I just finished an ash build that came out real nice. I did the wire brush trick to open up the grain and then used red and black Benjamin Moor solid deck stains. Used a satin poly to finish things up.
I have an white swamp ash body in progress and I think the light burning then a light dye (probably orange/yellow) would look wicked! This series is just in time :)
Hey Brad…. this was perfect timing !!! I'm working on two Tele projects with Ask bodies right now, one I have bound and dyed (Crimson Guitars water based ) I'm now going to seal and finish with the Oxford gloss Nitrocellulose products you reviewed recently, and the other I'm planning on filling the grain with the Oxford grain filler and then primer followed by their Seafoam Green lacquer with gloss over top… should be interesting… have you tried the Oxford grain filler yet ….if so, any tips ??? Cant wait to see what you decide, I like the dyed idea best, especially with the possibility of using both water and alcohol based dyes of different colours …. I'm sure you'll come with something cool.
Yes... this is what I want👍 ...got a build planned with ash and was looking at stained black with red grain fill and really want to open up the grain with an aggressive sand blast.... By the way, that's really nice Ash you got there Brad 😘😆🤣🤣..
Perfect timing on this video = I'm contemplating how to refinish a strat, not sure which direction to go. For one of the upcoming videos it would be good to have a short discussion of how these techniques would look on other common guitar body woods (bass, maple, alder, etc., etc.)
I'm liking the aggressive burn as long as the grain comes through clearly...looks kinda like walnut but you don't want it TOO dark. my 2 cents. maybe gold hardware, no pickguard?
A thing I’ve learned about ash is the difficulty in getting it flat. The dark areas tend to be lower. What I think happens is that the darker wood is softer and gets sanded away slightly more when flat sanding bare wood. Then when you go to finish, you have all these low areas. It’s frustrating when going for the mirror finish.
@@BradAngove Dude this content is priceless. It is just in time. If I ever get my content uploaded I have to give you credit for inspiration no doubt. I had ideas but you really went over it well. I feel like anything I could have thought of like a possibility you would mentioned it or covered it. A+ thanks again
Hey Brad, no biggie for me, but you coupon code for the Warwick guns no longer works. Just wanted to let you know in case this is accidental. Keep up the great content, I learn so much watching your videos and just bought the 980 HE-AC from you collection and can't wait to use it! Thank you for putting all of this out here for us to learn from!
The dark grain filler sanded back is going to be cool. Well, they will all be cool! I’ve been battling ash for a while, trying to get the glassy smooth finish with varying degrees of success. I have one where I did a French polish with tru-oil, applying oil liberally and then sanding the oil-coated wood. It came out nice but was a huge PITA. A better approach I’ve done a few times now is using Z-Poxy. 2 coats, then scraping off with a card scraper, then a final thin coat reduced with alcohol. I’m Interested to see these techniques where you embrace the texture, rather than fighting it.
How does the z-poxy filling look in a few months time? Does it shrink at all? I use the crystalac filler, and since it's water-based it does shrink after some time. Even with the crystalac it takes about a good 3 applications to get it filled, and often you can still see some pores after that. It's frustrating and makes me despise filling ash.
@@gbish6906 the Z-poxy doesn’t really shrink at all. It does flow into grain, which is why I do more than one coat, but not shrink. I was using aquacoat, which is water based and does shrink. I got frustrated the same as you, and now I only use it to seal tiny pores in closed grain wood, or for spot fills. A thing I haven’t tried yet is using microballoons in the z-poxy.
@@gbish6906 if you have a low area, you can pour a “puddle” of z-poxy on it, let it cure, and there is zero shrinkage. It can be sanded or scraped totally flat.
@@velvethausfrau I'll have to give it a shot! When you do a thicker / puddle application does it dry clear still? In my experience with crystalac it dries clear if applied very thin, but anything thicker it'll appear cloudy when you put your clear coat
Bro, I followed you for YEARS on my old account. You were always helpful. Hoping you can help me HERE. The Gibson voodoo/ juju finish...THE ONE FROM EARLY 2000s with the satin black and red filler...can you give me some EASY diy methods of opening up those ash grains with minimal equipment and experience? Gibson says the process is 1. Coat unfilled ash with thin layer black paint. 2. Grain fill with red filler. 3. Gently sand back to black. 4. Cover in satin finish. I'm wanting to 1. Dye black with India ink 2. Red grain fill ( suggestions?) 3. Sand back excess 4. Cover in tru oil. Any suggestions to really get that red filler looking prominent, would be great. Any methods or particularly strong products giving red accents would be awesome. Thanks a lot
You’ve got the process right. The only thing that might help is, like you said, opening up the grain a bit more. A wire brush can help with that. For the red, I like unicorn spit. It’s got pretty strong color.
