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I decided to try Rocklite's "Ebano" ebony lookalike binding, with WBW purfling already laminated, on the 12-string I am working on. The bindings bent without a problem in my side bender. I always have issues with bindings, so I was being extra careful. I was pleased that the top bindings went on well. I planed the excess off, but when I got down to scraping and sanding the bindings and purfling, when I got down near level with the Sitka top, I noticed some dark staining in the spruce, from working black sanding dust into the wood I think. I first thought it would brush away, but when it did not all disappear, I stopped what I was doing to try to clean it up before it got worse. I tried naphtha, alcohol, and acetone (contact cement solvent) in an effort to remove the stains, with only slight success with the naphtha. In the end I think I may be okay by sanding and scraping judiciously, but I am concerned residual stains may show when I start finishing. I emailed the company in the UK to ask but have had no reply yet. Has anyone used this material, and if so, have you experienced this? Any other suggestions as to what might absorb the stain? Maybe it is a water-based dye or pigment in the material? I noticed some black stains on the parchment I used in the bending process, using a little Windex - maybe ammonia has an effect? Bruce W.

I've not worked with rocklite, but I've used bloodwood and padauk. This is one of the many reasons I put shellac in the binding and purfling channels, as well as around~ 2" the edge of the top.

The only thing I can think of to get it out, is to:

1. Blow all round the staining with compressed air. It'll dislodge a lot of it.

2. Clean with a bush attachment on a vacuum

3. After doing one or both of the above, use a tack cloth to get more out.

4. Then sand, going with the spruce grain, in 1 direction only. Make sure you sand towards the binding (away from the spruce) at the top and bottom. Go in a straight line, one direction only, so you don't accidentally cross the rocklite and spruce boundary. Blow away the dust after each stroke. Make sure you clean your sandpaper at the same time, by blowing with compressed air, or wiping on a piece of carpeting. If you see black on the sabdpaper that doesn't clean off, replace.

Just make sure you use a sanding block, so you don't end up with ditches in the spruce.

When you get it cleaned up, put a coat or 2 of shellac around the edge of the top to protect it and It'll stay clean for you.

if it's a water based dye, water will pull it out. However, water may also spread it out further, leaving a demarcation line. However, water based dye can be sanded out. I don't think I would try anymore solvents or water, which could push it further into the wood.

Just try the sanding and cleaning, as I indicated above.