OK... Here she is filled, sanded and cleaned with acetone:
The back came out much cleaner than the front:
Here's the ReRanch yellow dye. It's powder, and comes in a tiny 1 oz bottle. I mixed it with two qts of hot water according to the directions. Beware, it does not look yellow at all in solution:
BUT... it dries bright yellow on the wood. Of course, the dark stains and wood filler don't take the dye:
2 qts is WAY too much of this stuff. I wiped it on with a rag for the above shot and barely used any dye. Then I remembered reading that Fender dipped the bodies into a vat of yellow dye... so I had this brainstorm:
I'll flip it over in a few minutes to ensure adequate coverage. By the way... wear gloves, because otherwise you'll look like a hepatitis victim:
Next up... grain filler. It's usually not needed on alder, but this body has so many little imperfections and has been stripped AT LEAST twice. Besides, no doubt the water-based dye will raise the grain. In fact... they recommend to raise it with water (which I did) prior to applying the dye.
Now.. I'll go flip it over.
Q. Are we not men?
