Glen-L.com

Sorry to hijack this thread, but i have a very novice question. I'm about to start building my first boat (a Dyno Jet) and i've been looking everywhere for ways to try and make the boat "my own", make it unique and something no one else has. One idea I had was to put a light black stain on the spruce i'm planning on using (I'm too poor for mahogany ). I really don't like the look of spruce and i was thinking that perhaps I could get around it by going for a black stain with silver car pin striping (covered with epoxy and varnish) to give it a unique look. Again I don't want a solid dirty black stain that drowns out all the woods natural beauty, just enough to make it appear greyish black. Add on a few chrome handles, windshield etc. and I think it would look look a pretty cool as a silver and black theme.

Although I could be dead wrong, it might not be possible to do (which is why I'm asking) and it may just turn out ugly rather than unique.

Sorry if this is a very stupid question, this is my first boat, I don't have a ton to spend on it (starting back up at school in january), and I'm trying to think of ways on making it look the most unique and cool as possible without paying an arm an a leg. Hence, Spruce

You're best bet would be to use cutoff scraps of the spruce and experiment with stains and varnishes. You may want to use a stain retarder to make the stain more even and less blotchy. Gel stains tend to go on more evenly. Also, whatever you decide on, after you get a good result and you are going to cover with fiberglass cloth, test a piece with resin and cloth to ensure the stain does not inhibit adhesion of the resin.

Roberta

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Roberta
Built Zip "Oliver IV" and Super Spartan "Jimmy 70"

you may get a more even coloration going with a transparent topcoat. i airbrush sunbursts etc on guitar tops and they come out beautiful over curly maple, mahogany and ash
-Billy

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(insert witty phrase here)
Billy's Belle Isle website

Thanks for the replies guys, They both seem like good ideas. I don't currently own an airbrush, but I do have a compressor. Here's a video of a luthier making a sunburst finish as you'd mentioned you'd done using the technique.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e_JrN9_VTR8

I really liked the part where he coated the wood with a light layer of dye and alcohol, then sanded it off so it left dye in the woods grain, giving the wood nice accents. I was thinking that perhaps i could do that and then do a second, much lighter coat overtop to keep the dark grey color and further the accents in the woods grain. I think that's where the airbrush would have to come into the picture though because I think it would turn out blotchy if I did it by hand. Does this sound like an alright idea? And yea If I do go ahead with this i'll be sure to test it with resin and fiberglass to ensure if works properly.

Thanks for the ideas Bill and Roberta

...yes that is the idea. on a boat you could use a little bigger gun/tip to shoot so you get a wider fan and can avoid excessive overlaps from the gun. look at some of the automotive tutorials on applying candy colors and other translucent finishes and you will see what you would use for a setup.

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(insert witty phrase here)
Billy's Belle Isle website

Alright, I'll be sure to do that thanks

I have done a sunburst on a guitar top too, and it turned out quite well. You have been given good advice so far. As far as spray guns, you can get cheap ones at Harbor Freight. They work well enough for the occasional use, but must be cleaned well, and sprayed with alcohol after use if you are using anything water based...the nozzles are not stainless, and will deteriorate if all the water has not been removed. Check out their website. If you don't have one near you, order stuff online. Gets there fairly quickly.

I am envisioning a dark smoke grey or tranlucent black with chrome accents....might look better with out "popping" the grain, as spruce doesn't really have the figure that a maple or mahogany would. If you do samples, try a sample popping the grain like you saw. Then try a sample with 2-3 clear coats first, then start tinted grey coats till you get the depth and shade you are looking for. Either way, looking forward to seeing how it turns out.

Billy, I haven't used that stuff, before, I have used analyne die...alcohol based from StewMac. How is createx to use?

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Ken Hundley
http://www.nocturnalguitars.com

So, my big brother was playing guitar and I figured I'd try it too.
- Stevie Ray Vaughan

Ken-
i use Solarlux (Behlen) for my guitar finishes but the Createx was better for my piano restoration and spot repair as i can heat cure it and build and match the finish very quickly. The StewMac stuff is similar if not the same as the Solarlux. I have used that for ages so hard to teach me new tricks where something has to be a Gibson tobacco burst etc....

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(insert witty phrase here)
Billy's Belle Isle website