Ep 3 - How to Use Stunning Stains by Crimson Guitars - A Demonstration in Blue

[@philfyphil]

Ben, tip. Dye the whole thing black first then sand back so that the black stays in the grain, then continue with the main colour. That's what I did with that custom Telecaster that you did a bit of work on and filmed for one of your videos. If you want a bit of a burst then sand back the middle more than the edges to get that blend.

[@guyreddoor4931]

Need to add character and depth to the guitar figure in the wood

[@behemothokun]

Can you mix the stains? You know, to get some intermediate colours before trying to rub them on.

[@ciri151]

ofcourse you can :)

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Absolutely! 100% mixable if you fancy it.

[@chrisw1460]

+NightPanda never believe anything a panda says

[@jasonpoole7327]

+Behemothokun Exactly what I was wondering. Saved me asking.

[@Inigo566]

worked in the furniture trade as a finisher for many years, the coloured stains are always the hardest to put on well , we used spray equipment to apply the stain but it was a lot of work by hand to get it even and looking good, also with the lighter colours the pigment only shows up when it's finished, so many times people made it far to white, acrylic was the main ingredient with water content being very low always take care what you thin water based strains down with , water and wood not always happy with each other as you know.

[@chrislawson7106]

For the white stain I recently saw that ormsby guitars use a light black stain first to darken the grain and figuring sanded it down and then used a white stain and got pretty fantastic results.

[@JackstandJohnny]

Just a little tip when coloring/painting/staining its usually best to go from light to dark colors, not dark to light! It makes blending much easier! I love those stains either way.

[@paulbateman81]

Just received my aqua blue water based dye today from you guys and done two coats on my mahogany lp double cut styled guitar. The neck is maple and the colour is lovely. Kinda looks like denim on the mahogany. Just trying to work out what to sand it with before I lacquer it? I’m not gonna grain fill it as I prefer that vibe.

[@123brummer]

Hi Ben, Thoroughly enjoy your videos btw. I'm a builder (as in construction not "guitar builder") and through personal experience with wood and decorative finishes I have never applied stain's across the grain, always with the grain. To be honest on this guitar and the SG you did in the previous video I can still tell where you have overlapped. Why not go with the grain, surely the overlapping lines will hide better with the grain? I can appreciate e that on this example of bursting on the Tele that would be harder but not impossible. Could you perhaps re-sand this test guitar and show us the difference between staining with and across the grain? Maybe a very "thinned" sealer applied first to hinder the absorbency of the substrate would make the finish more controllable, i.e. keep the stain wetter whilst blending? All the best. Wayne

[@HBSuccess]

+123brummer Like you I've spent about 3 decades in construction/woodworking and now tinker with luthiery. Totally agree with you - IMO you will always get a better and more consistent job working with , not against the grain - with one exception. Neither of these demo guitars are streak free and would have looked much better had Ben gone with the grain. The exception is when clearcoats and pore fills have already been applied, and the stain is being applied on top of that - like Gibson and other production shops often do. In those cases it's usually colored lacquer or lacquer-based stain - and they are sprayed, so it makes no difference on grain direction. Hand-rubbed finishes - OK to apply oil against the grain but should always be flashed-off with the grain THe water-based stains - no way would I go against the grain - ever. Way too easy to leave lap marks and holiday (thin) spots.

[@JgHaverty]

+123brummer Using an analine dye and a stain are two very different things. Staining pine is a bitch to do anyway, and this is purely a demo. Hes clearly rushing through it, and using alcohol will get rid of any witness lines on an analine based dye. There will be almost no difference in appearance with the different methods.

[@123brummer]

JgHaverty Interesting. I have tried many different methods of applying stains, oils, shellac etc but with each method (when I say method I mean the brush vs cloth vs tissue paper etc) I always go with the grain, to me (or my technique perhaps) it just seems like the safer and better thing to do. Are you saying that with aniline dyes you will get better results by going across the grain instead of with the grain? I don't mean to sound facetious, I genuinely want to know? Always eager to learn more etc.

