How to be successful with Blondes

[Bernie Daniel]

Title misleading? Sorry about that!

Just a quick question on staining.

If you want to make a totally blonde mandolin --like a Gibson Goldrush. Does one just use a diluted pure yellow stain?

If so I assume that one would apply diluted washes of the dye until you reach the intensity of color you wanted?

I will be using a water dissolved yellow aniline-based azo dye.

Is the matching up the spruce and maple a challenge? Precautions? Thanks!

[Gary Leonard]

Love the title!

Sorry I can't help, but wanted to reply to this as I will be following the thread. If I make an F5 to compliment my Collings MT, it will definitely be blonde.

As a side note to your misleading title, I posted on Facebook the following: "Was in the local guitar store, and met this gorgeous blonde. Nice curves, beautiful voice. Don't tell my wife, she will kill me." Then proceeded to post pictures of the blonde's backside, the beautiful flame maple on my new Collings MT.

[Clef]

opened thread and left disappointed...

[Tom Haywood]

I've done it with just blonde shellac. The dyes change the color of the wood. Try it on some scrap pieces.

[Bill Snyder]

Bernie, I am with Tom on this. Blonde shellac or clear whatever finish you are using.

[bernabe]

I think you will find most spray the dye/color for uniformity. You'll need a little a little more distance between the gun and the instrument than if you were shading a burst.

[bernabe]

I can't post a link due to being on my phone. Search for the thread titled "airbrush question" started by Andrew Mowry. That very thing is discussed there.

[Bernie Daniel]

opened thread and left disappointed...

Really?! You even HAVE a blonde!

[Bernie Daniel]

I've done it with just blonde shellac. The dyes change the color of the wood. Try it on some scrap pieces.

I can't post a link due to being on my phone. Search for the thread titled "airbrush question" started by Andrew Mowry. That very thing is discussed there.

Bernie, I am with Tom on this. Blonde shellac or clear whatever finish you are using.

Thanks for the advice and suggestions -- I'll check it all out!

[Bill Snyder]

Bernie, this is not the best example or photo, but here is a top with nothing but amber shellac.


Here is the back of the same mandolin with blonde shellac.

[sunburst]

This one is simply clear lacquer over carefully matched, and luckily defect-free, maple and spruce. (I probably used a blonde shellac sealer, but no color was used. When I think of "blonde", that is what I think of, blonde wood left to display it's natural color under a clear finish.)

(I suppose this represents the only long term success I ever had with a blonde...)

[Pete Jenner]

My #6 and #7 will be pure blonde because they have European maple backs. #5 is going to have a blonde top because I think the GT stripes will be too much if I colour it.

I will be sealing with a couple of coats of hard shellac and finishing with Stewmac colortone brushing varnish.

[Gary Leonard]

Bill, John, those are a couple of beautiful mandolins!

[Violingirl]

I am so sad. I thought it was going to be a discussion on beer.

[Bernie Daniel]

Bernie, this is not the best example or photo, but here is a top with nothing but amber shellac.


Here is the back of the same mandolin with blonde shellac.

Bill that is a very useful post -- thanks.

The top on your mandolin is just about what I want to achieve.

But the back on on your example is less "golden" then I am after.

For comparison and as an example of what I would like to achieve in the end here is the front and back of a Gibson Goldrush.

Ideas on how they get the gold in the maple to match the spruce?

[Bernie Daniel]

I am so sad. I thought it was going to be a discussion on beer.

Have you tried the new (to my store at least it is new) "Blonde" Guinness? It is not bad although I am mostly an IPA consumer.

[Bertram Henze]

Have you tried the new (to my store at least it is new) "Blonde" Guinness?

I'd guess this is just Harp Lager made with a different genus of hops. Don't give me this fancy stuff - real Guinness is black.

[Pete Jenner]

We have this low carb muck in Sydney. The worst beer ever brewed in this country - even worse than Fosters.

[sunburst]

We have this low carb muck in Sydney. The worst beer ever brewed in this country - even worse than Fosters.

Well that's saying something!
Perhaps it should be re-purposed as finish material...

Bernie, another fan of IPA here.

Violingirl, ask and ye shall receive! (It doesn't take much to steer a conversation toward beer.)

[Jeff Mando]

We have this low carb muck in Sydney. The worst beer ever brewed in this country - even worse than Fosters.

In France, I picked a French beer from a selection at a restaurant. Not knowing the language, I choose it because it had a pretty horse on the label. After our lunch, I commented to my Dutch friend, "French beer sucks!" He informed me that I had consumed a NON-alcoholic beer........

[HogTime]

I started out with a blonde color, then ended up going with a sunburst. Here's what it looked like at the blonde stage. Used TransTint Honey Amber (w/water) applied with a rag.

[Bernie Daniel]

I started out with a blonde color, then ended up going with a sunburst. Here's what it looked like at the blonde stage. Used TransTint Honey Amber (w/water) applied with a rag.

Thanks for that information Ralph!! The mandolin would have looked great that way as well as with the burst.

I got a twofer with your post because you also gave me a view of blonde finish with ivory binding!

Did you put the TransTint on the spruce top too?

[HogTime]

Did you put the TransTint on the spruce top too?

Yes, TransTint on the top, also. However, I (and others) think that maybe my top was cedar, although the order was for spruce. I didn't know enough about wood to detect that (if it's true) before I assembled it. Need a DNA test.

I posted those pictures here during my build and several people urged me to leave it like that vs. sunburst.

[Bernie Daniel]

Yes, TransTint on the top, also. However, I (and others) think that maybe my top was cedar, although the order was for spruce. I didn't know enough about wood to detect that (if it's true) before I assembled it. Need a DNA test.

I posted those pictures here during my build and several people urged me to leave it like that vs. sunburst.

That is a great illustrated build record -- very useful. It was great fun to scroll through it and I am sure I'll be back. Yeah I do like the subtle burst you ended up with -- but the blonde version was great too. For some reason I into blondes now-- maybe because all my instruments are tobacco sunbursts.

I agree that top looks a little like cedar but it has some spruce clues in it too -- can't tell for sure. Though if you are really interested send a PM to member Spruce. He could ID it if anyone could.

[Colin Lindsay]

I've done it with just blonde shellac.

OMG the confessions are coming out now….