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"Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"
http://www.luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=43842
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Author:  uvh sam [ Fri Jul 18, 2014 8:24 pm ]
Post subject:  "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

I'm looking for an alternative to nitro for necks. I don't like some aspects of nitro for the neck so I'm looking for something else. Any suggestions?

Author:  Tony_in_NYC [ Fri Jul 18, 2014 8:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

I have been using wipe on poly for my necks. Lots if guys like TruOil as well.

Author:  Doug Balzer [ Fri Jul 18, 2014 8:55 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

I like how fast a neck feels when finished with TruOil.

Author:  theguitarwhisperer [ Fri Jul 18, 2014 8:59 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

I've used cat urethane recently. Durable stuff. Sand it with 3000 and it's super satiny smooth!

Author:  Terence Kennedy [ Fri Jul 18, 2014 9:42 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

Another vote for Tru-Oil. Just don't pore fill with epoxy. It gets fuzzy.

Author:  Doug Balzer [ Fri Jul 18, 2014 9:44 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

Terence Kennedy wrote:
Another vote for Tru-Oil. Just don't pore fill with epoxy. It gets fuzzy.


I think I prefer to not pore fill a neck as the reduced surface area that the hand has contact with seems to create a 'faster' neck.

Author:  Lonnie J Barber [ Fri Jul 18, 2014 10:16 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

I've never liked a Tru-Oil finish that has been pore filled with some product. I like just the straight out of the bottle Tru-oil. Lots of very thin coats


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Author:  Josh H [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 8:29 am ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

Another + for Tru-oil. I pore fill with Timbermate filler and seal with a light coat of shellac. After that it is many thin coats of Tru-oil. Finish with some very fine sanding and steel wool.

I switched after not being happy with the durability of my Nitro neck finishes.

Author:  Nick Royle [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 8:46 am ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

Liberon Finishing Oil... Uneconomical on your side of the pond though, I think.

Author:  RusRob [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 9:38 am ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

I use just a couple of coats of Tung oil and have refinished a few necks for clients after they have played my guitars. I don't care for the mat finish on the back of the headstock or on the heel so I usually start coating those first. Depending on the wood I will pore fill the back of the headstock and heel but not the neck itself. I put a few coats on those parts to get then shiny and then lightly sand them. When I have them the gloss level I want I then do the whole neck with a couple of light coats. This leaves the back of the neck still feeling like wood but has a nice satin finish. So far almost everyone that has played my guitars have commented how nice it feels.

Here is a shot of my parlor that I did the same way.

Bob

Author:  WaddyThomson [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 10:20 am ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

I can't attest to this, but seems I have seen some who like Waterlox for necks.

Author:  Lonnie J Barber [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 10:30 am ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

Bob very nice guitar. I restored a little Kay parlor guitar for a little girl and gave it to her to learn on. Not much of a guitar but I had to replace the neck. Has a nice action plays easily. Much better then the old Stella I began with.


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Author:  michael jennings [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 10:39 am ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

Dem-Bart gunstock and checkering oil… lota of thin coats wet sanded with the oil to pore fill.

Author:  RusRob [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 12:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

Lonnie J Barber wrote:
Bob very nice guitar.


Thanks Lonnie, That is my first build I just finished in May. Its a copy of an 1800's German Parlor that I found some pictures of and fell in love with it.

Here is the original post with more pic's

http://luthiersforum.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=10101&t=43368


michael jennings wrote:
Dem-Bart gunstock and checkering oil… lota of thin coats wet sanded with the oil to pore fill.


That is how I pore fill also. It works really well with an oiled finish. I like the fact that you are not introducing a dis-similar material to do the filling.

Bob

Author:  gozierdt [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 12:33 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

I've used Waterlox for all of my necks except one that I tried Tru-oil on. I went back to Waterlox
because I liked the feel better. Waterlox is tung oil based. The advantage is that it has a higher
solids content than most of the tung oil mixtures. So you get a faster build per coat. It has a
medium sheen that I also like.

Author:  giltzow [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 1:19 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

+1 for tru-oil. LMI filler underneath. Going to try waterlox

Author:  Lonnie J Barber [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 1:28 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

Very nice Bob. I loved the pics thanks for posting.


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Author:  DannyV [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 1:57 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

I find nitro to be very durable. Maybe I put it on a little heavy on the neck but it wears very well.

Last one I did is with Waterlox. I've tried most wipe on finishes in my time. I would say Waterlox does the fastest build up. It has a nice feel. I hope it has reasonable durability because I put it on a Maple neck.
Attachment:
rsz_img_6723.jpg


The past couple of oil finishes I've done on necks were my time tested mix of boiled linseed,polyurathane, thinner and a shot of Japan dryer. It doesn't build up as quick but it takes a re coat very well. Also has a great feel.

Author:  RusRob [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 2:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

Nice guitar Danny, Love the Ebony backstrap with that Maple neck.

Yes I much prefer an oiled finish on a neck over nitro. Nitro seems sticky after playing a nicely oiled neck.

Bob

Author:  unkabob [ Sat Jul 19, 2014 4:03 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

I use Danish oil for the first coat (to bring out the grain) and wipe-on poly (diluted 1:1 with mineral spirits) for five to eight coats) wet-sand 600 grit between coats.
I prefer a satin finish.

Bob :ugeek:

Author:  kjaffrey [ Sun Jul 20, 2014 6:58 am ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

I've been contemplating a matte oil finish on the neck, but prefer a glossy headstock and body. So how do those of you who get a gloss headstock and oil finished neck handle the transition?

Thanks,
Kent

Author:  DannyV [ Sun Jul 20, 2014 7:42 am ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

kjaffrey wrote:
I've been contemplating a matte oil finish on the neck, but prefer a glossy headstock and body. So how do those of you who get a gloss headstock and oil finished neck handle the transition?

Thanks,
Kent

Just mask off and spray the face of the headstock.

Author:  uvh sam [ Sun Jul 20, 2014 9:14 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I'm just gonna spray nitro because I know what to expect and it's probably easier anyway. I guess I'm just a whiner when it comes to finishing :)

Author:  Colin North [ Mon Jul 21, 2014 6:37 am ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

gaah

Author:  Josh H [ Mon Jul 21, 2014 7:57 am ]
Post subject:  Re: "Finishes for necks" or "I'm sick of nitro"

uvh sam wrote:
Thanks for all the suggestions. I think I'm just gonna spray nitro because I know what to expect and it's probably easier anyway. I guess I'm just a whiner when it comes to finishing :)


I wouldn't say that Nitro is easier. And if there are aspects of Nitro finish on necks that you don't like those things will continue to bug you until you eventually switch to something else. I would at least get some of the other finishes mentioned in this thread and work up some test pieces. Then you can get a feel for the process of these other finishes and the results. I know that learning any new finish is a pain (I've tried lots of them) but when you do find one that is an improvement over what you have been doing it is work it. When I switched to Tru-oil I saved a lot of time on my neck finishing while also increasing the durability of the neck finish.

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