Shellac Neck

[ibreakemineedtobuildem]

I was wondering if wiping a thin layer of shellac on a neck is an okay neck finish?I was wondering how it would stand up to a lot of play.I was going to tung oil it but I like the feel of a thin shellac coat that's been steel wooled.

[Jon Bell]

Shellac isn't the most durable finish and bearing in mind how much wear a neck gets I'm pretty sure it would wear away. Shellac isn't waterproof either which is worth considering if you've got sweaty hands.

However on the plus side it is very easy to add more coats of shellac at a later date (unlike most other finishes). So if it did wear away it wouldn't be too big a deal to apply a few new coats.

Jon

Edited January 12, 2005 by Jon Bell

[jay667]

I was wandering about this also and if french pollishing an electric guitar was a silly idea. The thing that was realy worrying me was would my guitar lose a bit of its playability due to the neck being too 'sticky'?

I have an Ibanez SZ320MH and they have skimped on the finish to make it more affordable it is pretty much plain mahogany with a thin layer of darker stain and maybe a very thin cellulose coat (i assume) that is very easily scrached through to the lighter wood. Does any one know if a shellac finish would react badly with the factory finish if aplied on top??

Edited January 15, 2005 by jay667

[stoo]

I'm finishing my guitar with GLOSS poly and the neck in SATIN poly. The satin doesn't have that sticky feeling you are refereing to.

[ddgman2001]

Shellac gets sticky when it warms up.

[kench]

Can we spray Nitro lacquer over the Shellac?

I bought some shellac flakes yesterday to use it as sealer and color under the clear gloss of Nitro.

[soulchaser]

Shellac is thinned with alcohol. Any alcohol will disolve the finish. Don't get any beer or rum and cokes on your hand! Also, Shellac and water are enimies,even moisture in the air. That is why furniture makers use it ONLY on pieces that will spend thier lives indoors. Put a drink down on a table of shellac and it will leave an ugly white cloudy ring. I wouldn't use it on an instrument, being handled by sweaty hands and all.