TheMagician Posted April 11, 2005 Report Share Posted April 11, 2005 I have an unfinished maple on maple neck... my only question is what do I finish the fretboard with? Nitro it? And what about the frets, do they need to be covered during the process? Or will the notro come off the frets easily? Thanks in advance! Don Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Southpa Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 I'm building the same ie. maple on maple and haven't decided on laquer or polyurethane quite yet. I think the poly will be more durable and lay down thicker. Either way, the fret tops will be covered and I guess a little cutting with a razor and then light sanding should fix things. It would be best to make sure whatever you use is fully cured and then tape over the wood before dealing with the frets. The nut slot on my neck (tele style) will be taped over before shooting as the nut is a perfect fit right now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Poly stands up better than nitro over time on a fretboard; its just harder. Clear epoxy would be even better (but perhaps more difficult to buff out), you could apply it to just the fretboard, then shoot whatever you want on the back side. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheMagician Posted April 12, 2005 Author Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 Thanks guys... The neck is fretted... just unfinished. I guess I'll try the poly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mledbetter Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 If you want to go for the vintage look, nitro the whole thing.. You can scrape it off the frets after the fact, or tape them before.. either way. I think most just scrape the frets. I saw a trick once where someone ground the shape of a fret into the head of a nail and used that to scrape tha lacquer off the frets.. Steel wool should do it too I would thnk. I would imagine nitro will be a bit easier to get off the frets than poly.. The ReRanch folks say that nitro doesn't like the fretmaterial and won't adhere to it. If you want a more satin feel, do a tung oil or tru-oil finish. You can't go wrong there for a great playing neck. About 4 thin coats of tru-oil and you'll be in business. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted April 12, 2005 Report Share Posted April 12, 2005 I love Tru Oil for the back of the neck, but I'm not sure how well it would work on the fretboard. It goes on very thin, and you might find yourself wearing through it faster than poly or nitro. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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