Sanding and sealing contrasting actionwood

[MoeM]

Hey guys I have a problem and need some advice;
I`m working on a birch a-wood riser black/silvergrey and can`t avoid the dark dust to darken the silver. Wiping it wet is worst sanding fine isn`t much better. I tried to wipe the dust away with a brush and seal it with birchwood sealer&filler- now it`s almost totally black/dirty dark grey...
any ideas to solve this prob please?!

[fujimo]

will a strong  vac suck the dust out of the silver, after sanding?

[LittleBen]

Had the same problem sanding alternating maple and black phenolic overlays ... I eventually solved the problem by very carefully using a scraper after getting it sanded . the scraper will produce fine shavings but not dust. That may work for you.

[fujimo]

good idea!!!

[LittleBen]

Only came up with that after frantically sanding ... cursing ... crying ... and resorting to every possible measure before going to my hunting knife

next time it'll be walnut and maple, or white and black glass ... because it works OK but it wasn;t a ton of fun.

[MoeM]

Scraping and vacing... I`ll combine them and hope to get a satisfying result.
Thanks fellas!

[Bodork]

Or blowing it frequently with compressed air?

[BigJim]

I can't help but think that it is the sealer giving you the problem. I use every exotic imaginable and have only on one or two occasions out of tens of hundreds ever had a problem and it was from the oils in the wood bleeding.
I seal and finish with the same  finish (buffalo hide epoxy finish) and never wipe it on. I have always sprayed it. I put on two coats and let dry over night and then sand and two more and dry then sand. Usually put the flat over the fourth coat.

Grain is all filled and no problems with crossover colors.
good luck, bigjim

[scars]

A tack clothe works wonders in removing dust and the smallest particles. (dab don't rub) Big Jim is right you need to lock in the colors with a spray. The fastest way to lock in your true colors without bleeding is a epoxy base spray. If I remember, birch will try to go translucent where it gets thin next to the grain, the faster you lock it in the better off you are.