Neck Finishing Help Please

[ROCKETROB]

I'm finishing a Tele style neck; maple with rosewood board. How many coats of clear nitro is correct? I'm thinking about 9 or 10. It shouldn't be as thick as the body right?

I sealed the bare maple with a couple of light coats of clear, then a few coats of Fender Amber Neck Dye (reranch). Now I'm ready for the top coats. How many do some of you use?

Thanks, Rob.

[westhemann]

just enough to cover the neck,man...if i had to quantify...i would say 1mm

[ibnaz5150]

I'm not a big fan of lacquered necks however I've done a few! 9-10 is plenty. Keep in mind spray equipment used,and the user! Meaning you'll get different spray patterns,different transfer rate etc etc....some folks lay it on thick and get away with it with ideal conditons & experience! If your doing rattle cans it would take mores coats than a hvlp& compressor. Lay on a nice wet coat and let her flash off. put 4-6 coats on inspecting inbetween coats for drips,lint etc. Knock those off if you get em by wiping lightly with 600 grit. After you get 4-6 good coats you can level sand with 600 -800.... Apply 4-5 more coats and start your leveling again. Start with 800 and move up to 2000 if buffing by hand or foam pad. One good tip I can give ya is don't go so heavy with the lacquer on both sides of your heel.It will save you some sanding to fit your neck into the pocket.

[ROCKETROB]

Thanks for the replies.

Wes: I'm not sure I can measure that 1mm thickness easily; but I can estimate it pretty well. That gives me something to go by.

ibnaz: your reply is along the lines I was thinking. I want the neck protected, but not too thick. Thanks for your take on the finishing schedule. Good advise there. I have done a couple of bodies in nitro before so I am familiar with the general process. I always have to remind myself to GO SLOW and have patience.

I'll get some pics up when this project is completed; about 6 weeks to go. (including hardening time)

Rob

[ibnaz5150]

you definitely have an edge Rob.....California! I'm in western NY and ideal spray conditons are minimal! I won't play with nitro unless Im in my garage with massive ventalation!

[ROCKETROB]

It's been cold here but nothing like the East Coast. Still too cold to shoot laquer outside. Lucky for me my employer has let me set up a small area for spraying inside an unused part of our building. They also give me access to a small wood shop. I get an hour for lunch so I often spend most of it working on my project. Way cool.

Rob