Masterclass for a 1st time stainer: Midnight Blue on a Paulownia Body

[@mjremy2605]

I do a lot of wood restoration for antiques and furniture. I love Paulownia (Kiri) wood since I love Japanese Tansu. Your work with water dyes and brilliant color gives me ideas on how to refinish a salvaged Japanese ironing board cabinet made with Paulownia. Two of these were thrown in the dump and its so hard to find Kiri wood, plus these are vintage pieces that need rescuing. The wood is very white, fragile, and easy to break or scratch. The plus side is that it is lightweight - so great for an RV, and insect and water proof. With this white wood, I find it enhances the grain to use a blow torch and lightly toast it. It gives it some definition. I learned a lot about staining, watching you work with a rag instead of a brush, much more control. I also never thought of steel wood for dusting off excess and adjusting it. Good ideas! The shading with black turned out lovely! I've never used Velvit Oil either. Apparently it is a penetrating resin + oil like Danish Oil or Tung Oil finishes. This does give a softer finish but is not robust. I prefer making my own Wipe On Poly and using it over a stained piece. I do not like the gummy finish of Danish oils like Watco brand. They also yellow the wood over time. For all those using Wipe On Poly, make your own. Oil Based Poly + Mineral Spirits in 50/50 combo or thinner. Soaks into the wood, hardening and sealing of soft woods, and you wipe off (smear) excess, so it looks natural and not shiny and slick. Use a Satin finish. fyi VELVIT OIL, not VELVET oil as per can label.

[@slyfur]

Starting my first kit now. I love your videos. This is going to be tough for me since I'm red/green colorblind. :) Thanks for the great instruction!

[@BassRocket]

I tend to prefer the look and feel of the finished product when a filler is carefully applied. I like the finished product that a filler can produce because you have some degree of control as far as how much time you spend and how thick the filler is applied. You can produce variations of how smooth the surface feels. You can also achieve texture and transparency variations which I enjoy looking at the natural beauty of the grain in the wood. It’s nice to see transparent smooth wood grain in the flow of the edges and the flat surfaces of the guitar. With that said, I enjoy watching your videos, seeing your preferred techniques and methods in achieving your desired end results.

[@ChrisFranklyn]

It's the levels of finessing and fiddling that elevates it above the blotchy mess that I usually come up with to something pro level. Cheers for that Derek.

[@coppulor6500]

yeah. same here. Derek is a stain master

[@rebelcat420]

Interesting way to see bursts done. I’ve always seen (and done) the stain black, sand back, then put the colors and burst for the edges in the lacquer itself. Looks great though! May have to try that way sometime!

[@briansimpson8116]

Another excellent result, Derek.

[@dalgguitars]

Happy wife, happy life. True words brotherman!

[@pamcarr4003]

Nice job BigD, nice job! Thanks for a great vid! 💜 Pam

[@mikhafares2509]

Youre an great teacher, i gonna buy this month my prs kit and for sure, will be like this tele🤝. Thanks teacher

[@titmusspaultpaul5]

Looks fantastic.... very well done mate. Cheers.

[@bigdguitars]

Many thanks

[@SkyscraperGuitars]

There's always a point where I think... "He's not going to bring this one back." And then it ends up looking awesome.

[@ChrisFranklyn]

Yeah, starts off with "Well that just looks like something I'd do... ". Later on... "Damn! that's good".

[@andreasschneider4859]

Totally agree! It starts nice and easy, then it looks like sh*t and in the end it's just stunning! Those are awesome videos and they make me want to buy a blank guitar body for no other reason than just to stain it ;)

[@Jeremya74]

Trust the process

[@everready19373]

In July of 21 I pulled and old Global bass guitar out of the trash and refinished it. It play quite well. Now I have a bug to make one from a kit so I just ordered one last night. This is THE video I was looking for blue on black is what I want to do. Thanks!

