[tnt1234]

Hi all - couple of progress pics below of a bass I am building. Inching my way toward staining, and a question has popped up...you see on the edges there, there are layers of maple and walnut veneer and I am concerned about how to keep the stain I plan to use on the top from getting sucked into the edge grain and ruining the nice contrast there.

My original plan was to stain the top with Red Mahogany water based stain, sand that back, then do vintage amber over it. But I'm sure if I get that Red Mahogany on the edges, the nice maple veneer will turn mahogany and disappear.

Seems to me so many folks here have dealt with this issue, so hopefully someone has a suggestion...do I tightly mask off the veneers while staining the top? Or maybe tape off the top and spray shellac on the edges to seal them off first?

Thanks for the ideas in advance....

[ac4468]

I don't do much in the way of coloring my guitars but my inclination would be the following: If every part of the body is to be natural except for the top I'd mask off the TOP and spray a seal coat of either de-waxed shellac or vinyl sealer on the areas you don't want stained. The i'd reverse the masking to the body and dye or stain the top. I'd think that would prevent the bleeding much better than m asking alone. Any reveal should sand out after the entire guitar has a few coats of sealer on it.

[augustwest1]

I like Anthony's suggestion. Presumably, the veneer closest to the maple top will be walnut, so that should be a little more forgiving.

Still, I'm a big believer in testing methods before applying them.... Even a closed-grain wood like walnut will be fairly absorbent in veneer form, and I wouldn't bank on achieving the nice crisp demarcation you have in mind.

The bass looks great -- don't now!!

[gmchart]

All good ideas so far. If you can find what you like in a gel stain, that'll be easier to control. Glue up some scraps for tests.

[tnt1234]

I think I have some scraps left from cutting the body out....play around with it this weekend....

I am worried about the 'crispness' of the line there....

I'm thinking I might mask off the binding aggressively high - meaning, well into the maple top - to give me some buffer/safety zone.

Then apply the red mahogany, being careful not to go heavy near the tape. Let it dry with teh body upside down.

Sand back.

Then, go over everything, including the edges, back and laminates with vintage amber....not do a burst at all, just vintage amber over sanded back red mahogany. Still might dull the contrast of the maple veneer, but would eliminate the worry over crisp edges.