Members Dr. Scottie C Posted July 3, 2014 Members Share Posted July 3, 2014 So I am a total newbie when it comes to refinishing......can anyone advise me on how I can take my neck from the Satin neck seen at the bottom of this picture, and turning it into the Tinted Glossy Neck at the top??? What products (brands/color) and tools would I need to make this happen? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DaleH Posted July 3, 2014 Members Share Posted July 3, 2014 tru oil and about a week of a few coats very light sand a few coats.....a light sand..a few. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grant Harding Posted July 3, 2014 Members Share Posted July 3, 2014 Find out what the existing finish is and if it's something that you can overcoat spray a few coats of lightly tinted finish, then finish with some clear and buff it to gloss. I'd never attempt this on a good neck BTW - I'd send it to a pro. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Floyd Rosenbomb Posted July 3, 2014 Members Share Posted July 3, 2014 I used to recommend Tru oil, but in the hot and humid days of summer those necks become sticky. If I was going to refinish a neck I would use tung oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Dr. Scottie C Posted July 3, 2014 Author Members Share Posted July 3, 2014 Floyd- could tung create that same look as Tru? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Floyd Rosenbomb Posted July 4, 2014 Members Share Posted July 4, 2014 Floyd- could tung create that same look as Tru? I don't know enough about it, Scottie. Perhaps I shouldn't even recommend Tung oil as I've never used it on a neck. I did do a body in Tung and it's nice, and I did do a neck with Tru and it is nice expect when it is really humid out, then it gets pretty sticky and that will keep me from playing that guitar. You could always do a quick phone call to Warmoth. IIRC they recommend Tung for necks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members 6down1togo Posted July 4, 2014 Members Share Posted July 4, 2014 ReRanch has a lacquer for tinting necks. I have used it over a satin poly neck. Good for a light tint but if you apply too many coats it goes banana yellow pretty quickly. You can top coat it with gloss lacquer, but I used as-is for a satin finish. On a maple board,you have to tape off the frets or use a scotchbrite to carefully clean the frets afterward. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Freeman Keller Posted July 6, 2014 Members Share Posted July 6, 2014 First find out what kind of finish you have on the neck. Put a drop of lacquer thinner on the back of the headstock where it would be covered by a tuner. If the finish softens it is nitrocellulose lacquer, if it doesn't it is some sort of a catalyzed polyurethane. If it is nitro your life is easy - you can spray additional tinted coats which will melt into the old finish, then color sand and buff. The best way is to use a small spray gun and mix some amber tint into the lacquer, spray until you get the color you want then spray a few clear coats over the top. Sand with each step from 800 grit wet and dry (wet) up to 2000, then buff with medium and fine compound. If it is poly you have a couple of choices. Most home refinishers are not set up to work with poly and it is very difficult to get other finishes to bond to it. If it was my neck I would chemically strip it to bare wood and in my case, I would then finish in nitro or water born lacquer. You can apply some stains directly to the neck which will highlight grain or you can mix your amber tint into the lacquer as described above. StewMac sells both clear and amber tinted nitro in rattle cans - if you don't have a compressor and gun that would be a good choice. http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_Supplies/Finishing_Supplies/Finishes_and_Solvents/ColorTone_Tinted_Aerosol_Guitar_Lacquer.html Many people like to French Polish necks because it doesn't feel as sticky as lacquer. French Polish it shellac desolved in alcohol, many thin coats are applied by hand and rubbed into the wood. FP does not gloss up as highly as lacquer - many people prefer a slightly satin finish on the back of their necks (again, it doesn't feel as sticky). FP can be done at home with no fancy equipment. Last choice would be TruOil which is a gun stock treatment. It is commonly used by home finishers because it requires no special equipment. It is applied by hand and can be polished but I have never seen a TruOil treatment that rivaled lacquer for gloss. I have no experience with automotive type of finishes other than a friend who paints custom motor cycles (and a few guitars) and I know how difficult is it to get a really good finish with these materials. When he does a guitar he always strips and sands to bare wood whether he is applying a translucent or solid color. If you want a finish like that take it to a pro. You also didn't say whether the fretboard is finished and/or if it is bound. Both will give additional problems which we can discuss. Also, I am assuming that you will refinish the face of the headstock - it is a real hassle to try to only do part of the neck. The maple neck and back of this mandolin were first stained with some brown directly into the wood which pops the grain. It was then sprayed with amber tinted lacquer, then finally sunburst with a little red and brown in the lacquer (which you won't do). It doesn't take much - just a drop in 4 oz or so. Finally a few coats of clear and the next step will be color sanding and buffing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JC777 Posted July 7, 2014 Members Share Posted July 7, 2014 So I am a total newbie when it comes to refinishing......can anyone advise me on how I can take my neck from the Satin neck seen at the bottom of this picture, and turning it into the Tinted Glossy Neck at the top??? What products (brands/color) and tools would I need to make this happen? If you're comfortable with spraying, I'd go with the Reranch rattlecan. But there may be more prep involved. Without knowing your skill or comfort level, I would suggest Zinsser's amber shellac.You can pick it up at Lowes. It nails the color pretty closely. Shellac applies well to satin finished without a lot of prep work. I used to use a Varathane produce that was perfect but it's very hard to find now. But I think the shellac works just as well. After the shellac, I would use Tru-Oil for the gloss finish. It's easy to apply and plays well with other finishes. I can take a pic of a neck that I finished with Tru-Oil tonight. But it basically looks like your light tint example. