Staining a guitar, Mrak style

[Mark. A]

G'day n00bs, I'm gonna give you a quick lesson on staining your guitar, whatever shape it is, it's just gotta be solid body or semi.

Ok, first off, this is the guitar I used. It's an Ibanez RG7620 7 string, made in 1998 I think (thnx gavon). Nice guitar but I hate black guitars, so I re did it ya nubs

http://i5.tinypic.com/14cg1mb.jpg

Ok, I started off with 40-60 grit sand paper and a mouse, but if you can get an electric sander I HIGHLY recommend it for you'll get the job done 10 times quicker. I also recommend a point sander because it's easier to get spots on the guitar done.

Alright, onto the start.

For sanding, there are a quick few things you'll need to know.

1: Always sand WITH the grain
2: Start on the easy parts on the side, or if you're worried about the wood under do the back so if you change your mind you won't have a bald patch on the front
3: If you start it, be prepared for quite a bit of work.
4: Take everything off, don't be an idiot and leave the neck on or something like that.
5: Wear a little white mask, because you don't want to breathe it in.
6: Leave a door open and take breaks.

This is a picture of where I started off, on the sides of the guitar and the easy spots, because in some points you can't use the electric sander.

http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/mark-daddy/1e31aed0.jpg

Ok, now once you have done all those easy parts done on the sides, you can either finish the sides or feel like I little break and start on the top or back. My guitar had a vaneer finish on the back and front, so I knew it'd look great, but if yours doesn't then go here: http://www.universaljems.com/cart/veneer.htm and put that on it, you don't have to but it makes it look better IMO.

I had just started on the front when I took this pic http://i24.photobucket.com/albums/c40/mark-daddy/d60fe3ea.jpg
You must make sure you are keeping equal weight all over the sandpaper, otherwise some parts will go furthur through the wood and it will be uneven at the end, which is going to look tacky. I still used 40-60 grit on the top just to get the paint and primer off.

As you can see I'm not even a quarter way into finishing, but you can get an idea of where to go etc. I didn't take anymore pictures between here and fullt finishing the sanding, but if you follow all the steps then you'll get up to finishing the first part of sanding with no trouble.

[Mark. A]

Ok, here it is fully sanded.

http://i6.tinypic.com/14cfymt.jpg

At this point, I haven't done the fine sanding etc which is a real pain in the butt, but as I said it's not an easy job. You can see the vaneer, and you can also see in some parts the wood is lighter and darker, there is nothing you can do about it herre because that's the way it comes.

Now, you have to get onto the most boring part, fine sanding. To me this is boring because it takes FOREVER, and you can't not do it, otherwise you'll run your fingers along the guitar and it'll feel rough. I can't remember what sand paper I used, but it was quite high, and mae sure when you get your sandpaper it's for wood, not steel etc. There should be a guide at your store.

There'll be no pics after fine sanding because it doesn't look any different.

Now, once that is over, it's time to stain.

I used Feast Watson interior stain,http://www.feastwatson.com.au/WoodstainsProoftint.asp in blue.

http://www.feastwatson.com.au/images/pages/prooftint_227.jpg

I also used a cheap bag of rags from the store, which is great. I recommend applying with a smooth rag, and I did three coats.

There's no specefic technique, but just apply going with the grain, and try and do even coats each time. This is not hard at all, and don't feel scared about doing it, but to make sure find a piece of ply or something and apply to that, and do three coats because it obviously does get darker after each coat.

Once you have applied it, I suggest leaving it for about 2-3 hours because it does dry very fast, and you don't need to wait over night.

Alright people, now we're getting very close to the end, we know need to varnish it or oil it, some prefer Tung Oil but Varnish seemed like a better idea to me.

I just used a very basic varnish I got from my local paint shop, make sure you get a spray on varnish. When applying, your guitar must be hanging up somewhere and you must leave a door open or something because you don't want to breathe it in all the time. Also, where a mask.

I did 4 coats of varnish, but that's not glossy at all. When doing it, make sure you do VERY light coats, for it will run otherwise. It took about 20 minutes for every coat to dry for me, so I got mine done within 2 hours, and it came out great.

If you've got any questions, I'd love to answer, you can contact me on thrashmetal.man@hotmail.com :D

P.S When putting back together, you'll need a soldering iron, allan keys and a screw driver. The neck doesn't need a trus rod adjustment or anything, just screw it back in.

P.S.S I'll fix the spelling mistakes later haha

[Mark. A]

Here are the pics:

http://i5.tinypic.com/14cfy2u.jpg

http://i5.tinypic.com/14cfxo5.jpg

http://i6.tinypic.com/14jyz3l.jpg

[blizzard]

Nice lesson, horrible colour though.

[kaos]

Thanks you the lesson, but that color just don't float my boat.

[Miek]

mrak'd
its sexy

[power_lutin]

I love the result... Would've been cooler if a little darker tho.

Good job

[ak50324]

Seems cool, I'd add a different color underneath your 2nd layer and add two more layers of the first...if I were to have start hating black enough to repaint it(RACIST:smash: )

[ak50324]

Seems cool, I'd add a different color underneath your 2nd layer and add two more layers of the first...if I were to have start hating black enough to repaint it(RACIST:smash: )

[LambofDeth]

I'm all with you on the black guitar/bass front man. I just defretted my bass, and before putting the final coat on and finishing off, i held it up and realized that a solid black bodied fretless bass wasn't that appealing. So i got the idea of a green stain...then i came on the computer and this was here haha. And tomorrow the sanding begins, how long did it take you by hand (because i don't want to buy paper for the electric, i think i'm all out).
Edit: I've checked the minwax out and i don't quite see a green to my liking. Does anybody know of a good emerald green colored stain?

[EADG]

I dont know why no one likes that colour, I think it looks pretty good. Thanks for the lesson, I might do this to my bass.

[Mark. A]

I'm all with you on the black guitar/bass front man. I just defretted my bass, and before putting the final coat on and finishing off, i held it up and realized that a solid black bodied fretless bass wasn't that appealing. So i got the idea of a green stain...then i came on the computer and this was here haha. And tomorrow the sanding begins, how long did it take you by hand (because i don't want to buy paper for the electric, i think i'm all out).
Edit: I've checked the minwax out and i don't quite see a green to my liking. Does anybody know of a good emerald green colored stain?

Thanks bro, if you're going to do it by hand, I'd say at least 3-6 hours of work there, including the fine sanding. For stains, your local store will have plenty, just go down and have a look.

Thanks to everyone else \m/

[CannedSpaghetti]

Is it just me or does the neck look insanely twisted on the last picture?

Great job though man, I love it.

[Teh Secksi]

I love it, and holy crap that veneer is cheap. :D Thanks!