[@JgHaverty]

123brummer Disclaimer -> turns out this dye is water based, not analine like I thought; but the application is 100% the same. I explain why below I will say, I do NOT work with pine, its too soft, and staining/dying it is going to be a difficult endeavor to begin with. Varying density in the pine makes staining difficult, and you get blotchy results unless you go through a huge ordeal. That said, working with figured maples (primarily), and other light colored hardwoods (ash, etc), I have tried everything under the moon, even pen ink and food coloring (Which works great btw lol). The most important step I have found is raising the grain with water (read up on it) before you stain to get the best effect. analine dye goes on pretty evenly, and its really difficult to screw up. Orientation of application makes little to no difference with dyes, because its so thin and saturates the wood pretty evenly anyway. I'll make a separation for you here - "dyes" are made from a pigment added to a solvent, can be water, alcohol, oil, etc. - "stains" are a film forming colorant to "tint" the light not the wood itself. Yes the wood invariably gets color, but not like from a dye. So you can basically work the dye IN to the wood, not like stain sitting on TOP of the wood. Big difference in looks and aesthetics. *Application* -> you will find most luthiers and professional shops (EBMM, PRS, etc) start in the middle of the body and work out the edge. They rarely start at the bottom or sides.

[@jeffsmithies2583]

hoping you can help a total newb. i have some water based dye "Tabacco" color & I am unsure what grit i should sand the body down to & do i put on a finish like polyurethane before i apply the dye? what do you for the very finish? do you have a write-up on it? cheers, ty 4 the video btw :)

[@chrisa933]

Hi, im looking to buy some of your stains , can you tell me plz, The more I add of the colour will it get darker, I'm looking at a black back and side burst into a deep electric style blue , fading into turquoise and then into a green centre. Will this be achievable with these three colours, or any advice u could give would be brilliant, Also will the colours pop out more after oil or clearcoat is applied. keep up the good work,. Ty

[@jonq8714]

What would happen if the guitar surface was pre-wet before applying the stain? This is how watercolor paints work to achieve their blends and gradations...

[@basstone7121]

can you do a video of the purple with a black stain initial coat sanded back just enhance the grain

[@fernandovillavicencio927]

In my experience it's better to pre-wet the wood to get a better fade between shades. Also you could dilute some of the color in water to get a better fade as well, and to finish, its better to use the rag or tissue making little circles in the fade areas

[@eyesrajones]

I love your videos Ben, and I would love for you to do a build where you focus on showing traditional woodworkers how they could build a guitar. I have a feeling a lot of your viewers are in that position, myself included. I make mostly furniture and would love to make my own guitar but don't really know where to begin.

[@MrBillUp]

+Robert Jones Ben has literally hundreds of videos on his channel showing exactly that. Better still, join the Crimson Guild at www.crimsonguitars.com

[@yourselfbch]

How do you blend or hide that knot in the wood so you don't see it 🤔

[@skorkmaz]

Just ordered 2 bottle of stain. Ben, how does the stain look on mahogany? Especially black. Have you tried before?

[@yourselfbch]

So after you stain it and after you put the oil on. Than do you do a nitro finish ?

[@adrianlivesey]

I would like to achieve a finish similar to the Epiphone Silver fox finish. can you help by recommending a wood and stain to achieve close to this?

[@michaelsalazar8779]

Curious, i thought when staining wood, it's best to go with the grain and not across the grain.... am i wrong?

[@YourMoralCompas]

would it be possible to instead go from button up go around the body and have a prs style fade into the body? maybe out white as a first layer to make the wood pop? (I'm a complete novice)

[@eliaszavala1765]

How would I go about removing the finish and maybe stain of a guitar? I want to buy an epiphone SG for the purpose of repainting it and don't want to paint over it. How should I go about this process?