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WRGKMC Posted July 7, 2014 Members Share Posted July 7, 2014 What you want in the butterscotch lacquer listed here. http://www.reranch.com/colors.htm Don't know if they sell it in rattle cans though. If you're going to use lacquer, stay with lacquer. several have mentioned True and Tung oil. Since these are non aerosol products, you wont get the smooth high gloss finish you would using lacquer. I have used Tung oil over Lacquer before but its near impossible to get it to look smooth on a neck by brushing or wiping it on when it has frets in already. Tung oil is allot like Lacquer once it hardens and you can build it up to a high gloss, but with frets in already, I suggest going lacquer all the way. Then you only have to worry about removing the lacquer from the fret tops when you're done which is relatively simple. I do suggest laying the neck flat when doing the fretted side. You want to have the lacquer lay flat at the frets and not have a buildup like shingles on a house at the frets by hanging it. I often do both sides horizontally but you have to be sure its completely dry before flipping it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JC777 Posted July 8, 2014 Members Share Posted July 8, 2014 I didn't use the Zinssers on any of these, but here are some examples of Tru-Oil and sheens you can get. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JC777 Posted July 8, 2014 Members Share Posted July 8, 2014 You guys really need to fix the pic upload thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BG76 Posted July 8, 2014 Members Share Posted July 8, 2014 The only thing I would be slightly concerned about with Tru-Oil is that he has an existing finish on the neck. I don't know what kind of finish he has, but I'm assuming it's a satin finish similar to those on Fender's non reissue necks. I would wet sand your neck with 800 grit 3M sandpaper to give your finish something to adhere to. Once that was done I would clean the neck. Next, I would spray a couple coats of clear to seal the neck. This way, if you mess up the tint your dyes won't be in the wood and you can sand it back. to tint it I would use something like Transtint to get the color you want. I would probably try using a couple drops of amber, a drop or orange and maybe a touch of black. You could test it on scrap or on the neck heel where it won't show. Once you get the neck tinted the way you like it (go much lighter then you think you need to) I would do a lot of very light coats of lacquer. I would probably use Minwax Clear Gloss in the spray can, but other brands (Zinser, etc...) are all good as well. I probably wouldn't cheap out on the brand. Personally, I would use a compressor and a gun and do a base coat of clear (I like Belhans because it's cheap and is easy to work with) and then put some tinted coats over it. You could also just do it clear and leave the neck in the sun whenever you get the chance. Eventually it will get darker, but it may take a long time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JC777 Posted July 8, 2014 Members Share Posted July 8, 2014 Reread my original post, this is an easy option if he wasn't comfortable spraying. I've used Tru-Oil over the existing finish on old Squier, Fender, and current Mighty Mite necks. A couple of quick passes with 0000 steel wool, wipe down with a tack cloth and apply. The only finish that I've found that was incompatible with Tru-Oil was a Minwax water based product. Wipe on Poly's are fine too but can streak or leave buildup on edges. Tru-oil flows and evens if its not applied to heavily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members BG76 Posted July 8, 2014 Members Share Posted July 8, 2014 Cool. I do not have any experience with Tru-Oil. The name just kind of made me wonder if it would penetrate or dry over the existing finish. Sounds like it will! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JC777 Posted July 8, 2014 Members Share Posted July 8, 2014 Cool. I do not have any experience with Tru-Oil. The name just kind of made me wonder if it would penetrate or dry over the existing finish. Sounds like it will! The name is a little misleading. It's a polymerized linseed oil among other ingredients. But it doesn't penetrate like Tung or Raw Linseed oil. It actually builds up a pretty resilient finish with more coats. It's super easy to work with. The only thing that you have to have is patients. The glossy neck was probably 16 coats. If you read other posts most will tell you to use steel wool after every 2 coats. After the 6th, I don't use steel wool again unless I have a flaw in the previous coat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members JC777 Posted July 8, 2014 Members Share Posted July 8, 2014 16 coats may sound like a lot but you can apply about every two hours. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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