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I've been applying and sanding back the top on an OM for the past two days trying to get the right tone of amber to match the Vintage Martin look. Does anyone have a good recipe I could use? I was thinking of tinting the sanding sealer (shellac) but I keep getting splotches all over the place.
The last color I liked was three drops of amber, a tiny drop of brown and a tiny drop of red in a quarter cup of 1lb shellac.

Closest I've come so far was achieved by sealing with blond and then wiping on the tinted stuff. One little hesitation and the whole thing had to be scrapped.

I'd just tint the lacquer, but I don't want to tone the back and sides the same way as the top and don't have time to run two simultaneous finishing runs with different lacquers.

Advice will be greatly appreciated.


Thanks,

Dave

Ummm....you could try outside in direct sun light for a few days.
Or a UV tanning light for few hours.

blessings
Padma

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Audiences and dispensations on Thursdays ~ by appointment only.


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Todd,
That looks exactly like what I have in mind. The mahogany, the flamed maple binding, the whole package.
Honey amber in the lacquer huh?
I'll give it some thought.

Dave

Well, first advice is STOP!!!
Guitar tops aren't the place to try colour/finish testing. I often go through many hours of testing recipes on scrap (!!), so many drops this & that per oz.lacquer, before deciding on a final blend. (FWIW, my favorite amber is in the "5 drops amber/2 drops cherry" range. You could try it over blond or over orange shellac for different effect). I'd for sure take time to mask properly if doing different things to different areas.
Second advice PATIENCE ! If it takes you a week or more to get comfortable with a recipe and approach, so what!

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Dave
Milton, ON

Dave Stewart,
You are the voice of reason on this. I've given that advice many times, but am so pressed for time on this that I'm not listening to the voice in my head.

I'll keep your words in mind.

Dave

varnish?

Never tried varnish.

Got the right mix after a bit of trial and error.

1/4 cup Zinsser seal coat shellac
1/4 cup DA
5 drops Amber
1 drop Mahogany
1/2 drop red.

Sprayed on with hvlp gun

Love it.

At first glance I thought that was mine.

Looks great!

Whose brand of "drops" did you use?

Kevin Looker

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

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Dave
Milton, ON

A few years ago I wanted Joe White to shoot a toner that would match a 40 year old Martin Dred. Joe shot over 100 small coupons of different colors and shades in order to make the right match. We were able to match the Martin exactly as a result...so there is some merit to taking such an organized approach to this.

On the other hand, if I were seeking a one-off amber-toned guitar, I'd probably do as Todd described. I'm sure there was some practicing on scrap before he came up with that recommendation.

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JJ
Napa, CA
http://www.DonohueGuitars.com

And I am a beneficiary of JJ and Joe's hard work (see below). Dave L: Glad you got a good result after only a few iterations... Very nice, in fact.

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"Building guitars looks hard, but it's actually much harder than it looks." Tom Buck

I use trans tint honey amber too.

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