How would I remove Jasco stains?

[Mike Kolb]

Installing a new redwood top on a ABG. After gluing the top on, I stripped the body of the guitar in preparation for refin.  Now there are some faint (but unmistakable) stains around the edges of the top from the Jasco.  Has anyone used bleach or something similar to fade these away? I've tried sanding, but they go deeper than I'd care to sand.  While I'm at it, there's some blotchiness in the mahogany back and sides that could stand some evening-out. Thanks for any ideas:)

[William F.Eden]

 I am Sorry but you should always  seal it all first.You could try a little asatone on the stain.

[Mike Kolb]

I should've been more specific. The top is new, fresh redwood. The body (mahogany) had a poorly-done old clear lacquer finish, so I stripped the sides and back to bring the whole body 'down to zero'. In stripping the sides/back, some of the stripper worked it's way to the edges of the top, creating unwanted stains on the top, as well as some unevenness on the sides and back.

Prior to sealing and further finishing, I want to try to remove those stains.  Sealing prior to stripping wouldn't have worked, since the sealer would be lifted immediately. 

I've got a few nice scraps of redwood and mahogany, so I'll try to duplicate the stains and try a few different methods of neutralizing 'em.  Maybe a bleach solution, maybe acetone as well just to see what gives. 

[Mark McLean]

Mike

Have you checked to see how those 'stains' are going to look when finish goes over them?  Maybe the rest of the raw timber is going to darken up in the same way and you might not have a problem?  How does it look if you wet the whole surface down temporarily with Naptha or spirit?

[Howard Klepper]

Not much you can do at this point.  You should have stripped before retopping, or even better, sanded the finish off.

[Mike Kolb]

OK, so hindsight is 20-20... but after experimenting with the scraps, I've hit on the answer.  After introducing the same sort of stains to the scrap, a wash with acetone followed by a wash with bleach (regular household Clorox) removes the stains to virtually nothing.

One interesting sidelight is that the fresh redwood takes-on a grayish tinge, much like a redwood fence that's been in the weather for a couple of years, not undesirable at all and it sure beats the "ring-around-the-collar" effect. The mahogany didn't seem to change color much at all, but the overall appearance is much more even.

Mark (as an aside) when I did the first acetone wash, the stains didn't seem to change much when wet, just darker along with the remainder of the wood.  Thanks for the input, folks.

[FRANK]

once a dry stain it is always there sorry .look at it this way the stain soaked into the spongy wood material being the red wood,A conifer, that grows with a pine cone ,this means this is really soft spongy maiterial and if you have gone as far as you can go this is all you can do for that .any air brushing may help remembering that you will most likely end up with a halo effect . inside or around these stains but may give better end results .i am saying maby add a little color to fake the stains in.as no longer being visual cues .

[Mike Kolb]

Umm, the problem was 95% solved. An acetone wash, followed by a bleach wash, then a light scuff with 220 grit and the stain's are gone.  The only thing I can think of why it may have worked is the acetone worked a good portion of it loose; the bleach did whatever bleach does... and the combination raised the grain far-enough to let the 220-grit paper knock it down.  

In retrospect, good ol' soap n' water may have done the same thing, but I'm not arguing with success.  Are the stains invisible? No. But they draw no attention to themselves and a fellow wouldn't know they were there if he wasn't looking for them.  The "bonus" (in my book) was a slight weathering effect on the redwood... looks like an "old soul" top instead of a fresh newbie.

[FRANK]

excellent