On Jan 31, 1:20*pm, "SonomaProducts.com" wrote:
But I need a darker tint, and, as I recall, maple is kinda tricky
regarding stains, etc.

Would appreciate advice/suggestions about prepping/finishing such a
project.

For curly maple I have good success using water based solutions of
transtint dyes. There is an online movie from FWW showing a guy doing
a guitar body with a great technique.

1. Wet the piece andsand off standing fibers after it dries.
2. Wet it again before dying to slow\control the absorbtion. While it
is wet apply a strong coat of black dye rubbing it in evenly.
3. After it dries hand sand it until just accents of black remain in
and around the figure, accentuating it.
4. I then colored with Vintage Maple and Medium Brown dye. You could
go with Maple and some black. This time re-raise grain by wetting,
sand when dry, wet again beofre applying dye to control saturation.
Multiple coats of dye can darken.

I'll post pictures tonight.

Seen lots of stained figured maple that looks like crap.
Seen lots of it dyed with Transtint or similar quality dye
that looks stunning.