How Would I Go About Tung Oiling The Neck

[runfromsticks]

I have a Fender Standard Fat Strat and I want to put tung oil on the neck. Should I sand the neck down, then put the tung oil on, and then resand? Or should I just put the tung oil over whatever finish it has now? There will be sanding involved right? Sry for being such a noob

[westhemann]

tung oil soaks into the wood.so you need to sand it bare.

but i wouldn't.

tung oiled necks feel nice,but they aren't as well protected as a laquered or poly-ed neck

[runfromsticks]

well the neck on my guitar is kind of hard to play. Its not that smooth. My friend said the same thing. Is there another way to make it easier to play?

[bowser]

you might try rubbing it down with 0000 steel wool or something, just to reduce how glossy it is. your hand would probably slide better then

[Drak]

Are you sure it's the BACK of the neck that's causing your problems, and not a super-dirty fretboard, or frets that need a good dressing, or an action that's gotten a bit high?

Just asking...

[runfromsticks]

well when i was playing i noticed my hand got stuck on the back of the neck...so yeah i'm guessing it is the back of the neck.

i think the action is just fine. my frets? hmm i dont know how bad they are. I don't have any tools that can let me check either :/

[kench]

Usually, MIA Fenders have "satin" finish on the back of the neck, and they feel pretty fast. At least my '96 American Strat feels very fast with the satin finish. I think yours have high gloss if your hand is sticking on to it.

And another thing is that all Fenders has hard maple necks which are not very durable if they are only tung oiled. Especially for the humidity and seasonal changes. If I'm correct, a hard finish is highly required on maple necks.

I'd only do a little sanding with very very fine papers or a steel wool to glossy surface. Then it will be like a satin finish. I havent tried that myself before but I have a guitar with satin finished neck and a one with high gloss. Glossy one is very sticky but the satin is very smooth. Very different to each other.

[runfromsticks]

hmm ill see if i can get my hands on some steel wool. Will this scratch up the back of my neck?

[Dugz Ink]

If it has already been finished, you'll have to sand through the finish and the wood that has been penetrated by the finish before the tung oil can actually soak into the wood. Otherwise, it just sits on top, and that won't help.

For "slick" finishes, I use 0000 steel wool, followed by automotive rubbing compound applied with a rag... the stuff you use to buff out the paint on a car. Some people will recommend wet-sanding with 600-1200 grit paper; I haven't noticed a difference on perfectly smooth surfaces, and paper wrapped on a block is probably the best for flat surfaces. However, if there are some minor imperfections, or minor surface changes (dips, contours, etc.) I think the steel wool and the rag follows the form better than paper.

Add the usual disclaimer... this is just my opinion, based only on my experienece.

D~s

Edited December 27, 2004 by Dugz Ink

[runfromsticks]

When you used the steel wool, did it scratch up the neck?

[kench]

I don't know what steel wool really is. I'm from Turkey and I don't know what it is in Turkish. But there are some "wool like" sanders here, mostly with green color... but they don't look like steel..

I think it will scratch a little, or the sanded surface will appear obviously near the glossy areas. Well.. anything will scratch it a bit and that is the idea.. if you want to make it slippery unlike a high-gloss finish. But like Dugz Ink said, you need to apply buffing compounds with rag after you sand it. That will smooth the finish very well. I'm planning to use "silicon-free" TurtleWax which has yellow bottles for my guitar. I think that would work on your project very well too.

[Dugz Ink]

For somebody who doesn't know what "steel wool" is, you have a pretty good grasp!

It is very fine strands of steel, which appear to be woven or spun together... I have never read up on the manufacturing process. But you end up with a pad that feels like a sponge and works to lightly scape the surface. The 0000 (that's 4 zeros, and is called four-ot) is the made with finest strands of steel. The 0 (one-ot) is noticeably courser.

If you just make a couple of passes over the finish, it will leave minute scratches. However, I always go over the finish (lightly) until it is completely dull... in essence, creating so many minute scratches that they blend together. Then I rub it down with the compound, which smoothes out all of the minute scratches, leaving a very slick semi-satin finish.

But, like I said before, that is just the technique that I use. There are others.

D~s