I’ve got an ash bass build going on right now so excited for the dye, sealer, rub in next colour. I have black dye and a gold wax to rub in after but what is the best final coat? I got minwax clear satin polyurethane would that do? Love the channel Brad
That should work fine. The only issue is that paint typically has difficulty sticking to wax. I’ve coated over those gold waxes before though and it has gone well; just make sure it’s pressed into the grain and all excess has been removed and it will likely be ok.
Hello Brad , I need your help again on a delima I have , I finally sanded the poly Strat body and it's ash and would like to spray it into a sunburst. Do I need to use a filler or I could go with a sealer only , also which do you recommend ? Mohawk EZ vinyl sealer good under nitro ? Thanks again for your help. Lou
@@BradAngove Yes I did , only left the sides and inside horns with sealer , I finally ordered some natural grain filler from Oxford this morning at Solo Guitars so it should be good I guess with this and a sealer from Mohawk after !?
What a great video bud! Loved the puns😆 But would i be right that this is you experimenting with the GGBO?? The rhino was awesome last year can't wait to see what you do this year. Oh don't forget the smack talk. I'm sure in your job you see better judges than wonderbread.🤣🤣
Hahaha I get to see a fair few judges; it’s true. I thought this tutorial would be a nice lead up to my GGBO build since the kit body is ash and I have some unusual plans for it.
@@BradAngove I'm genuinely looking forward to your GGBO entry. Sounds intriguing. I'm sure I'm not alone in this but yours was my favourite last year. Good luck!!
Do you think pure tung oil would seal it? Maybe after a wet sand or two? I'm building a birdhouse with the leftover scraps so I want to waterproof it w/o going to a sparthane or anything like that. Not too concerned with how it's gonna look but I'd be lyin' if I said finishing wasn't my favorite part of woodworking.
Pure tung oil can seal it. They used to use it on boats back in “ancient” China if I’m not mistaken. The thing is, it’s going to take a long time and a lot of coats.
Brad onto a serious question what is the best ebony dye? I need to stain some white oak rails to black to get a long last black black color. It's for a exterior horizontal rail supporting a 4 rails @ 8 foot long exterior exposed to 5 months of rainy weather each year so I need superior stain Thanks doing great things with wood, I agree never wear gloves when your handling some fine Ash & sanding if it grabs your glove it might deglove you tear off your skin in a quick bloody red spray, & I know that's going to leave a mark.
@@BradAngove well I don't know I talked with a master painter about that; now I considered a helman's marine spar varnish, & Seikens makes a Seikens Cetol 1&2 ... Then part 3 it's a $150 a two both first gallon in the 1st step then part 3 a separate but same finish combo. My friend mentioned cabot stain ebony but I'm wanting the best he said two coats of cabot stain the second one hand rubbed it will bead well but, as white oak is the wood & blond as it is; I want great quality no fail long time before refinish. {homeowner specs} It is imperative I go for best stuff out there final finish I want satin to egg shell on the gloss, if I use spar varnish likely every 3 year must recoat if it peels what a nightmare chasing stain intersect finish. So a just stain may be the best route? What do you think Brad? I'll use at most 1/2 quart material 2 or 3 coats with touch up. I even considered India ink and a tough epoxy finish but India ink can appear blue translucent.
If you’re considering just a stain I would select something oil based as it will have a bit more body that should make it more durable than just a dye. Unfortunately, UV can be hard on dark stains. A top coat with some level of UV protection would be helpful. Marine varnish is quite durable from what I understand. I have not used it though as I don’t do marine work and I rarely work on items that are intended for outdoor use.
Brad: *drops video series about finishing ash* My secret stash of ash: *chuckles* I'm in danger I'm excited for every option Could you try that Ormsby rainbow? Well, these pieces are small so maybe two tone gradient.
Terrible technique when pushing the Ash through the table saw. As the blade gets higher you use another block to keep the Ash snug to the fence. As you use the push stick you keep the block moving with the cut. Eventually you are side loading the cut which will pinch the exiting piece causing a situation which will most probable induce a strong kick-back. Very dangerous.
Surprised to hear you are anti-glove. I have a large flesh injury on my left index finger from a miter saw I would not have received I'd properly gloved. That was a moment of slack in otherwise very complete industrial glove usage. It only takes once.
With saws? 100% anti-glove. Nicking a finger on a blade is bad, but the second it catches a glove... well I met a guy a few years ago who was missing most of 3 fingers.
