Official Luthiers Forum!

I'm just finishing up a size 0 with a rosewood bridge. I needed to dye the bridge a bit darker to match the fretboard which is different type of rosewood. I used some StewMac Colortone dye in alcohol and rubbed it on then top coated with shellac. The result looks just like I wanted so I let it dry a few days then glued the bridge on the guitar. When I was cleaning the glue squeeze out with a damp rag a fair amount of color came off. I don't much like that there is color rubbing off. Not much came off and fortunately it still looks great so I really don't know if this is expected or something that might be a problem - especially if I need to dye some fretboards.

So, how do you all dye your bridges and other selected wood bits?

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

I /ve used black shoe dye on vln fb , followed by parrafin wax rubbed in. I have also dyed bridges with behlen/s NGR stains which come in a variety of colours. I got mine from ww, supply now rockler

If the dye is coming out with a wet rag, you haven't got enough shellac over it.

However, using an alcohol based dye with shellac over tends to be problematic as you end up washing the dye off with the shellac and the shellac absorbing the dye. Can get difficult to control. You obviously managed to do it, but the dye coming out (of the shellac) tells you only just!

The text book way is to use different solvents for the dye and the finish, then they don't mix (well, much less, anyway). But rules are made to be broken...

_________________
Trevor Gore, Luthier. Australian hand made acoustic guitars, classical guitars; custom guitar design and build; guitar design instruction.

http://www.goreguitars.com.au

Ernie, I have some of the black fingerboard stain from StewMac but I haven't tried it yet.

Trevor, that makes sense, I'll try switching up the solvents next time.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

Rosewoods often darken with the application of mineral oil. Dark Brazilian rosewood and African blackwood will turn black when oiled, other rosewoods will darken to some degree. Mineral oil is easy to apply to a finished instrument and periodically re applying it is no big deal.

Clay, this is a good one to mention. I have done this before but in this case the oil didn't darken it enough.

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"

yup I did use mineral oil on ebony vln fb with 400 grit an mineral oil after using the shoe polish black dye. Then rubbing hard with paraffinwax

I have also Fiebing's Leather dye. It is alcohol based. You can mix it in your shellac and French polish with it. It can have a slight bluish tint, though this not a problem on rosewood or walnut.

I have also followed Mario Proulx's suggestion to use hair dye. I used cheap black hair dye from the dollar store. Unlike Fiebing's, it is a two-part solution that has to be mixed up, and the unmixed parts also seem to have a finite shelf life once opened, though I don't know quite what it is. You may have to spend a buck each time you want to dye something. The advantages of hair dye are that it is very black, goes deep, and doesn't seem to rub off with solvents or with wear.

If you have any left over after dyeing your bridge and fretboard, don't forget to touch up your roots.

_________________
Tim Allen
"Never hurry, never rest."

Thanks tim . I/m using black ngr behlens which also has a bluish cast. Will check $ store.

Tim, that is a good tip on the hair dye. I remember Mario talking about that a long time ago plus talking about how he uses the recycled plastic bottles. I had forgotten. I'll have to run down to the store with Ernie

_________________
Steve Smith
"Music is what feelings sound like"