Waxy buildup after staining

[plepper]

I seem to have a waxy build up on the back and sides of my guitar after staining any ideas to remove it?

[tippie53]

what product you using ?

[enalnitram]

I had that with minwax stains. I wasn't sure if it was waxy or if it just appeared that way. because others had said they had success with the same product, I just kept finishing over top of it and it was fine.

[plepper]

Yep it was Minwax I've scraped the body but wanted to light sand before final finishing and the sand paper loads up pretty fast.

[kencierp]

Minwax is a great product if used as directed -- did you apply the stain to bare wood or wood that was prepared with the "Minwax Conditioner"? Minwax is a "true stain" not a toner. Toners can be applied to sealed material Minwax cannot/should not.

[kencierp]

Another point -- if I am reading this correctly, there was sanding and scraping after the stain was applied? If that is the case --- the sequence does not follow the prescribed method. The surface should be ready to go, final grit surface prep, stain, wipe off completely, seal, finish coats.

[plepper]

I had to sand / scrape because of the build up it left the surface higher in spots. I just scraped what was on off and it is fine. I just never had this happen before and I stained a lot of wood before.

[kencierp]

So have you concluded why there was residue/build-up? I respect the fact that you have stained before -- was it Minwax? KMG and Woodland Inspirations (my home accessory business) has been using gallons of Minwax for about 30 years. What you are describing has never been an issue. So for the benefit of the other readers and those that want to use Minwax, lets figure out what went wrong with your process. Did you apply the stain to bare wood? If so it would stand to reason that its was not wiped it off completely -- which must be done since the Minwax does leave a thin seal coat. To get a darker color with Minwax you wipe off completely, recoat after 4-6, in some cases several times. Leaving the product on the surface will leave an uneven build-up. It also states on the can not to sand the finish.

[plepper]

Yea I think it was my bad, I recoated too soon to get a more even color. It was applied to bare wood. I was not implying that it was the products fault I was just trying to get a handle on the best way to fix my problem. It has turned out fine after a few minutes of scraping. There was no question in my mind that something had to be done as the waxy buildup would have caused small soft spots in the finish and caused the finish to not be smooth. Thanks for the help!