[@paulcowart3174]

Good stuff I just started on my first Nice light WD alder body w a quilt maple top Very old Warmoth compound slab neck for it...I went with a honey brown Top looks great w only a single coat Back and sides needs a good 2nd sand or maybe steel wool Might try a Gibson cherry red over it or burst the edges I can redo the back and sides But the top looks amazing but will probably sand and another coat My main question is what will make the top stain flame pop out Thanks I really love stain as opposed to coats of paint Sounds better IMO

[@bobbyb1607]

Nicd technique. Gotten good ideas from you. I bought an old Mexican Tele online for $200, replaced the pickups. Installed locking tuners, replaced the volume and tone and replaced the 3way switch with a 4way switch. It sounds really good and I don't have much into it, about $550. I'm thinking about stripping the paint, wine red, and doing something to the body. Leaving the wood and using oil on it. maybe dent and ding it up and putting a belly cut and a forearm cut like a Strat. We'll see how it turns out. If I ruin it I can always make another body. Cancel

[@JTD33]

Would be awesome if you could do a traditional (Fender style with black edges and red, yellow or orange in the burst?) sunburst by all stains or at least the non-black parts. All the tutorials on KZbin are 100% spray so pretty sure a stain alternative would be hugely popular. Tried looking around your channel for one but couldn't find...

[@TomBaddley]

I'd second this suggestion. I've got a PBass that I want to do in 3 color sunburst, but I really don't want to spray.

[@unaffected420]

How would I achieve the beautiful stain you have on this guitar with a smooth/glossy finish? Clear coating, sanding and repeat? Impressed by your work! Love the results!

[@danielnugent7046]

I'd really like to see a Red and Black version of this.

[@jeffcomeau4680]

Thanks... I’ve learned so much from your videos. I had great success with a Paulownia body, slightly charring it with a blowtorch and then wipe on poly. The wood grain really pops and has great texture. I love how resonant and extremely light weight the Paulownia is. Keep up the great content!

[@richardcarpenter154]

Yes perfect

[@richardcarpenter154]

Gotta use circle motion on all then wipe off stain and sand

[@richardcarpenter154]

I've done 50 guitars with brush and looks awesome

[@richardcarpenter154]

He's got too many straight edges

[@davidwalts8851]

Thank you for your videos! Watching you has given me the courage to stain my own bodies. My question has to do with the bodies from China. I remember in a previous review you did of the Les Paul copies from China where you mentioned that the wood used on them was not dry so the bodies warp. Do you have the same concern with the bodies like the one in this video? If so would it be beneficial to dry the bodies in an oven before beginning to work on them? Thanks, David

[@michaelmullins3005]

Have you ever tried flames with stain, and incorporate wood grain?

[@richardcarpenter154]

Wipe standoff after each gives it a soft cloud look after each lackhur steel wool then apply another

[@brettneuberger6466]

Looks great. What’s the next step?

[@Chuck-Bob]

So. Do I want to stain > grain fill > spray? Or grain fill > stain > spray?

[@volkiruski1221]

For the moment I only use Paulowina bodies, now I use the tatoo ink, but next week I start the first time with the Angelus stains, I bought Yellow, Red and Black, Its nice to see how it will look like, thank you Derek.

[@donvanco3078]

You can source "premium" paulownia, including from sources right here in the US - but they charge so much you can spend a few more bucks and get a more "traditional" hardwood. There is a sustainability aspect to paulownia that's advantageous for the "green conscious" - but then, poplar/tulip poplar/basswood are the same in that regard. Personally I never touch this stuff unless I pre-treat it with something like shellac or Seal-a-Cell. If nothing else it "hardens" it up to the point where you can sand on it and not lose your mind, and it really helps expose scratches - and this stuff LOVES to scratch after sanding.

[@DrFantomas1]

Hi, I’m following the tutorial on my new Harley Benton kit bass. The wood is called Rengas. I’m just doing black as it is my first time. I’ve applied the Angelus dye and left it for 24 hours and it feels dry but when I wipe over it with a paper towel or my hand it I get a residue. Is this normal ? Should I just apply the sanding sealer/finish now to seal in the stain ? The stain itself doesn’t appear to be rubbing off., just leaves a residue. Thanks

[@k9taxi]

How does the oil permeate the sanding sealer? I thought the sanding sealer "sealed" the wood and the oil would just sit on top of the sanding sealer.

[@alanhoggard4554]

I would like to see some dye jobs that are not bursts. Solid colors. Thanks.

[@k.r.5400]

Literally a legend.

[@bigdguitars]

thanks!

[@jimw2997]

Do you have a video on how to position the bridge?

[@GySgt_USMC_Ret.]