Not to hate on u but after the initial shot you changed your choice into the most boring sounding rambly tired teacher sounding tone i have ever heard. I really wanted to learn about finishing ash but i couldnt endure it
Brad......I don't feel ashamed at all to tell you what firm Ash you have.
Stay tuned for my video about getting your ash into the right shape. Further series to come about dealing with how knotty pine can be...
Thank you! This is exactly what I needed to learn!
Glad I could help
I'm most excited for the two colour finish.
I just finished an ash build that came out real nice. I did the wire brush trick to open up the grain and then used red and black Benjamin Moor solid deck stains. Used a satin poly to finish things up.
Nice Darcy. I’m glad to hear it turned out well.
Sheeeeeeeeit, that's how we rolled during shop class in the early 80s🤘🤪🤘
Love ash it takes colour so so well and looks awesome also... Good job brother
Thanks Stu
Always great stuff.,love your channel bud,, !
Thanks!
I have an white swamp ash body in progress and I think the light burning then a light dye (probably orange/yellow) would look wicked! This series is just in time :)
That would probably have a really cool effect.
Brad's shows also work out that way for me.
Awesome video !! This is going to be a great series of videos !!
Thanks Terry
Hey Brad…. this was perfect timing !!! I'm working on two Tele projects with Ask bodies right now, one I have bound and dyed (Crimson Guitars water based ) I'm now going to seal and finish with the Oxford gloss Nitrocellulose products you reviewed recently, and the other I'm planning on filling the grain with the Oxford grain filler and then primer followed by their Seafoam Green lacquer with gloss over top… should be interesting… have you tried the Oxford grain filler yet ….if so, any tips ??? Cant wait to see what you decide, I like the dyed idea best, especially with the possibility of using both water and alcohol based dyes of different colours …. I'm sure you'll come with something cool.
I’ve never tried the Oxford filler. I can’t imagine it being notably different than other fillers though.
Yes... this is what I want👍 ...got a build planned with ash and was looking at stained black with red grain fill and really want to open up the grain with an aggressive sand blast.... By the way, that's really nice Ash you got there Brad 😘😆🤣🤣..
Why thank you, I did my best to make sure it was a nice shape...
Perfect timing on this video = I'm contemplating how to refinish a strat, not sure which direction to go. For one of the upcoming videos it would be good to have a short discussion of how these techniques would look on other common guitar body woods (bass, maple, alder, etc., etc.)
Thanks Keith. Frankly, many of these techniques would only be really effective on open pore options like ash and oak.
Still think your intro is my favorite on UA-cam
Thanks Bryan; I appreciate that.
I'm liking the aggressive burn as long as the grain comes through clearly...looks kinda like walnut but you don't want it TOO dark. my 2 cents. maybe gold hardware, no pickguard?
That would probably look good.
A thing I’ve learned about ash is the difficulty in getting it flat. The dark areas tend to be lower. What I think happens is that the darker wood is softer and gets sanded away slightly more when flat sanding bare wood. Then when you go to finish, you have all these low areas. It’s frustrating when going for the mirror finish.
Yes, that’s because of the open grain. That’s where you need a filler that you can block sand.
Ok so I just got in a load of Swamp Ash.. Im searching for finishes lol. Thanks Brad
Good timing!
@@BradAngove Dude this content is priceless. It is just in time. If I ever get my content uploaded I have to give you credit for inspiration no doubt. I had ideas but you really went over it well. I feel like anything I could have thought of like a possibility you would mentioned it or covered it. A+ thanks again
Thanks Joe. Can’t wait to see what you come up with.
Would love to see you do the Yellow dye version as a guitar build - to see if it's like a rub on version of Butterscotch Blonde
thank you
Looking forward to see how the burnt ones come out.
Sorry couldn't resist.
Hey Brad, no biggie for me, but you coupon code for the Warwick guns no longer works. Just wanted to let you know in case this is accidental. Keep up the great content, I learn so much watching your videos and just bought the 980 HE-AC from you collection and can't wait to use it! Thank you for putting all of this out here for us to learn from!
Sorry about that Chris. Thanks for letting me know.
Would love to see a sandblasted finish like prs did on their european se models
Dude idk why but for a pun "finishing your ash off" made me laugh pretty hard! Lol thanks for this.
Edit: looking forward to the burnt finishes
Haha thanks David.
Great! My GGBO build is Ash bodied...
Excellent
The dark grain filler sanded back is going to be cool. Well, they will all be cool!
