# Remove water base Dye/stain



## hawksy (Jul 28, 2010)

Hello all,

I do hope somebody on the forum may be able to help.

I have stained the Ash top on my guitar Cherry Red but made a mess of it, the stain is water based, I have removed all the dye from what I would call the top layer of the wood with methylated spirits, but with Ash being near white color with lots of grain, the dye has left my guitar Pink, I have thought about bleaching the wood but I am worried with regards neutralising the Bleach with Water, don't want it to soak in the wood and drying out and Warping the top, the Guitar is a Gibson Les Paul style with a carved top profile, I put so much work into carving the top I would be gutted if it warped or split.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

*WELCOME TO THE FORUM*

You don't have too many choices. WB dye gets good penetration. You might try a good MC based stripper (methylene chloride). Or, there is oxalic acid (wood bleach). 

Another choice would be to stain it darker, or apply a faux finish over what's there.


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## Colt W. Knight (Nov 29, 2009)

Do you plan on Dyeing it again, or do you want to leave it white? 

I routinely bleach figured maple guitar tops. It warps them all to hell, I have to wet them and dry them in such a manner as to flatten them out when I am done. 

Waterbased dyes ussually don't penetrate Ash very much though, you should be able to sand it back to white without too much effort.


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## hawksy (Jul 28, 2010)

Thanks Cabinetman

I recon I will go with staining Darker, like you said not lot else I can do now.

Colt W Night,

I am not sure your post being Helpful really. 

"Warps Them All to Hell":huh:

I don't think I be doing that to my guitar.


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## Rick Mosher (Feb 26, 2009)

Clorox Bleach right out of the bottle will get rid of 98% of the color and the rest you will be able to sand out. (Just pour the clorox into a glass bowl, put on some rubber gloves, wet a clean white cotton rag with clorox and wipe it on evenly. You will be amazed...


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## hawksy (Jul 28, 2010)

Thanks Rick

I will see if I can get some of that, I have not heard of it though, and like I said about neutralising afterwards, I dont want ot use water, do you know of anything else that will neutralise the bleach apart from the water?


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## Rick Mosher (Feb 26, 2009)

Clorox is just a laundry bleach. It is one part and don't require neutralizing like a 2 part bleach would.


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