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Have a request for a tip or two

Next build is 6 string electric through neck with a carved quilted maple top (Mahogany outer body wings). The Top will feature a flamed maple binding with a black-maple-black fibre purfling. Customer wants the top be dyed a bright red transparent but with the bindings and purf remaining natural. As this is not plastic and thus will absorb dye (and thus not as easy to scrape back), what methods can be used to prevent colour bleed? Thinking of using a water based dye - then all guitar fininshed in a clear laquer.

Any thoughts/advice appreciated - have searched but cant find a thread that deals with this.

Thanks Filippo! much appreciated - knew it was going to be complex but this is very useful.

Will document the build here - as bound to be in need of a few additional tips along the way!

I'd be inclined to use a red lacquer shader for the top over sealed top and bindings. Mask the binding sides and scrape the top just like with plastic. It's hard to get a vibrant red with dyes. I've done this with scraped maple binding but not installed wood. It would be important to not have any small holes/depressions in the top binding edge that couldn't be scraped clean.

This top was hard sugar maple and not inclined to accept any dye.

Very nice! Did you clear coat over all inc bindings after tinted coats? Still a while away as still only in design stage (although woods have been purchased) but wanted to check this was all possible before agreeing final spec with customer. Thanks again. Much appreciated.

Keeping the dye off the binding is important. And there are probably quite a few ways to do it. The method Filippo suggested sounds effective. The method I have used is just as involved but different. I like to glue up the binding and purfling with hide glue. Then after the binding is made flush with the instrument, I mask the binding and the purfling by carefully applying waterborne laquer to the binding and purfling. Obviously you must not let the lacquer get on the sides, top, or back. You can mask the body off to do this or just have a super steady hand. I like to have 2 coats on the binding and purfling. In addition to the lacquer, I place masking tape over the binding and purf. as insurance to keep out the dye. When coating the binding be sure the lacquer is not too thin. A thin lacquer may soak past the binding into the body, not good. You can cut masking tape to the exact width needed by chucking a dremel disk in a drill press and use it to cut around a roll of tape. If the tape is the proper width it is much easier to use. It's not easy but I have had good results with this method.

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http://www.cushmanguitars.com/.

A man who carries a cat by the tail learns something he can learn in no other way.
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If I may expand this question slightly: I'm going to be dying a top soon and I need to prevent bleed into the rosette as well as the binding.

My plan was to (test first obviously) wipe a few coats of finishing oil carefully over the bindings and rosette, mask, and then dye... (To mask the rosette I was planning on using the popsicle stick and blade to cut a sticky label to the the right size.)

Is that likely to be sufficient? I thought being an oil finish, the water based dye wouldn't penetrate.

Frank: The shader (toner) is like 25% lacquer/75% thinner just a vehicle to get the color on but with enough film to allow you to scrape it off the top binding edge about 30minutes after spraying. That guitar was probably a single coat of red. After a day to dry, it all gets the normal clear coats. I'm talking nitro, waterbase might need some adjusting like color in sealer instead of the topcoats etc.

I too prefer shaders to actually dyeing the wood. You get better control over final color and appearance of grain and if you are unhappy at any point it can be removed and redone, not so with dye directly on wood.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

It is also worth mentioning that no matter which way you decide to go, wood selection is always the most important part of the puzzle. When choosing a wood for a decorative figure present in the grain you must learn to look at the wood and see how it will react to light when it is finished.

_________________
Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/