NGD. DIY Flying V with clip (finishing advice needed)

[Telerocker]

Nice guitar and a bargain too. Just oil it.

[WezV]

I had heard of pre-stain conditioner(not sure if it's worth anything or not), but never heard of pre-wetting with alcohol/spirits/whatever. I've been diluting the stuff heavily and putting it on in multiple coats. Your method sounds like a time saver.

diluting it makes quite a bit of sense too.

it all goes wrong when people try to wipe it on dry wood straight from the bottle.... generally the stain will  have dried out within half a swipe leaving you with streaks.   keeping it wet gives you the time needed to work it

[Transcend]

how about bleaching the wood first to keep it light so that the oils wont yellow it as much?

would this affect the wood negatively?

[WezV]

sure, rustins make a wood bleach that works well - not totally sure what the final result would be like with an oiled finish,  but it certainly doesnt harm the wood

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Rustins-Bleach-Litre-SHIPMENT-ENGLAND/dp/B005DO4NIS/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1321099002&sr=8-2

[Philly Q]

One thing I've never been clear about when trying to apply a stain and/or an oil finish:

Do you apply a coat to the whole body at once, or do one side, let it dry then do the other?

If it's the former, how do you avoid getting in a huge mess?  And if it's the latter, does it get streaky/uneven where the wet stain/oil overlaps the dry bit?

[JacksonRR]

I'll hang an object and do the whole thing. I have a six foot tall computer rack I picked up for free on Craigslist and suspend things from that with a wire coat hanger with a large fishing swivel between the half that attaches to the piece and the half that attaches to the rack. Guitars get it through the neck mounting holes or the tuners, other objects need imagination at times. I've seen people that'll make a handle for a body or neck and hold it with one hand and work the finish with the other and then hang it somewhere, but haven't tried it. That's bolt-ons though.

[WezV]

I've seen people that'll make a handle for a body or neck and hold it with one hand and work the finish with the other and then hang it somewhere, but haven't tried it.

that is what i do, it can either be hung somewhere or clamped in a vice

[Philly Q]

Thanks guys - so pretty much the same arrangement you'd have for doing a spray finish, then.