Stains and Tru-Oil

[Philly Q]

I haven't asked one of my dumb questions about oil finishes for a while, so here goes:

I have a Warmoth swamp ash body and maple/rosewood neck which - one day before the polar icecaps melt - I'm planning to finish with Tru-Oil.  I was going to go for a completely natural finish, but I'm worried it'll end up with a bit too much of an "Ikea birch shelving" look.  So now I'm thinking of trying a slight "vintage amber" tint, probably using this stuff:

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Finishing_supplies/Colors,_tints,_and_stains/1/ColorTone_Concentrated_Liquid_Stain/Instructions/I-5032.html

So, to the questions:

- Is the StewMac stuff a good choice, or is there something equally suitable at my not-so-local DIY superstore?
- Should I use a water-based stain or alcohol-based?
- Is water going to raise the grain so I'd need to sand again after staining?
- Is the Tru-Oil going to dissolve the stain and make a horrible mess?
- Should I mix the stain with the oil (I hope not - sounds doomed to failure)?
- Where the hell do you get "alcohol" for wood finishing, anyway?  Tesco Value vodka?
- How many beans make five?

Any and all advice much appreciated! (esp. Mr Venables and Mr "I Am The" Law)

[WezV]

for a start i dont think stew-mac will ship you those!

i prefer alchohol based stains, water works fine too - if you want to stop it raising the grain then before staining wet it lightly and sand back a few times.  after two or three times doing that teh water will not raise the grain as much and it should all stay very smooth.  Then you can stain and not have to sand back much if at all

some stains will mix with tru-oil, some wont - you are going to have to try it.  Personally iw ould stain the wood, let it dry very well, then start with a few light coats of tru-oil to seal it in.  too much rubbing at this stage will lift the stain

go to axminster and order some of there chesnut wood stains (spirit based)

http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Chestnut-Spirit-Wood-Stain-21822.htm

or the liberon water based ones
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Liberon-Concentrated-Water-Soluble-Dye-22543.htm

you can mix the sprit stain with cellulose thinners
http://www.axminster.co.uk/product-Chestnut-Cellulose-Thinners-21736.htm

dont put stain on dry wood as it will suck it up, and end grain will suck it up more.  SO if using the spirit stain use some white spirit  to wet the wood and slow absorbtion, if water based use water.  This gives you a little working time rather than rushed streaks!






now after all that can i talk you out of it - swamp ash is not an easy wood to stain at all- you might be better off with a coat or two of tinted lacquer from manchester guitar tech

[Philly Q]

now after all that can i talk you out of it - swamp ash is not an easy wood to stain at all- you might be better off with a coat or two of tinted lacquer from manchester guitar tech

 :lol: :lol:

I'd love to do spray finishes, I'd be much happier with that than mucking about with oil.  But I just haven't got anywhere to do them, all that spray-dust is too messy.

Maybe I'll go for the Ikea look after all.

Thanks for the advice Wez.  :)

[Copperhead]

Water based stain is awesome, Tru-Oil goes right over the top, easy to work with, no sprayers or anything needed. Takes a little time, especially waiting for it to cure enough to wet sand and polish, but it appears as time is not really your greatest concern... :lol:
To grain fill or not to grain fill?
Between coats on the WB stain, light coat of zinser shellac and level sand....

http://www.wdlockwood.com/

[Copperhead]

Oh, and the swamp ash red Tele stained just fine. In fact, I put an ash top on the new Strat just so I could have a nice grainy light colored wood to go wild on with WB stain.

You might have a little difficulty with the stain "taking" in the real punky, coarsest areas of the swamp ash grain. On the unfilled Tele, I burned the coarse areas black with a heat gun in the middle of staining, and actually only had one small spot about the size of a dime that didn't "take" at first, but burning cured it. On the Strat I'm using grain filler.

[Philly Q]

Thanks, but ah, now I don't know what to do!  :lol:

One thing that makes it more difficult is that a lot of the the info online is from American sites, and they're using brands/products we don't have in the UK (although Wez has posted those Axminster links, which are helpful).

[AndyR]

although Wez has posted those Axminster links, which are helpful

Not much help here... but is anybody else reading this thread and imagining Philly ending up with a nice carpet on his guitar??

[Philly Q]

I could do with new carpets, mine are distinctly threadbare.... but far too many guitars, CDs, DVDs etc to spend my money on!

[Copperhead]

The WB stain from WD Lockwood comes in powdered form in an envelope, can't imagine they wouldn't mail to you from NY!