Kramers Rule Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 First off, I want to thank everyone who has provided me advice and guidance w/ my first build... it is really starting to come togather... with any luck it will be ready for July's GOTM competition! I just finished building my neck. It is maple w/ a rosewood fretboard. The frets are already installed, they just need a level and polish. What do you guys reccomend for the finish??? I am looking for something extremely low maintenance. I dont feel like applying a new coat of polish or whatever once every few weeks. Also, how would I apply the finish? Do I need to tape off the sides of the fretboard, or should that get finished as well? I keep hearing about Tru-Oil... what is that???? Thanks again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarter Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 ... I keep hearing about Tru-Oil... what is that???? ... Tru Oil is a modified / polymerized linseed oil product. It is more like a vintage instrument varnish than an "oil" finish. It is easy to work with and very forgiving, one of my favorite neck finishes for sure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick500 Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 (edited) My favorite neck finish is tung oil (not pure tung oil, but a tung oil finish such as Minwax's). Tru-oil is nice too. Edit: Rosewood doesn't really need a finish, but a tung oil or Tru-oil finish certainly wouldn't hurt it. Edited January 28, 2008 by Rick500 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted January 28, 2008 Report Share Posted January 28, 2008 On the Carvin kid I did about 10 years ago, I used what I thought was Tung Oil, but was realy a thinned down wipe-on poly. I gave the neck 4-5 coats of that, then steel-wool polished it to a nice satin. It plays extremely well, and has held up very nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beatingu Posted January 30, 2008 Report Share Posted January 30, 2008 This is a stained and tru-oiled neck. http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a83/sixt6...iser/NJ1-10.jpg They can come out very shiny or you can dull down if you'd like which i heard makes for a faster finish.Heres a write-up from one of the guys on here.Enjoy. How To Tru-Oil A Guitar Body and Neck If you are starting with a bare wood neck that's been prepped (by prepped neck, I mean a neck that has been sanded, and whiskered. “Whiskering” is using a damp cloth to raise the grain after which the wood is sanded or steel wooled to remove the "whiskers". I recommend whiskering at least 2-3 times before staining.) , the first thing to do is to stain the wood. What I use is Stew Macs' vintage amber water based stain. It's able to be adjusted to whatever shade you like very easily. Also, the stain is carried into the grain more deeply because the water doesn't evaporate as fast as alcohol, or oil based stain. This is what gives the grain "pop" you hear about. Normally I stain, let dry, steel wool the neck with 0000 steel wool, wipe down and stain again. Then LIGHTLY steel wool again just to smooth the wood and remove excess stain from the surface. After the stain is the color you like you can begin applying the oil. This is done by dipping your finger into the bottle and applying a generous amount to the wood, rubbing it into the wood with two fingers I try to apply enough oil to cover about 3-4 inches at a time. On this first coat you can go fairly heavy with the oil as the neck will drink it in. Try to work in such a manner as to always be working the fresh oil into the oil you just rubbed in, smoothing and blending it together so there is no seam between the two areas. When rubbing in the oil try to be brisk so the oil heats slightly from the friction. When the neck has been covered let it sit for several hours, or until it is no longer tacky, at which time you repeat the process. You'll find that after about three coats the oil will begin to build, and less oil will be needed to coat the neck. Steel wool the neck lightly, after about four coats, just to create a nice smooth surface for the next coat. I usually apply 7-8 coats and after the final coat I let the neck sit overnight to allow the oil to harden. When the oil feels dry and hard I very lightly steel wool the finish until it's no longer shiney. Try not to remove alot of the finish, just burnish it to remove the high gloss shine. let the neck sit for an hour or two and then use a clean cloth ( Old denim or T-shirt cloth works well) to buff the neck up and down fairly fast and you will bring the finish to a nice sheen! This finish will be fast, but, it will get even faster as it cures, say a week or two. I try to finish the neck on a guitar first so that when the body is ready the neck will be well cured and feel as though it has been played for ten years! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kramers Rule Posted January 31, 2008 Author Report Share Posted January 31, 2008 Thanks for the advice... I'll mull it over for a few days to decide what is "right" for this build. I'll post the picks when I am finshed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djhollowman Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Hmmm.........I'm at exactly this stage as well! So I'm very keen to hop on board this one. OK, everything I've read here so far makes sense and sounds good. My neck is a 3-ply laminate of maple and bubinga. At the moment all the wood is bare and untreated, just sanded. The maple is a very tight grain, and should pose no problems. However, the bubinga has quite an "open" grain, which I'm sure will need filling - what's the best way to achieve this? Bearing I mind I will likely want to oil the neck to a finish. I've read on this site about using thinned epoxy as a grain filler - any comments guys? How do you do that? Is it really suitable? etc etc Thank y'all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarter Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 (edited) ... bubinga has quite an "open" grain, which I'm sure will need filling - what's the best way to achieve this? ... I don't know if its the "best" way, but you can fill using multiple coats of Tru Oil. The filling on this mahogany / maple is Tru Oil http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g94/quar...close1-1024.jpg Birchwood Casey does sell a grain filler to use with their Tru Oil. I ordered some off their web site for a walnut project I'm starting and will put it to the test. Edited February 2, 2008 by Quarter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djhollowman Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 ... bubinga has quite an "open" grain, which I'm sure will need filling - what's the best way to achieve this? ... I don't know if its the "best" way, but you can fill using multiple coats of Tru Oil. The filling on this mahogany / maple is Tru Oil http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g94/quar...close1-1024.jpg Birchwood Casey does sell a grain filler to use with their Tru Oil. I ordered some off their web site for a walnut project I'm starting and will put it to the test. I'm in the UK, btw. What about this stuff? - http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Birchwood-Casey-Tru-...7QQcmdZViewItem Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarter Posted February 2, 2008 Report Share Posted February 2, 2008 Thats the stuff, I see that seller also has the Sealer and Filler too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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