Hi! I have a Peavey T-60 Swamp Ash body. Originally black, stripped to natural. Three-piece with a shading difference from darker to lighter. I'd like to have some type of violin or translucent finish, maybe a reddish-brown center to a darker burst. Any tips on what type/brand of finishing materials to use? How to minimize the shading difference of the wood? Fair winds and following seas to all.

[@GilaMonster971]

I have an empress tree (same wood as that guitar body) that broke in half in an ice storm. I always regret not saving the wood to build a bass out of.

[@patrickbastien]

Hi, I'm planning on using the same stain and technique you've shown in the video (except I chose the navy blue and my body is ash), but I would like to finish it with a 2-component high gloss clear coat finish. what should I do differently? I was thinking of finer sanding to start off... but do you recommend applying the sanding sealer before the clear coat? or is it not necessary as the clear coat will seal it off anyway?

[@GilaMonster971]

You can do it either way, but if you don’t use the sealer you have to use more lacquer. Dye, sealer, and nitrocellulose lacquer is what I do. If you don’t have expensive equipment to spray lacquer you can use Minwax rattle can lacquer. It works as well as spraying it on with a compressor and a gun. My first refinish on a Peavey TL-5 bass was done with Minwax and it turned out amazing. But be prepared to buy several cans.

[@preeves704]

BigD, do you sand after the 4th sanding sealer coat has dried, prior to the finish?

[@lpprod57]

I had the same question

[@meadish]

Mohawk seems to have a few different sanding sealers for sale. Which one did you use? Also, since spray-on sanding sealers are not available in my country, could I get away with using shellac as a sealer instead?

[@rockywatt2204]

Your videos gave me the gumption to do my own stain job)

[@louiscastellucci5066]

This is amazing. Thank You Big D

[@billschaare4835]

Any issue with using this technique on an Ash Burl veneer top on basswood body? Tele have has black binding. Would like med/dark red with enhanced wood grain on top with solid black back. Would I be asking for trouble if i try and stain both the back of the body and the back of the maple neck in black? Appreciate the help.

[@paulcowart3174]

Is there a wax type top coat to make it pop a little that you can use over stain w/o the sanding sealer ??

[@Emrys345_Guitar]

If your body comes sealed, do you remove that before using the dye?

[@Jeremya74]

Seems like it would be best to have a pickgurad on hand to put down ever so often getting a better idea of how its gonna look with it on so that you have a much better feel as to what you need to do with sanding and painting..alot of what your looking at will be covered by the pickgaurd

[@yobentley7274]

no link for the dye. Are they the leather dyes?

[@briansimpson8116]

Angelus leather dyes.

[@yobentley7274]

@@briansimpson8116 Thank you. I am going to try some.

[@jamesosborn4032]

do I use a grain filler before I stain the guitar or the other way around.

[@portainfericz]

Hello, where is "link below" ? :-)

[@SteveResor]

That turned out Great ! I Was just wondering what Necks will fit in the pocket ? And will Fender Tele parts work on that body ?

[@JohnnyGTar]

Hey Derek, I am waiting for an ash body blank. I want to color it with black in the grain and transparent white for the rest of the body. How would you advise doing it?Thanks in advance!

[@charleswallace5818]

How do you get all the micro fibers of the steel wool off the body and out of the pickup cavities? The pickups are magnetized, seems like it would attract the fine particles into the pickups and over time that would cause an issue. Thanks for sharing. Stay safe and be Blessed

[@robertopreatoni]

use a magnet

[@walterkersting9922]

That didn’t start out well, but it ended very nicely. I was going to get a five pack powder assortment, but I’m gonna take a look at this stuff you’re using…

[@LiveMusicCT]

How would you approach finishing a mahogany veneer a blue stain? Same process or should I just go with a solid blue? Thanks!

[@tombrienza4534]

I have a body just like this i got last year on ebay for 35 bucks already routed from a seller who i think sells a lot of them .. anyway just haven't figured how to finish it , thought about burning it but may try what you did . I only have trans tint so i guess it will work , never used that spray sanding sealer will try it too . true oil is my choice too , but i tried some pure tung oil thinking it was the bees knees on a build i just did and after 3 weeks i'm still wiping oil off ugh , its figured maple and kinda drying unevenly but doesn't look bad bc of the weird figure , may also be part of the problem of it drying still the different grains was thinking of putting a coat of true oil over it to just seal in the tung oil . do you think that would be ok , are they compatible ??