[@kennysylvia773]

very cool what grit sequemce did you use please and be safe

[@Garrett-In-Canada]

curious what would you have used for a sealer Danish oil? Im working on a project using your dyes and yes the Purple is really great

[@JUSTYNRAVE]

Hi Ben. Do you’ll still sell the white stains? Can’t find it on crimson guitars site.

[@theultimaterockr]

The purple looks fantastic

[@spidaminida]

I wonder if you could treat the dye like watercolour and do drips of plain water or dye to make splotches?

[@blackflyguitarshop2161]

Would it be possible to make a charcoal grey stain?

[@JordanKiener]

I would expect that getting the black and white and mixing would achieve any grey you wanted.

[@Ivan_Ardon]

Hi Guys, just been chewing something over in my mind...Would it be feasible to take a guitar body and neck, soak it in stain and then let it cure over a few days/weeks and then wax finish? Would that effect the tone or cause issues later on down the line?

[@TNTales]

Do you think you could do a sort of burst finish? Like a light inner color to dark outer color? Or would the look be too inconsistent?

[@Deebz270]

A 'burst' finish on a pine Tele, would look kinda weird. But would look stunning on a figured top.

[@alphamilkrecordings8974]

Is it cool to mix water based dye with water based stain?

[@adsertheblade]

i had a go myself after watching your video with some resin pigment i have around the house. I have no idea how it compares to your stunning stains, but i got some cool results...depending on the colour mixture and wood type, of course. I managed to destroy some splendid grain, but accentuate some rather poor grain. Like you say, it's all experimentation

[@levicarlisle3042]

How much darker would the purple be on a mahogany body as opposed to the spruce?

[@williamtraver8025]

Does the type of wood determine if you need water based or oil based stain?

[@mhmtksnc]

What kind of paint in to the bottle ?

[@Nico-ee2hi]

Wich sandpaper size i should use to pre sand my body ?

[@Bizman62]

What if...Instead of adding colour to colour and then trying to make them mix with water, you'd fade the edge of the previous stripe with water before adding the next one?

[@sebleloop]

Man! While doing a shading, always apply the lightest color first! Basics from art...

[@stealthracer]

Great ... I really wanna try a purpleburst now!!

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Go for it :) B

[@PushSueAside]

I don't know if you are still reading these comments. I've bought your stains and have stained a mahogany bass in this type of fashion, striped purple, blue and green. My question is, do you have any tips on finishing this with a wipe on high gloss finish?

[@djsinergy]

Were did you get the stain

[@JamesWalshBristolKids]

I like this tutorial. My wife says: "Shouldn't one go with the grain when applying the stain colour ?"

[@WolverineBeast86]

Yeah and its driving me crazy!!

[@clivewetherley-moody3209]

can these stains be sprayed on?

[@jtjones73]

That royal blue and purple are amazing! I was expecting the purple to be... less than exciting, but I was wrong.

[@Deebz270]

I think it was more of a 'cobalt blue' .

[@Fili2009able]

Can you stain maple wood ?

[@michaelkorn361]

Which finishing oil from the store should I get for a matte/ satin finish?

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

they will both get that finish, it is just a question of stopping at the right time.. if you only want one then go with the high build imo.. and thanks for your support! B

[@189harvesterofsorrow]

that purple is absolutely gorgeous!

[@mwarnken1234]

i think a bit of dry brushing the edges of the colors out maybe even with a sea sponge would blend them... they look a bit banded

[@FastLikePuma]

Did you ever test the white stain?

[@jasonsapp792]

Just ordered some Stunning Shots for a PRS Singlecut top I had a local "luethier" refinish... In quotations because the outcome from his work is highschool level ability , even though he had good reviews... So with your stain, your tutorials I am going to tackle it myself , as I should have likely in the first place... Wish me luck!!

[@stephengent9974]

IMO for water based stain you really need to work wet in wet to get a blend. I guess it would look better on more figured wood.

