Official Luthiers Forum!

I am in the process of building a flat top mandolin from a plan by Scott Antes and just finished up putting the box together. I've routed for the binding and have been going back and forth about what to use. My previous plan was to use walnut as a contrast against the maple back and sides and spruce top, but then I thought, "This would be a great practice at a sunburst." Afterall aren't mandolin's famous for sunbursts?

Here's my questions.....
I am now thinking I will use either curly maple binding or ivroid binding. If I use maple binding, how much do I have to worry about the dyes bleeding to the maple, even if it is taped off. I should have said that I am hand applying since I do not have any spray equiptment, followed by a french polish. I know dyes come off ivroid easily and don't bleed into it. I have experience with a guitar dyed and bound in ivroid, but I have some really curly maple that I'd like to use.

Would it make sense to do the sunburst before putting on the binding? Maybe not a good idea since I will have to clean up glue afterwards

Any advice would be great.

I just did a sunburst on a guitar. I do have spray equipment but I did hand apply part of it to get it in the grain good. I washed coated with shelac after I taped the bindings. I had a problem with my dye stain so I sanded the back & sides till it was mostly white again.I hadn't done the top yet so I left the tape on. I then reapplied the dye stains useing colortone dyes then spray toned the rest of it.When I pulled the tape off it had bled on to the binding & purfulings (White plastic binding with b/w/b/w/b purfulings) except the top where I hadn't removed the tape. So I think my wash coat must have helped to seal the tape off.Painters do something similar with caulking to seal the tape on trim work.If I had it to do again I would wash coat the whole instrument and then spray the sunburst. I've seen a thread somewhere from fine woodworking of a guy doing a hand applied sunburst useing analine dyes mixed with water I just didn't want to put that much water on a guitar. I'll see if I can find it and get back to you.

Thanks John for the tips. I've seen the Fine Woodworkers demo, and that's what gave me the confidence to try a hand applied. Would using alcohol with say, the ColorTone dyes from Stewmac, be a good way to go for a hand applied? Would alcohol dry too fast making staining bare wood impossible? And still without a sealer coat first, am I stuck with maple binding with dye on it? If it is too much of a hassel maybe I will get the colortone tinted lacquer aerosols. Suggestions still welcome.

Disclaimer: I havne't done a 'burst

My mentour done a few hand rubbed sunburst, and I have plans too. He sealed with shellac first for 2 reasons. He said that's the only way to prevent bleeding into wood binding, and it you mess up you can sand it back off and start over.

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I didn't mean to say it, but I meant what I said.
http://www.brackettinstruments.com/

Maple bindings will be ok, just seal with shellac mask and stain.I like alcohol stains the best as they don't raise the grain like water does and penitrate well.

If I seal with shellac first and use alcohol as a carrier for the dyes, do I have to worry about it cutting through the shellac sealer coat? I may be off, but my thought would be since alcohol is shellacs solvent it wouldn't help in protecting from the bleeding?

I was wondering the same thing.

Also, to achieve this type of sunburst, would you hand rub? Would you use water or alcohol?

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Bro. Matthew A.
Oklahoma