I’ve been battling ash for a while, trying to get the glassy smooth finish with varying degrees of success. I have one where I did a French polish with tru-oil, applying oil liberally and then sanding the oil-coated wood. It came out nice but was a huge PITA. A better approach I’ve done a few times now is using Z-Poxy. 2 coats, then scraping off with a card scraper, then a final thin coat reduced with alcohol.
I’m Interested to see these techniques where you embrace the texture, rather than fighting it.
How does the z-poxy filling look in a few months time? Does it shrink at all? I use the crystalac filler, and since it's water-based it does shrink after some time. Even with the crystalac it takes about a good 3 applications to get it filled, and often you can still see some pores after that. It's frustrating and makes me despise filling ash.
@@gbish6906 the Z-poxy doesn’t really shrink at all. It does flow into grain, which is why I do more than one coat, but not shrink.
I was using aquacoat, which is water based and does shrink. I got frustrated the same as you, and now I only use it to seal tiny pores in closed grain wood, or for spot fills.
A thing I haven’t tried yet is using microballoons in the z-poxy.
@@gbish6906 if you have a low area, you can pour a “puddle” of z-poxy on it, let it cure, and there is zero shrinkage. It can be sanded or scraped totally flat.
@@velvethausfrau I'll have to give it a shot! When you do a thicker / puddle application does it dry clear still? In my experience with crystalac it dries clear if applied very thin, but anything thicker it'll appear cloudy when you put your clear coat
@@gbish6906 it dries clear. Not cloudy. Good luck!
You could have used a bigger sander, but that’s my opinion 🤪. Good video!
Good stuff as usual. I wonder how heat treated ash will finish? You can bet your ash I will be following this series.
Thanks Michael. I’m quite fond of the heat treated method. Just have to be careful not to crack it, but the same goes for the blasted version really.
You can dye that crystalac too, I have 3 guitars I dyed it to give a cool relic thing when I play the paint off
Make the pop that is
Ya, they have their craft-nique dyes which are pretty cool.
@@BradAngove that's what I used to die it, those are probably my second favorite next to crimson stunning stains
Awesome!
There is nothing like a nice piece of ash.
Bro, I followed you for YEARS on my old account. You were always helpful. Hoping you can help me HERE. The Gibson voodoo/ juju finish...THE ONE FROM EARLY 2000s with the satin black and red filler...can you give me some EASY diy methods of opening up those ash grains with minimal equipment and experience? Gibson says the process is 1. Coat unfilled ash with thin layer black paint. 2. Grain fill with red filler. 3. Gently sand back to black. 4. Cover in satin finish. I'm wanting to 1. Dye black with India ink 2. Red grain fill ( suggestions?) 3. Sand back excess 4. Cover in tru oil. Any suggestions to really get that red filler looking prominent, would be great. Any methods or particularly strong products giving red accents would be awesome. Thanks a lot
You’ve got the process right. The only thing that might help is, like you said, opening up the grain a bit more. A wire brush can help with that.
For the red, I like unicorn spit. It’s got pretty strong color.
I’ve got an ash bass build going on right now so excited for the dye, sealer, rub in next colour. I have black dye and a gold wax to rub in after but what is the best final coat? I got minwax clear satin polyurethane would that do? Love the channel Brad
That should work fine. The only issue is that paint typically has difficulty sticking to wax. I’ve coated over those gold waxes before though and it has gone well; just make sure it’s pressed into the grain and all excess has been removed and it will likely be ok.
What would be a great spec for a compressor to do the sand blasting for the ceruse finishing?
It depends on what blaster you’re using. Really though, the bigger the better.
Hello Brad , I need your help again on a delima I have , I finally sanded the poly Strat body and it's ash and would like to spray it into a sunburst.
Do I need to use a filler or I could go with a sealer only , also which do you recommend ? Mohawk EZ vinyl sealer good under nitro ? Thanks again for your help. Lou
Did you sand all the way through the original sealer?
@@BradAngove Yes I did , only left the sides and inside horns with sealer , I finally ordered some natural grain filler from Oxford this morning at Solo Guitars so it should be good I guess with this and a sealer from Mohawk after !?
Yes that should work.
@@BradAngove Thank you !
What a great video bud! Loved the puns😆 But would i be right that this is you experimenting with the GGBO?? The rhino was awesome last year can't wait to see what you do this year. Oh don't forget the smack talk. I'm sure in your job you see better judges than wonderbread.🤣🤣
Hahaha I get to see a fair few judges; it’s true. I thought this tutorial would be a nice lead up to my GGBO build since the kit body is ash and I have some unusual plans for it.
@@BradAngove I'm genuinely looking forward to your GGBO entry. Sounds intriguing. I'm sure I'm not alone in this but yours was my favourite last year. Good luck!!