[@brokevet]

Throw away instrument... You can send me a Tele style body like that anytime you are going to throw it away.

[@mattterrell4304]

C. Ward I was thinking the exact same thing. I am fully willing to be their trashcan

[@NachoManRandySandwich]

Matt Terrell even if I never used it for a build I think it would look pretty good hanging up on the wall

[@Kinopio710]

Right ? I’ll pay for shipping

[@Jamieip]

How does one request custom colours? Is it more expensive?

[@vandahm]

That purple is amazing!

[@chrisfleming9251]

Got the white and orange through today. Did a few tests and both work well on the tulipwood I'm using. I'd say the white is pretty spot on, goes on nice and smooth. It may need a few coats, but the fact that it goes on evenly means you are able to get it to the level of opacity you desire without worrying about streaks that I've seen with other white staining methods. Any thicker and I think this my be an issue.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Thank you for letting us know, I often think that I'm a little too close to my designs and concoctions to be objective and outside perspectives are really very very valuable.. Now, tulipwood? I've been meaning to build with that for ages, really fine gain for carving, how does it sound?

[@borjesson2]

It says on your store that you don't offer the kit stuff. Is that out of date then?

[@whoDatBeDare]

How can I mix up a navy blue stain

[@overtone85]

Have you discontinued the white stain? I used it with great success on bleached alder!

[@NeZversSounds]

It would be grate to have small bottles of all colors in amount that each color could do the job on one or two guitar so it's possible to test them and have enough for first job and easy to see which color to order in big bottle. P.S. I was bit worried of price, but when I looked I was really pleased to know that I could afford bottle when time comes.

[@Deebz270]

It would be *great* .... But as it stands, it grates on one's nerves somewhat. ;-/

[@ronnierreynolds4218]

Hi Ben !! Great video ! Strange as it may seem ? I knew the ‘carriage restorer ‘ who worked at Chatsworth house ‘ all his life ,, his favourite method was to use leather dye ,, funnily enough ,, his n as me was Ben !!! Top stuff ! Ronnie ! ✌️❤️😆

[@amazonquest2012]

do you do a pink dye, I am a guitar builder and am doing a PRS style guitar in figured maple. I already have your finishing oil and would like to try the stains.

[@Billp19733]

I just went on your website. Did you decide against building kits?

[@simonralston4545]

I'm looking to get an intense vivid blue on an Ash body. Haven't had much luck so far, all the blues I've bought look a little violet not proper intense blue. There any important differences between dyes and stains? Is one more intense than the other?

[@JohnDoe-ue9gv]

Hey. Great tutorial. Is it possible to put a few coats of gloss transparent lacquer on it? Does it need any primer?

[@coolciaran69]

How dark does your black stain go, kind of wanting a nearly black matte finish but light enough to see the wood grain.

[@williamb4652]

I have a dirt cheap basswood Strat kit body I’m going to stain black. I’m going to try one coat, then sand back to accentuate the grain, then another coat, then finishing oil

[@Saixtanwar]

Hi Ben, I want to colour the top of my ES339, I really only want to sand down the top, should I stick with spray lacquer or can the top be oiled with the sides remaining varnished ?

[@joolz989]

Please tell me that you will be making left handed kits!

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

+joolz989 Yes ;D

[@joolz989]

Hurrah! I know if it's anything like the tools I have purchased from you it's going to be excellent!

[@eldavidos79]

Hello, can you test your orange stain with oil? I am thinking abot using it in my jazzmaster project with ebony pickguard. I realy like youre channel, thank you :)

[@jamesmcknight4]

Would you make a sea foam green stain

[@almfoto]

I like the purple, although it's really not my color choice. I'm planning on doing a blue thru turquoise fade. Kinda like a Blue Giant.

[@vedant5000]

shouldn't the lighter colors should go on first.. that way the stain can spread evenly...??

[@EvanFifesMusic]

vedant gaikwad nope

[@lmcf_gtr]

Evan Fife actually yes. If you put the white stain across the whole body and let it try, the other stains will look darker and more prominent, as well as blending the borders between colours.

