Finish the Finish already?

[antipodean]

Hi all!

I popped in to see Mr Frank Grubisa - Sydney's version of Paul, and how the 4001 restoration was going. We are up to the point where it's time to decide on a colour (huzzah!!!).

So far, Frank has:

Fixed a crack in the neck near the nut (as usual for an abused 4001);
Filled the TR cavity back to spec. Some lunatic had decided to fix the "back bent truss rod" problem by routing it to within a mm or two of its life;
Brought the headstock and heel shape back to spec after they had been over-zealously sanded;
Cleaned up the fretboard;

Following various posts on the Ric corporate forum, I had gone with BG for the colour, but alas, Frank believes the stains on the body preclude this. The body looks like this:

The stains sit all over the front in odd places Some subtle, some blatant.

So to the point:

- Is there a little known but sure fire way to rid maple of such stains? or..
- Failing that, what would you advise re a solid colour? I have an Azure Glo '74 and a Jetglo V63, so I was thinking of going something exotic like Ruby. Your suggestions will be greatly appreciated!

[weemac]

You might away with some sort of Green glow or burst........
Eden.

[doctorwho]

Azureglo! Or maybe Sea Foam Green!

[ozover50]

I reckon you've hit the 'GO' button with Ruby, Evan...... would look sensational IMO!!

[headbanger]

I believe there is a method of bleaching or some such to get it all similar then paint over that.
Mark Arnquist mentioned it once. You can find him at BGC.

[admin]

I think Ruby would be nice.

Seeing as we are talking about Australia here, I am wondering what you would think of a Maurice Gibb white?

[jps]

I was thinking white, also, would look great with the CB.

[jingle_jangle]

White could be problematic with the stains. No matter what type of sealer was used, they could become evident again after a few months or even years. As a matter of fact, almost any color could show stains--even JG.

Does your luthier have any idea what the stains are from?

Not knowing this, there are four ways to get rid of this sort of thing:

1. Solvent. MEK or acetone, scrubbed on with some #1 steel wool (wear gloves) might have some effect. It will also weaken or melt the binding, so a rebind job may be necessary.

2. Paste-type paint and varnish remover, but once again, the binding will be trashed.

3. Abrasives--if the stains are not too deep, sanding them out might do it. I'd use #150 aluminum oxide paper, and follow up with some #320 once the stains are gone, to smooth the surface for sealing and painting.

4. Oxalic acid, which only works for water-dissolved stains, and must be neutralized with a chemical base. Sanding follows.

I like Ruby. Very much. I have a formula for a one-step Ruby (unlike the old factory formula, which was three-step). Contact me if you want the information. Looks great and won't check over time due to excessive film thickness, like the old Ruby.

If we knew what the stains are, it would make things easier. We'd have an "ah ha!" moment.

[johnallg]

Ruby would be my choice of solid if you cannot get the stains out. But if the stains can be abated or come out entirely, a walnut burst or deep fireglo would be so cool with the CB. I also think the white with the CB would be great, but if the stains would bleed through, then that is no good. Are the stains "manmade" or are they the character of the wood?

[antipodean]

Wow!!! Thanks for all the responses!

As to the stains, they predate my ownership by many years - this was one of the carcasses that was in the Curbow attic - so working out what they are is partially guess work. The body had been sanded fairly "enthusiastically" by a previous owner, which leads me to believe the stains resulted from part of the stripping process, although the binding was not trashed - if anything, it was in pretty fair condition apart from the same enthusiastic sanding, which means the outer white binding will be replaced (the inner cb is basically in perfect nick).

Paul - many thanks for all your suggestions. If the stains can't be eliminated, I'll be PMing (a new verb?) you for that secret Ruby formulation.

Thanks again all, I really appreciate the input!!

[bails]

If you decided to stick with BG (which I think is a great choice), would the staining be minimised by having the darkest possible shade of burgundy?

As is seen by numerous examples, Rickenbacker factory finished Burgundy varies much more than FG, with some almost appearing black (I think it's colloquially known as eggplant Burgundy). "BurgundyGlo is a color that is not in the can, but in the hand of the painter. "

[jingle_jangle]

I think it's of some importance to at least spend some time ascertaining what the nature of the stains is: By which I mean--are they water soluble or solvent-soluble? This could give you a clue as to how to remove or at least minimize them.

I'm concerned that, if they are (for instance) some aniline dye left over from someone else's attempts to change color, they will bleed with the application of any kind of aromatic solvent, whether it be the toluene in a vinyl grain sealer, the MEK and acetone in most opaque primers, or urethane reducer or lacquer thinner in most color coats and varnishes. This (as I mentioned before) can stain any color, including JG. This applies to Ruby, too.

So, time spent testing with water, acetone, and denatured alcohol is time well-spent. Find out what affects the stain and you're partway through with solving this problem.