How to stain figured Maple with Leather dye.

Sunburst using leather dyes.
In this video I'm showing how to use leather dyes on figured Maple to make the wood figure come to life.
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[@davidledford3522]

Thank you for this I am teaching myself instrument building and your vids are better than a paid school

[@HovingtonInstruments]

Glad to hear the videos are helpful David.. Sorry for the late reply, your comment was held for review...?

[@larsdahl6594]

I have enjoyed it immensely!

[@HovingtonInstruments]

Thanks for the feedback, glad you did. You might like this one too kzbin.info/www/bejne/m5WsfH2pocmcoLs

[@PaleDogToolCo]

This absolutely blew my mind. I’ve always wondered how those sunburst finishes were done. And I never would have thought of leather dye. Great video!

[@HovingtonInstruments]

Thanks Chuck! Always nice to hear that someone learn something from my videos.. thanks for watching!

[@MartinSBrown-tp9ji]

I like the shading and color blend of the staining job. It did not come out to dark. Beautiful

[@HovingtonInstruments]

Thanks Martin, I like to be able to still see the figure even with a burst... This one definitely had figure to show..

[@jlgultra1]

Tony - Great Video beautiful job on instrument !

[@fireroad6178]

Thank you for the attention to detail, and tips

[@jimnoakes9394]

A big help to all of us Tomy

[@lroscinski5046]

wow, that thing is beautiful ! great attention to detail. i have a LP kit in flamed maple on the way and cant wait to discover what the finish reveals.

[@MrWumbologist]

This is gorgeous, Tomy

[@edadpops1709]

Thanks tony, best hand applied burst tutorial on the tube.

[@HovingtonInstruments]

Thanks Edad. I really appreciate the feedback

[@dalgguitars]

Look at that grain PoP! So satisfying. Gorgeous.

[@HovingtonInstruments]

Thanks for watching!

[@andrewmyers7131]

Thanks Tomy. Carving my father a cane from curly maple and wasn’t sure how to finish it. Now I know.

[@HovingtonInstruments]

This will look great on a cane! Glad this is useful to you!

[@ToniViasetti]

thanks for this. i am going to do this on a telecaster

[@Sigi0]

such a beautiful instrument!! it's always so pleasing to watch you at work, especially when the outcome is so amazing. love it :)

[@HovingtonInstruments]

Thanks, glad to hear you enjoy my videos and how the instrument is looking. Thanks again Sigi0 for leaving a comment and following my channel .. greatly appreciated

[@krustybuzzard2477]

Your work is very meticulous . Beautifully done.

[@HovingtonInstruments]

Thanks Krusty!

[@brentcrouse1116]

very interesting and informative .. I see you use methyl hydrate to dilute the dyes but the instructions call for denatured alcohol. Does that work just as well because I'm having a hard time finding denatured alcohol. Thanks.

[@mosca3]

I love the sfumato black around the edges.

[@HovingtonInstruments]

Thank you!

[@rodneykiemele4721]

Excellent Video Thanks so much

[@HovingtonInstruments]

You are welcome Rodney! Glad you enjoyed it!

[@gregmartin1757]

Hey Tomy.nice work.i been using transtint and colortone dyes on maple with good results .never tried leather dyes but you seem to using them with good results I have seen others use leather dyes with good results also. so maybe I will give em a try.

[@bosephusjr]

Looks AWESOME!!! Thank you for sharing & especially.. THANK YOU FOR NOT PUTTING BACKGROUND MUSIC IN YOUR VIDEO!!!!!!

[@matthewjamestaylor]

Beautiful

[@HovingtonInstruments]

Thanks Matthew

[@james4878]

What are you using as a solvent to mix the dyes with?

[@sergioderderian16]

👍👍👍great job..... could you french polish a hand rubbed sunburst without making à mess...??

[@HovingtonInstruments]

If you can somehow spray the first few coats, maybe.. never tried it. On a dyed finish I use lacquer...

[@martinv8835]

It looks like John frusciante stratocaster 62 sunbusrt tone! Great! Would like to know colors !

[@JelSnel]

Very helpful video, thank you! I plan on staining a maple open back banjo like this. I'd like the end result to be a little darker to contrast the brass hardware of the instrument. Which colour/colours of dye would you recommend using?

[@HovingtonInstruments]

I would recommend testing the different colours with wood leftovers. It’s really the only way to narrow to the colour you want ..

[@frankeuvino3622]

I just did a leather dye sunburst stain on my ‘cello build, thanks to your tutelage! Looks pretty good too! So about scraping the binding, you said you do this after a coat of lacquer? Is that to protect the stained wood?

[@HovingtonInstruments]

The lacquer binds to the stain and make it easier to scrape off. * it does NOT provide any protection to the wood. If you scrape too far in or scratch the wood, it will show the bare wood and will be noticeable. Scrape after you applied lacquer and you’ll get better results. Hope this helps. Have you shared any pictures online? Would love to see your ’cello ...