[@diodesDankessAndDives]

How'd you like that oil in comparison to tru oil? 🤔

[@johnepavek]

I’ve used rattle can schellac as a sanding sealer with mixed results. I’d assumed it was due to the solubility of the Angelus dye. Do you think I’d have better luck with an actually purpose made sanding sealer, or is that part of the process just always fiddly?

[@jaydawg]

For my first build, I got a very nice quilted maple top and the Angelus black and blue. I'm going for a dark blue (not purple) without a burst (I want to do a natural faux binding). Any tips? I would start with 2 layers of black and let it dry and sand back like you said. After that, will the blue suffice, or should I maybe mix a bit of black with the blue dye and put 1 or 2 layers of that on it?

[@Dayphid]

Probaly depends on how dark of blue you get and what your goal is. I would do ur black sand it back. Do the blue, sand it back and then decide if my next coat is just blue or if I need to blend it with the black. But I love how two coats looks specifically after you’ve sanded the first one back.

[@bigrickRC1144]

Hi Derek, I’m experimenting with oil finishes myself.. have used Tru-Oil filler and finish oils with great results. Curious what your opinion is of that Velvet Oil you showed. I’d like to try it myself.. but I can’t find it online in searching for it. Do you know where to get your hands on it?

[@aaronblack425]

If you were to do old masters drain fill with dark stain in it per instructions, is that going to prevent your Angelus dye techniques from working well?

[@bigdguitars]

Once you add a filler it’s not exactly the same. Sometimes fillers don’t take the color as good as the wood. I try not to use filler

[@aaronblack425]

Essentially if you want this dye process, commit to it, and grain fill along the way by using for instance tru oil in a sort of slurry method?

[@jimfromoh8944]

Like the open grain texture of this one, adds a lot to that finish IMO. Have not used Paulownia, but it seems to be a lot like poplar. How do those two compare Big D?

[@mjremy2605]

Poplar Janka Hardness 540 Paulownia Janka Hardness 300 - softer wood! Birch is 1200 by comparison. Paulownia or Kir wood is insect and water resistant, super lightweight, more fragile, tears easily, more fibrous, pale indistinct grain and very white. Think of it as White & Light. Hard to find. The tree is very eco sustainable as it grows at 25 ft per year. The sapphire blue or bright white flower clusters are an incredible sight! The leaves are huge. Open pores. Grain is generally straight, with a coarse, uneven texture. Very large pores give Paulownia a striped, porous look. Poplar is a great lumber because it is easy to work. It takes screws and nails well and can be sawn, sanded and more. Other advantages are that it takes paint or stain very well due to its fine pores, resulting in a smooth finish. It is also a highly stable wood. Harder and heavier than Kiri.

[@recordplayerz]

Poplar is a tight grain. Paulowania is more like ash grain

[@lpprod57]

Do you sand the Sanding Sealer before the top coat?

[@vanshankguitars]

Have you tried the grey Scotch Brite pads?

[@jaa2412]

What grit of sandpaper can be used instead of the steel wool?

[@RockyH.]

Crazy to think you are selling this killer body!

[@Terry3Gs]

Great video as always Derek !! May 2021 be a awesome year for you & the family !! :)

[@dennisn.9583]

Does Paulownia need a grain filling first?

[@RocketPunkArt]

I'm wondering if it's possible to use a dark purple stain as a base for blues. Or indigo. I never touched stains before, and I won't even use them for my first build, so I don't know which shades are available, but I'm curious

[@bigdguitars]

you can. thats like the northern lights

[@murpsman]

Off point question. How come you live in Bears country but are wearing a Titans cap?

[@bigdguitars]

Because I know better than to root for the bears after 85.

[@danandratis]

Did you sand after putting on the sanding sealer before you applied the oil?

[@bigdguitars]

nope you see my process here

[@jacobhurt3821]

is it wood dye or leather dye

[@Curtislow2]

Would it be possible to do a final high gloss finish after you have gone thus far?

[@bigdguitars]

no once I have an oil on it can't really don anything with it.

[@Curtislow2]

@@bigdguitars That is what i was thinking. Thanks for the reply. Keep up the great work.

[@scotthancock5335]

I think this is the video TT did a critique on about staining!

[@bigdguitars]

Send me the link.

