The sunburst finish on the Omaha ukulele was a learning experience. After researching various sites,videos and blogs ( I found the mandolin sites the best), I hand applied sunburst finishes on two test pieces of Douglas Fir. I found applying a water based dye and French polish after was most effective in getting the finish I wanted. The following are the steps I used to apply the sunburst finish on the Omaha.
1. Apply an "Amber" dye (available from Stew-Mac, it's soluble in water or alcohol) to the entire top.
2. Apply "Red" dye to the upper bout and edges of the ukulele.
3. Apply the "Tobacco Brown" over the "Red" dye. Leave a sliver of "Red" showing in the inside edge.
4. Try to apply the dyes evenly to avoid creating splotches.
5. Prepare Amber, Red and Tobacco Brown dyes with shellac and alcohol per directions.
6. French polish the darker shellac first and the Amber last.
7. French polish later coats with regular blonde shellac.
Sounds simple, but I found it difficult to control the splotching of the dyes. I discovered spruce grain doesn't take the dye evenly. The best finish I could achieve was more of a "vintage" look to the ukulele.
The next sunburst finish I undertake, I'll use an airbrush and lacquer.
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