[@frankeuvino3622]

Thanks Tomy. I haven't posted any pictures on line yet, but I'll send you some via email. I'm using a water based liquor from Target coatings. looks like I can do more coats/day and polish in much less time, and help save the environment. I'll let you know how it goes. Cheers, Frank@@HovingtonInstruments

[@gregday3500]

Great job Tomy! What shades of Fiebing’s did you use? Ive only used the medium brown and got a wine stain red as my darkest shade, fading in with denatured alcohol cut dye at varying strengths.

[@HovingtonInstruments]

Hi Greg, thanks for watching!! Like I’ve mentioned in the video, I don’t want to detail all the colours I used for this colouring. It’s my most popular one. I wanted to share the process and the how to. This way, by knowing how, people can come up with their own mix and colour schemes. I do end most of my staining with the black and most people are scared thinking it will be too dark but like you’ve mentioned Denatured alcohol works wonders.

[@gregday3500]

I completely understand. Just knowing that straight black can get opaque enough to show figure is a good enough hint ;) Such great work, I’ve watched every video. I’m doing an archtop guitar to mandocello conversion and your ebony binding video was an inspiration, albeit a scary process!!

[@HovingtonInstruments]

Nice!! I’m currently working on a set of set of k4 but with aperture instead of a sound hole. Are you making something similar to a K5? How high is your rib section? I drew mine at 4” . It’s a lot taller than the original k4 but my octave mandolin has about the same interior volume as the k4. I figured It should be closer to an actual Cello. Any video or pics of your process? I would love to see your instrument.

[@gregday3500]

It’s actually a harmony H52 archtop I’m converting. Ribs are 2.75” so very thin body, 16” lower bout. When I’m done with this one I plan to build an octave from scratch and make it right. Maybe a two point! Are you on Mandolin Cafe?

[@greenrumour]

Beautiful. I have just finished with the ombre or burst stain on the guitar Im refinishing using Angelus leather dye, Are you using a sanding sealer or going straight into the laquer finish?

[@HovingtonInstruments]

Thanks, when I’m done applying the leather dyes, I spray a thin coat of lacquer to set the dyes and allow me to scrape the binding. Once the binding is scrapped I spray the lacquer on. Only sanding done is to level the lacquer. Not sanding the Dyes.

[@martinv8835]

I Will try : yellow + Russel + black Hope it will be ok Thx

[@staffansvahn]

Hi Tomy! Thank you for your wonderful videos. Can I french polish after I have stained my guitar? Best wishes Staffan

[@HovingtonInstruments]

This is a tricky one... short answer yes you can.. long answer, the issue here is only the seal coat ( first layer of shellac) . Shellac flakes are diluted in denatured alcohol, the same DA used to move the dyes on the body and mix them together. You have to be aware of the chance of Colour bleeding. I personally never attempted it but have been asked this question quite a few times now. And I’m thinking about making a few tests for future builds.

[@staffansvahn]

Hello! Thank you for your kind answer. When I get to this stage in my build I will practice on scrap wood to see if I can get a good result. Thank you once again for taking your time to answer. Best wishes

[@kayasper6081]

@@staffansvahn I am curious to your results with applying the shellac over the stained wood?

[@jipes]

Great job I'm always worried how dark the stain goes very fast but I'm sure you know how to handle this fear ;o)

[@HovingtonInstruments]

The first few times I was scared and unsure, but like everything else, the more you do something the easier it gets. Thanks for watching

[@okiwatashi2349]

Hi Tomy, do you fill the grain of the top?

[@HovingtonInstruments]

Hi Oli, grain filling is done on porous woods such as Walnut, rosewood etc, and is very easy to visually see the need to fill. For that instance I would use pumice to fill. In this case , Spruce Top and maple back and sides, filling was not necessary. Thanks for watching

[@okiwatashi2349]

Sorry, what I meant was, sealing the “end grain” from the carving. I’ve made a couple of violins and was taught to fill the top before varnish. I guess it’s not necessary? I filled it with gelatin, I’d be very happy to find out that it’s not necessary. Thanks for taking the time to reply.

[@HovingtonInstruments]

Oh, well on a mandolin, as you can see there’s binding around covering the end grain. So I guess in a way it is sealed from the glue used to install the binding. I also believe it would make sense on a violin to seal around the end grain, I would think it would prevent cracks.

[@walterrider9600]

thank you Tomy . ha i knew that broken band saw blade would come in handy just was not sure what. oh why leather dye ? have you ever used tung oil on an instrument ?

[@HovingtonInstruments]

Thanks Walter, leather dye used to be how the instrument were stained back in those days. Just like how they apply and the results. Tung oil would not create the desired effect unfortunately. I used tung oil on other projects but never on a instrument..

[@walterrider9600]

is tung oil too heavy ? for guitars then ?

[@HovingtonInstruments]

No, I’ve seen people use it on electric body mostly but could also be used on acoustic. Does not offer a lot of protection to the surface but can be used.

[@walterrider9600]

thank you

[@walterrider9600]

thank you

[@dsbeesapiaryupdate8759]

Wow.

[@DeplorablePepe]

As soon as you said you didn't want to disclose the colors, I quit watching.