[@EvanFifesMusic]

Luke Mcfarlane it's important to allow the stain that you WANT to show through..even mixing the colors and blends early would be better. but three layers starting with white all over would not give you better colors. I promise you

[@jamiedavison13]

Made me think of old beach huts with the stain you did on this. Maybe even old vw camper van with surf boards on the roof. I know what i would have done with this body. I would have used an old american style number plate as a scratch plate. And given it that rustic surfers/beach hut vibe to it.

[@IhabIAmer]

The one thing that impresses me about this young man (relatively of course) that he does take chances and this is something I deeply admire and respect. Good trial and I believe things would even get better and I have these quick inquiries 1) Do you have to use Shellac to use prior to that stain?, 2) when would the kit guitars be available on the shop? 3) There were a superb variety of templates on the website, then they were removed! When were those be available? Ben has always been generous with his knowledge and experience and now it is time to support him to the upmost in return...all the best..

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

Thank you for you kind words, I really do appreciate them! I use the strain straight onto bare wood, it doesn't seem to blotch though I haven't tried it on the worst wood for that phenomenon. The templates are all up on the site again now that the big cnc is running, I also have plans planned :) for each of the guitars featured. The kit Guitars will be available for preorder in the next week.. We're still moving into the new workshops which will allow us to make them efficiently.. Do you have anything in particular in mind?

[@IhabIAmer]

+Crimson Custom Guitars ...Great to hear and inspiry to watch you growing, it is exquisite to witness the passion manifested into a successful business. To answer your question, I have a Les Paul in mind, followed by a Jazz Bass, a SG then a tele followed by a Gibson ES 335 and EDS (forgot the number) the double neck one, a Rickenbaker .... When those are done we shall go to the hollowbody ones.... I suppose you're not the only one with a mounting passion, keep it up with the quality of products augmented with passion. And thank you for the effectiveness in an effectiveless world.

[@TesserId]

Any reason not to use it in a spray or air brush?

[@MusicMan642]

Spraying a stain like this would leave a splotchy finish. This is what's called a "penetrating stain" by rubbing the stain on it allows it to soak into the grain. Spraying would cause it to dry before sinking in.

[@TesserId]

+Michael Fenton, Thnx.

[@maxmoves64]

your Videos are extremely useful and will surely invest in your goods soon but can you post to Austria?

[@ANDYB1478]

I've made some stunning stains in my underwear.

[@calebengland77]

Any pics?

[@claymationwaves]

Any tutorials?

[@jesussavesrick]

From this video I learned to only use circular motions when applying stain.

[@Webgkil]

Maybe you should sell the bottles with a color sticker on the cap, corresponding to the stain inside? That would make things when working with a lot of bottles on the bench (like in this video) a lot easier.

[@CrimsonCustomGuitars]

We do put spots on the label at the front of the bottle.. I'm just useless :(

[@Webgkil]

"Useless"... Yeah well, I have nothing to do with guitar making or woodworking at all (dentist) but Im following your channel since 2013 and watching your vids somewhat religiously so... Useless I'd say not!!! :P Still, colored spots on the cap seem usefull (I know my airbrush colors have that, and it helps)

[@anthonyroach7974]

Orders some look great .make your own Art work with colours .Translucent whits make a nice base coat .very nice

[@pitujet68]

wouldn't it be a good idea to mix the different colors just following the lines of the wood itself? I think that the natural lines of wood could make the fading of colors one-to-another easily... (although I am not an expert!)

[@henryboyle4295]

220 grit?

[@lrstaf6]

I like all the stains, just not mixed. Still learned form your video. Thanks.

[@jackwoods58]

Does Tania use this as a hair dye or were the colours matched to her hair? They're so close it's uncanny! Both look great by the way!

[@jackwoods58]

Well I should have watched the whole video before asking...