Thank you Mark. I’m glad you liked it.
Do you think pure tung oil would seal it? Maybe after a wet sand or two?
I'm building a birdhouse with the leftover scraps so I want to waterproof it w/o going to a sparthane or anything like that.
Not too concerned with how it's gonna look but I'd be lyin' if I said finishing wasn't my favorite part of woodworking.
Pure tung oil can seal it. They used to use it on boats back in “ancient” China if I’m not mistaken. The thing is, it’s going to take a long time and a lot of coats.
With the wood burnt version . Do you do poly on top or finishing oil ? Would teak work ?
All of those are options. It just depends on what kind of finish you want.
Brad onto a serious question what is the best ebony dye? I need to stain some white oak rails to black to get a long last black black color. It's for a exterior horizontal rail supporting a 4 rails @ 8 foot long exterior exposed to 5 months of rainy weather each year so I need superior stain
Thanks doing great things with wood, I agree never wear gloves when your handling some fine Ash & sanding if it grabs your glove it might deglove you tear off your skin in a quick bloody red spray, & I know that's going to leave a mark.
What are you planning on coating them with after the stain?
@@BradAngove well I don't know I talked with a master painter about that; now I considered a helman's marine spar varnish, & Seikens makes a Seikens Cetol 1&2 ... Then part 3 it's a $150 a two both first gallon in the 1st step then part 3 a separate but same finish combo. My friend mentioned cabot stain ebony but I'm wanting the best he said two coats of cabot stain the second one hand rubbed it will bead well but, as white oak is the wood & blond as it is; I want great quality no fail long time before refinish. {homeowner specs} It is imperative I go for best stuff out there final finish I want satin to egg shell on the gloss, if I use spar varnish likely every 3 year must recoat if it peels what a nightmare chasing stain intersect finish. So a just stain may be the best route? What do you think Brad?
I'll use at most 1/2 quart material 2 or 3 coats with touch up. I even considered India ink and a tough epoxy finish but India ink can appear blue translucent.
@@BradAngove as everybody knows dumb puns and innuendo are a Scotsman's bread & butter and Ash it said name so many innuendos so many fun puns.
If you’re considering just a stain I would select something oil based as it will have a bit more body that should make it more durable than just a dye. Unfortunately, UV can be hard on dark stains. A top coat with some level of UV protection would be helpful. Marine varnish is quite durable from what I understand. I have not used it though as I don’t do marine work and I rarely work on items that are intended for outdoor use.
@@BradAngove maybe when you get you 85 foot double masted sail boat....
Thank you
Cool video.
Thanks Daniel
Brad: *drops video series about finishing ash*
My secret stash of ash: *chuckles*
I'm in danger
I'm excited for every option
Could you try that Ormsby rainbow? Well, these pieces are small so maybe two tone gradient.
I’ll have to have a look at that for a potential further video.
@@BradAngove I've DMed it on insta
You could do multiple finishes on one guitar... One could say that would be going ASH TO ASH
Also, could you lick it? Is that an option? Is it ever ok to go ash to mouth?
None of my potential responses to this are appropriate for here...
C'mon Brad. Ben would have taken all the little pieces and made a guitar out of it! Which was your idea if memory serves me. Ha.
Hahaha yeah he probably would have done exactly that. That’s hilarious.
18th.
Audio level really dropped off on the voice over sections?
Thanks. It didn’t seem that way during editing, but I’ll take a look next time to be sure.
You're really busting your ASH there with sooo many options.
Terrible technique when pushing the Ash through the table saw. As the blade gets higher you use another block to keep the Ash snug to the fence. As you use the push stick you keep the block moving with the cut. Eventually you are side loading the cut which will pinch the exiting piece causing a situation which will most probable induce a strong kick-back. Very dangerous.
Surprised to hear you are anti-glove. I have a large flesh injury on my left index finger from a miter saw I would not have received I'd properly gloved. That was a moment of slack in otherwise very complete industrial glove usage. It only takes once.
With saws? 100% anti-glove. Nicking a finger on a blade is bad, but the second it catches a glove... well I met a guy a few years ago who was missing most of 3 fingers.
You should be a hair model. Make ten times as much.
10 times as much as what?
@@BradAngove , 10x as much as a poor woodworker. Ha
Haha I see.
McDonald’s employees make more than I do with this hobby haha.
Second
First!!
Not to hate on u but after the initial shot you changed your choice into the most boring sounding rambly tired teacher sounding tone i have ever heard. I really wanted to learn about finishing ash but i couldnt endure it
Not fond of the voiceover setup hey? Fair enough.