aging toner for tops

[WoodyMcKenzie]

The Englemann spruce top I have carved is so very white and I would like to know if there is some easy way to make it look a bit more "vintage". I prefer it to stay natural and show depth of grain, but I am concerned about it coming out looking like a fresh piece of lumber if I add a clear varnish to it. Is it possible to get this effect with dark shellac?

Thanks!

Woody

[Chris Baird]

Put it in the sun.

[Stanley Cox]

I was wondering if any mandolin builders did this.
Stanley

[Luthier Vandross]

You need 4 drops of maple toner, and 1oz of denatured alcohol. Spray it on the wood, wipe with a clean cloth, dampened with other spirits (clean).

That will tone off the BRAND NEW KEDS EFFECT. -insert smiley with 3 pairs of Oakleys-


M

[Mario Proulx]

I prefer orange shellac instead of toners. Seems more natural to my eyes. Just takes a light dusting/spray to get it there, and shellac is an excellent sealer coat for any finish: two birds with one stone, kinda deal.

Remember not to go too dark, as the spruce will age, and if it starts out too dark, it can go to that awful pumpkin color in a few years.

Oh, and try your varnish over some fresh cut scraps of your Englemann: most varnishes lend an amber tone to spruce, already.

[WoodyMcKenzie]

Thanks for the advice, folks! I will mess around with shellac on some scraps. #And maybe try some sunshine after a tea & ammonia "aging" treatment.

That "awful pumpkin" color that Mario mentioned is on one of my latest projects-- an old Strad-o-lin. I sorta like that color, except that in this case it just looks dull and dirty. I have cleaned the instrument, but wonder if it would take a light French polish and be the better for it. The original finish is quite thin and I caused some of it to flake off just by gently #touching below the strings while picking it. If it were originally shellacked, then could I tell this by rubbing a bit of alcohol on it in a place that is not prominent?

Woody

[Luthier Vandross]

Yeah Woody, shellac would solve quickly... use a tad on a paper towel... let it dry a lil, then just rub in a lil place, that you could polish out.

What is wrong with pumpkin? http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/smile.gif

M

[TommyK]

Put it in the sun.
for a long... long... time.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/cool.gif
Frank Ford at Frets.com addresses this with a long fogotten jar of shellac from the back of a deep, dark corner left there by some wondering gypsies. Maybe some old timers in your neighborhood have some toxic waste in the garage or basement just itchin' to be brought into the light of day. You may have to cut through a fair layer of skin, but there may be some antique gold under that skin.
Frank stores this old stuff on the roof now, along with a younger vintage to replace the old when it's gone.
http://www.mandolincafe.net/iB_html/non-cgi/emoticons/coffee.gif

[Chris Baird]

It only takes a few days in the Moab desert sun to give the wood a good suntan.

[sunburst]

Frank Ford at Frets.com addresses this with a long fogotten jar of shellac from the back of a deep, dark corner left there by some wondering gypsies.
Frank stores this old stuff on the roof now, along with a younger vintage to replace the old when it's gone.
Fresh orange shellac works well for an aged look, I use it for that sometimes. Old shellac is worthless. It has a short shelf life after it's mixed for use.

The stuff Frank keeps on the roof of the garage is lacquer. It will darken in the sun (UV light) and keep for a long time. If it were lost in a dark corner, it wouldn't darken like on the roof.