[@yugrusretep]

If you rub a tiny little bit of water on between the colours first they will blend better. Also working in both directions is good. I am a watercolourist.

[@jimdot7902]

Great colors

[@AnthonyJanflone]

Ben, Do you ship your oils and stains to the USA?

[@cameronfarrell9076]

hey ben, the stains look great. although imo i think you should go back to the drawing board with the translucent white, if it was more opaque but still translucent enough to show the grain underneath it i would be very interested in using it in the future. also when you do other experiments could you try staining the wood black first, sanding it back so only the really smexy grain is accentuated then go over it with the white?

[@llorenzplca]

wich sandpapir do you use before stain?

[@michaelinsley1059]

Very nice crimson. 😎😍

[@Venge94]

is that a pine body? :O

[@wykydgt]

I've done some refinishing on guitars but was always afraid of stains. After watching this, I believe I need to try a purple to dark blue fade on my Monterey. Great video, Ben.

[@dowrow6898]

is that a VW body shape??

[@behemothokun]

+Dow Row What? VW as in Volkswagen?

[@dowrow6898]

+Behemothokun well, i dont know what vw stands for, but there is a guitar body shape called like that :D

[@behemothokun]

Dow Row that body shape just looks like a normal Tele to me.

[@dowrow6898]

+Behemothokun maybe :D

[@karatepanda1]

Hi Ben, those colours look amazing! I was wondering if you were planning on any making any bass guitar kits? Specifically Rickenbacker 4003 or Fender Jazz style basses. I would love to try and make a purple rickenbacker! Thanks! :)

[@dustydreams5940]

Thanks to this I was able to do a similar stain on my own guitar

[@Uncle_Buzz]

A STEAL at ten bucks a bottle. Stunning indeed! Cheers, Chris

[@asphaltcowboy3286]

Ben. Id rather send you my carvin dc400 for a fret job, however you did sell me on the purple and royal blue stain. Now for the love of god please go finish the 90 hour build its killing me haha

[@kingmichael5446]

Is there any talk in the future about making smaller bottle stains? I'm contemplating building a Kit Guitar but I don't fancy having 3/4 of a bottle of stain left sitting around. :) Also, hurry up and upload the rest of the Clarity playlist! I've run out of interesting things to watch when I should be doing work. :*

[@SakariKempas]

Are brown and orange requested? If not, please do consider them! I've been thinking of making a... I mean ordering a tele body and neck, making it 2-tone burst, orange base and brown sides.. or maybe 3-tone and blending some black in as well.. Gah, my brain is going to explode.

[@1961jscofield]

Why didn't your stain actually color all the wood and left all those bare lines in the grain uncolored completely?

[@MrBillUp]

+JH Scofield Its a stain, not a dye.

[@1961jscofield]

Ah, okay then.

[@MrBillUp]

+JH Scofield Maybe if Ben used the Black stain he sells over the whole Guitar first, and then sanded it back to bare wood, then go over the Guitar with the different colours, the grain would pop. It works with Black wood dye. You do need to remember though this is a cheap bit of B@Q wood lol, and not something Crimson would ever make a Guitar out of to sell.

[@wesleywhite9782]

can you ship stains to the USA ?

[@A1BASE]

If you don't already know, yes. I got a pack of the full 12 to California.

[@johne7100]

The faded blue (and the white, come to that) isn't dense enough, and the purple/dark-blue fade needs to be more subtle - maybe not a straight line. I'd maybe mirror the shape of the guitar a bit more.

[@esseff55]

I was very interested in using this stain and sent an email regarding compatibility with grain fillers. 'We are always ready to talk through your wildest custom guitar ideas and are prepared to dedicate as much time to your dream guitar as it takes,' said your web page. Really! After no answer in more than a week I bought a different finish elsewhere, which arrived in three days. Pretty poor customer service, Crimson Guitars.

[@thomaswiencek4257]

Learning so much. Now I know what I did wrong !