubbed in until it starts to feel like it's starting to get thick, then take a clean square and wipe as much of the oil back off as I can. It leaves just a thin layer that doesn't streak. I used to use cotton rags like old clean t-shirt or something, but I've learned that these blue shop towels work a lot better without leaving lint or streaks behind.

0zePp8g.jpg


The dry air is making it dry quick, this is the 3rd coat and I'll probably get one more tonight...it already looks a lot better than it did after I was done the first time I did this.

opJTLxW.jpg
 
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I keep taking pics at the same angle so I can post the changes in comparison as I go, but they don't tell the whole story. Here are some pics from different angles and you can see the variation in color depending on how the light hits it, it doesn't look the same depending on where you're standing...

gj12DHk.jpg


LgMBN12.jpg


iHmKUDT.jpg


xStyaOb.jpg


oCzKcp3.jpg
 
Someone on another forum posted this pic (it was actually a NAD thread and this guitar was off to the side) and it's a good example. This is what I was trying to do with the the grain, but mine didn't pop like I hoped it would with just the tea wash and why I kept going at it. I'm not surprised really, I think the grain was just too saturated with oil from the first go around and why I should have stripped it instead of just sanding it.

Now I'm wondering if I should start over and strip it first. :hmmm: I welcome your opinion.

4oIu48w.png
 
DirtySteve said:
Someone on another forum posted this pic (it was actually a NAD thread and this guitar was off to the side) and it's a good example. This is what I was trying to do with the the grain, but mine didn't pop like I hoped it would with just the tea wash and why I kept going at it. I'm not surprised really, I think the grain was just too saturated with oil from the first go around and why I should have stripped it instead of just sanding it.

Now I'm wondering if I should start over and strip it first. :hmmm: I welcome your opinion.

4oIu48w.png
Click to expand...
I can, certainly, see why you would find that particular example of finish a reasonable goal for your LP. :cool:
 
Thatbastarddon said:
I can, certainly, see why you would find that particular example of finish a reasonable goal for your LP. :cool:
Click to expand...

That's close, but I'm going darker and hopefully going to do more of a burst. Like a little darker than where I'm at now in the middle, and then darker as it goes out towards the edges. This will be my first time adding color to my tru-oil and my first attempt at a burst so there's no telling where this is going. I have some other ideas in the works that may or may not happen, but I'm keeping that to myself for now...in case it doesn't happen. ;)
 
DirtySteve said:
That's close, but I'm going darker and hopefully going to do more of a burst. Like a little darker than where I'm at now in the middle, and then darker as it goes out towards the edges. This will be my first time adding color to my tru-oil and my first attempt at a burst so there's no telling where this is going. I have some other ideas in the works that may or may not happen, but I'm keeping that to myself for now...in case it doesn't happen. ;)
Click to expand...
:popcorn:
 
DirtySteve said:
Someone on another forum posted this pic (it was actually a NAD thread and this guitar was off to the side) and it's a good example. This is what I was trying to do with the the grain, but mine didn't pop like I hoped it would with just the tea wash and why I kept going at it. I'm not surprised really, I think the grain was just too saturated with oil from the first go around and why I should have stripped it instead of just sanding it.

Now I'm wondering if I should start over and strip it first. :hmmm: I welcome your opinion.

4oIu48w.png
Click to expand...
No guarantee stripping everything off again is going to change the grain pop on your guitar, unless you are going to try a completely different stain & finish method.
Subtle coloration is the hardest thing to match with natural color tones - black is easy...
No two pieces of wood will react the same to light coloration.

I'm seeing some cool grain on yours from those different angle shots.
My opinion is stay the course and complete the current plan.
Try the coloration and have a go at rubbing in a bit of a burst.
 
Further thoughts...

You like the look of this guitar?
Go with chrome covers, gold top hats, and cream plastics.
(Yes, LP's look better with a pickguard... :pound-hand: )

1768562676732.png

And another thing to consider...
The grain on that guitar may look completely different in different lighting from a different angle.
So will yours.
 
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