• Guys, we've spent considerable money converting the Les Paul Forum to this new XenForo platform, and we have ongoing monthly operating expenses. THE "DONATIONS" TAB IS NOW WORKING, AND WE WOULD APPRECIATE ANY DONATIONS YOU CAN MAKE TO KEEP THE LES PAUL FORUM GOING! Thank you!

Analine dye question? Am I at the right stage?

Hotshot

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2017
Messages
282
I am refinishing my 97 Studio. Its wine red ( hate it ) and beat up. I recently stripped it and now I'm at the "learn it correct stage".

I have seen that the 59s both RI and Vintage use a cherry aniline dye. What steps do I take now that i have a 400girt sanded down LP.

i-vpv9CQF-L.jpg



i-76VHm7K-L.jpg


ITs now even more clean and ready.

I believe now i use a coloured wood filler, then the dye/stain on the mahogany. Would that be correct?


Im planning on doing this right from what i see on here and on those Gibson Vids online. Im just a little unclear in the Filler / Stain / Seal stage.

This is also for me to lear some things. Familiar with spraying and airbrushing, but not Laquer

Thx Guys
 

Unstablemedic

New member
Joined
May 13, 2017
Messages
73
Looks good so far, refinish work is a pain in the ass my friend. I’ve done a few including a 1995 LP studio. I did the back and back of neck, left the top black. The aniline dye gets rubbed on the back, sides, back of neck and headstock as a grain filler for the mahogany. Once that’s done, you spray nitro clear coat. Sanding in between coats, less is more, so on and so forth. It’s very straight forward.

The top is done with clear coat nitro. For that traditional cherry sunburst, you’ll need lacquer dye to add to the clear coat bc you want it to be translucent. Start with yellow covering the entire top, then add the next color, then the next, then finish with normal clear coat. I’ve never done a sunburst finish, so maybe someone else could chime in to explain in more detail.
 

Hotshot

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2017
Messages
282
Looks good so far, refinish work is a pain in the ass my friend. I’ve done a few including a 1995 LP studio. I did the back and back of neck, left the top black. The aniline dye gets rubbed on the back, sides, back of neck and headstock as a grain filler for the mahogany. Once that’s done, you spray nitro clear coat. Sanding in between coats, less is more, so on and so forth. It’s very straight forward.

The top is done with clear coat nitro. For that traditional cherry sunburst, you’ll need lacquer dye to add to the clear coat bc you want it to be translucent. Start with yellow covering the entire top, then add the next color, then the next, then finish with normal clear coat. I’ve never done a sunburst finish, so maybe someone else could chime in to explain in more detail.

Thanks for the reply. So the dye is the grain filler for the neck/body. And sand and layer it.

Im wondering how the best Technique with no binding will be. Hopefully the dye doesn’t bleed.
 

Big Al

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
The dye is mixed in the pore filler. Use transparent tints not dye in the lacquer.
 

Hotshot

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2017
Messages
282
The dye is mixed in the pore filler. Use transparent tints not dye in the lacquer.

Apperently Gaudy In TO sells the right stuff. So you’re saying buy the dye and mix with the pour filler?

any chance you can elaborate? Not following 100%.

Theres Stewmacs Colour Tone , Local Anadine dye, and pour filler. I’m not following what goes to what?

right now I’m at the stage where I want to rub cherry ______ type stain over the mahongany. Or is it pour filler :/
 

tonar8353

Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
490

Hotshot

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2017
Messages
282
Thx for that. I’m in Canada, I’ll look up that dye. That’s what I thought. In a Gibson video I watched you see a guy mopping cherry stain/dye on a R9 like he’s mopping ribs. So I guess that was after the filler.
 

tonar8353

Member
Joined
Oct 16, 2007
Messages
490
Looks good. I like the color of the paste filler. Keep us updated with progress pictures.
 

Big Al

Well-known member
Joined
Apr 24, 2002
Messages
14,537
Thx for that. I’m in Canada, I’ll look up that dye. That’s what I thought. In a Gibson video I watched you see a guy mopping cherry stain/dye on a R9 like he’s mopping ribs. So I guess that was after the filler.

No, not after the filler. The cherry dye is mixed into the filler to create a cherry red pore filler. The rib sauce mopping is the vigorous application to the pores, then wiped off with burlap, lightly sanded and I shoot a tinted sanding sealer coat before clear coats.

I prefer color fast tints and dyes, unless you want the color to fade. Any good tint or dye that is compatable with your filler/clear coat will work. Stew Mac has great stuff.
 

Hotshot

Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2017
Messages
282
I ended up with dyes from Goudy. I belive there the same stuff as Stewmac. They were very helpful. I brought my project and my main les Paul to him and he instantly new how to get the desired effect and gues the number of coats. 60 years of making Lacquer will do that I suppose.

Check out out my thread in the USA forum. I’m documenting it all.

I am going to try floating the colour coat. Sealer coat will be applied first clear, then colour , then top.
 
Top