Tutorial DIY 'Aqua violet/northern lights' PRS-style using Fiebing's alcohol leather dyes

I've been playing with Fiebing's leather dyes to match the finish of my Private Stock CU24 Aqua Violet Glow (for making matching tuner buttons and truss rod cover), and also find a color scheme that'd look good on a Warmoth quilt top Strat body I got.
This is what I got so far.

Warning: Fiebing's alcohol-based leather dyes have incredible vibrancy and preserve the wood's iridescence best compared to other dyes like Keda/TransTint.
However they aren't light fast and will fade rapidly if exposed to daylight/sunlight (even some artificial lights will do it).
Keep your guitar cased if you are going to use Fiebing's leather dyes. If you don't try to use Keda or TransTint (it will just be impossible to achieve the same color vibrancy).
That should be well known to owners of PRS USA guitars, and the reason they need to be kept cased when not played.

[tkmclaughlin]

Fantastic tutorial. I had been searching for how to replicate this look. You nailed it.

[aphexlane]

I keep coming back to this over and over. Thanks so much for this. Trying to decipher how to replicate their faded indigo. I feel like this will help me get there.

[davesc]

I just stained a guitar after your tutorial.. Thank you!

[benclements]

You’ve nailed the PRS Northern Lights finish. Thanks for sharing. Now when can we expect to see this on a guitar?!

[hunterknowles]

This is so great thankyou for sharing! did you wait 24 hrs after doing red coats for drying to sand and put on blue? thats the one thing i cant get clear on using multiple dyes. thanks!

[MyBookmonkey]

Great video, watched many times and attempted but when I applied the blue the colors all blended into a blue which turned out great and I stuck with it but curious as to what you think I did wrong. Did I possibly overwork the blue into the pink? Thanks

[Steinstra-vjwl]

I miss the hint of green in this which 'Norther Light' has.

[robn.]

Does the sealer coat then allow you to put on a clear coat to finish to a glass finish? I finished a veneer Mighty Mite body once with Rit Dye believe it or not in an attempt at a Anderson like Bora Bora blue. It came out great until I put on the clear, then it turned into a teal green blue which was not what I was going for.

I'm getting ready to finish a old stock USA Peavey Limited real quilted body, not veneer. Any advice is welcome.

[Unchainedmaple]

Awesome! Where do you get these pieces of flame maple to test finishes?

[樽柖Tshao]

Hello, I would like to ask how many grits of sandpaper you used for sanding before dyeing. Is the grit of sandpaper used before the second dyeing the same as the previous one? Additionally, is a thickness of 0.5mm suitable for repeated sanding tasks like this?

[johnl]

Going to try this method on my build. Grabbed, it won't be the same as it's swamp ash, but I'm hopeful it will still come out looking cool. (Doing some test stain jobs first.). If I want to add the green/teal color, what tint is the dye, and what is the order of the color application?

[kieronmckay]

Well I tried this lol…I thought I did a great job and I did not. This is a hard one to nail on a carved top cause the sanding has to be nailed which is so much harder than it seems with all the rounded flowing areas, the wood has to be cooperative and if its a veneer instead of a full cap, good luck y’all.

[brianbeath]

These pieces are excellent have you tried found faded blue jean?

[pchandrakant]

What was the "fast drying sealer coat" you used?

[Turboy]

Be aware, most Fiebing's dyes, particularly their blues, will fade in sunlight. Use true aniline or metal complex dyes instead for a more permanent solution.

[mvyper]

Would this work with quilt instead of flame ?

[asdasdasdderp]

Hi,
what do you dilute it with? Alcohol?