[@scotthancock5335]

@@bigdguitars just check out the live pod cast on achieving good color finish's shooting color apposed to staining

[@darraghkinahan9952]

Didn't think I had ocd till I noticed that bit he missed in the cutout

[@mrhalvi]

What is the difference between a sanding sealer and E Z vinyl sealer anybody?

[@wombat6]

I was wondering... instead of staining, and then sanding most of the stain back, what would happen if you just diluted the stain with more water? I'm guessing people don't do it for a reason, but I dunno.

[@Ibaneddie76]

No actually a lot of builders dilute their stains or dies sometimes. As with anything there are many ways to achieve a good finish you just need to experiment.

[@peachmelba1000]

Derrick seems to go for a much more labour intensive approach. Diluting the stain is the best way, imo, not sanding (unless you want to leave finish only in the wood pores). If you are diligent in testing the color on scrap from the build itself then you shouldn't have to sand back. Whatever you do, pay attention to your burst outline. Derrick's are often really all over those place.

[@meadish]

In my experience, you can do either, but you may find that more diluted stain has a tendency to get more blotchy. At least that's what has happened to me.

[@AndyAcker]

What's the neutral solution that he uses at 19:00 to lighten the blue?

[@scottmorris4914]

With all the color differences, could you actually bleach the wood first?

[@cleangoblin2021]

Good lord. I grew up in a pretty poor household and our couch were made of that wood. I hated how it feels on my skin. Im gonna cry if someone gifted me that guitar body

[@tidesmain]

My stain always bleeds through the oil

[@dominicsayler3735]

Having flashbacks of putting finishes on cherry. You never know what's really gonna happen

[@Ibaneddie76]

Nice one.

[@Chuck-Bob]

And buying from Angelus directly is cheaper than buying it from Amazon or wherever, so Derek is saving you money too!

[@Chuck-Bob]

My goodness that's a pretty guitar!

[@moosey62]

Nice vid. Thanks .

[@IndyRockStar]

you should call the paint scheme the "he said he loves me"

[@RussellStClair-cy1vu]

To alleviate 90% of the blotching . Wash coat . 1 pt. Lacquer (whatever top coat you're using , catalyzed is preferable) 5 pt. Lacquer thinner Spray for best results , 50/50 Spray pattern . 1.00-1.5 ml. (That's milliliters not millimeters) Let dry , de-burr with 180-220 Stain . What is happening ? The thinner is diving into the wood pulling the lacquer with it to a set depth. Once dry you're dyes and stains can only go to the depth of the lacquer. Giving you control over the random densities in the wood. P. S. Dyes can be suspended in water , methanol , sealers ,vinyl / Sanding and lacquers . P. P. S. There is no difference in the color of those pieces of wood. Muhahahaha !! Finishers and their secrets !

[@bigdguitars]

I don't like doing washcoats I feel like I lose depth of figure. I can get more out of the wood that way. but I might not always get the exact blue.

[@RussellStClair-cy1vu]

@@bigdguitars to much stain that's all . It control's the depth ,the stain is under your control . Cup run over situation.

[@LiveMusicCT]

Sweet!

[@kitchenbriks3685]

Its a shame that a pick guards gonna cover most of that

[@mortalman6761]

Check with you tube - theres a million ads every 3-4 minutes- Not worth watching- sorry

[@aslinurkalenderoglu1131]

❤🇹🇷

[@markmcewen1625]

It was a forward pass. Lol.

[@richardcarpenter154]

Some look ok some look bad

[@MrTimThunder]

That is hot

[@nasirfreddy832]

Hi Guys 😍💋 💝💖

[@peachmelba1000]

I feel like you rush in your videos. You clearly understand how these products/systems work, but your execution is pretty sloppy (the burst outline on this one is all over the place). Slow down, man.

[@richardcarpenter154]

Well brother I think it's not good when you put on stains u cannot just put it on,stain is an art and once it's on its on .I recommend a brush and then wipe it off and get rid of all the strait lines ,im sorry you're not sure what u are doing I wouldn't take the guitar back

[@shawnbryant60]

While I enjoy all of your guitar info, the rattiling of metal trash can lid"s, the listener could do without, thanks bro-

[@alonzojesse9840]

I need boyfriend 💋💋💋💋💋💞💞💞💞

[@fromaggiovagiola9128]

I would totally blank your blank.

[@beaukneaus]

Pour fill? More like BORE fill!!! Sorry, I couldn't help myself.....