Is this neck to dark ?

about right or ???
I dyed and got a couple coats of TO on it. Transtint honey amber and brown mixed with 50/50 distilled water and denatured alchol.
After dampening the neck the night before and sanding with some 500 grit for that whiskering process. Seems to work real nice.
Neck before dye
http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/519/medium/rsz_100_1863.jpg
Neck after dye
http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/519/medium/rsz_100_2016.jpg
Headstock w/Tru Oil
http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/519/medium/rsz_100_2028.jpg

Tested it without brown and it was too light & may have turned more orange with TO, had too keep adding brown till I was happy but TO did deepen.
Got another neck I was going to use the rest of my mix on.

Thanks

Wally

It looks a little bit dark but I think it looks really nice

Looks good.

Shoot us some more pictures against a back ground of known color. Like, a cardboard box or manila folder. So we can account for exposure levels and any shift your camera and PC are laying on us.

I like the figure in the neck; a little character, not just bland pudding.

looks fine to me

Beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

Looks just right to me.....

who cares?

Looks good.

looks fine to me, so just package it and send it over ;)

If it looks good to you, that is all that matters! I likey.

That's right about where I like it.

I like it.

I`d say it`s a package -- depends on the colour of the body.

i really like how this neck has come up - i dont think it's too dark
i am interested in how you applied the dye

50/50 water and alcohol with how much dye??
did you put a sealer coat on prior to dye application??
tell us how you applied it - brush on? wad of tee shirt?

Looks good to me......:cool:

Looks good.

Shoot us some more pictures against a back ground of known color. Like, a cardboard box or manila folder. So we can account for exposure levels and any shift your camera and PC are laying on us.

I like the figure in the neck; a little character, not just bland pudding.

Will do, in a day or two. I'll post photos of 2 necks.
Got it all sanded down fo 5th coat of TO today.
Based on the other responses I just went ahead and did the same thing to a Strat neck that I got when I got this one late last night. I will be putting 2 coats on that one today as well.

Wally

i really like how this neck has come up - i dont think it's too dark
i am interested in how you applied the dye

50/50 water and alcohol with how much dye??
did you put a sealer coat on prior to dye application??
tell us how you applied it - brush on? wad of tee shirt?

Well I took one of those plastic quart mixing cups, added 4oz of distilled water (other water may have particles/minerals the react negatively) and 4oz
of denatured alcohol.
Then I added transtint honey amber till I got something that looked pretty good on a wood mixing stick and when swished around the wall of the sort of clear mixing cup when you hold it up to the light.
Then I figured it was close enough to do a little test, since I didn't have any scrap I did it on the lower heel.
Didn't think it was dark enough & started adding drops of Transtint Med. Brown till I thought I better not go any further or I'd have to dilute more.

I applied with one of those "terry cloth staining pads" just dipped a corner and wrung the excess out.
Then rubbed it in working from one end to the other, flipped it over and did the same thing. Took and old clean terry towel and wiped the excess off and hung to dry.

Mind you this was after the "wisker the wood" info read about here and elsewhere.
After it dryed for a couple hours or so I repeated the process above, lest dry and sanded with like 500 grit cause I didn't have 600 around till the hairs of the wood wre smooth and wiped with a clean towel and tacked off.
I applied a coat of Tru-Oil in the morning and let dry till felt pretty dry and later that evening applied a second coat then let dry a couple days.
Felt prettry good so I applied a third coat.

The thing is I mixed up way to much with 8oz of material and doing a second neck I have about 50z or so left. Didn't have anything to put it in except an empty plastic "Coke" bottle. I have to brightly label cause looking at the bottle it looks the same color as the "real thing":lol::lol::lol:

Can't give you a recipe, I can say I used by looking at my Transtint bottles a little less than maybe 1/8 of my honey amber.
The brown bottle is so dark I can't tell how much is gone but when adding it was hard to control the drops as I had more the a pin hole in my bottle but it was way more than 10 or 12 drops.

Now wondering what to do with the rest of the mix. Almost temped to sand all my sanding sealer off may ash body-n-see....hmmm..........:twisted:
Must be my subconsious. ..Experiment ...:twisted: no.... no.. please stop I can't afford to screw up at this point.

Help !

I like a darker neck — i'd be perfectly happy with that one.

Wait...you didn't tru oil the fret board did you? :roll:

Wait...you didn't tru oil the fret board did you? :roll:

What's wrong with that?

These sop on, wipe off catalyzed varnishes are great for maple boards. A wonderful way to seal in any color on the maple, and build on the fretwork (unlike lacquer, spray on polys) is dead minimal.

I use Minwax Tung Oil Finish (varnish) the same way but it is very similar, chemically. Unless you're into schmutzing/relicing/rusticating, it is a good approach, IMO. Better than gooey vinyl sealers.

thanks for that birddog
after whiskering you applied the stain to the raw wood?
then applied true-oil after she dried off?

thanks for that birddog
after whiskering you applied the stain to the raw wood?
then applied true-oil after she dried off?

Stain to raw wood, after dampening then sanding the raised hairs off.
Apply stain, let dry, appy stain 2nd time. Theory is wood will only saturate and take so much stain.
Then let dry throughly. Sand again to level the raised wood fibers, don't worry it won't do anything to the stain, wipe clean and apply TO.

Wally

Wait...you didn't tru oil the fret board did you? :roll:

Ah, yeah. I did remember reading some where on one of these boards where it said not to do it, only clear lacquer but couldn't find it agian and can't really see why not.
Seems like once it hardens it will provide a great playing surface.:cool:
Wait till I post the next photos, the way it brought the grain out on this fretboard no way nitor would have made it this georgous
Actually getting it ready for the last coat I think. Wet sanding between each fret. One at a time, sand some & wipe dry to see if its pefecly smooth.
Figure the last coat will be done on the back of the neck, fret board down and let dry then do nthe fret board laying up & let thaqt dry. Hang to cure and go on the finish my body.
When body is curing, I can come back apply clear to headstock and set decal & clear.
Then wait till all cured and assemble & set up.

Ain't that how its supposed to go, I mean it is my first but..

Wally

If you avoid using water when staining, you can avoid raising the grain. I think it's an unnecessary step anyways. I didn't do that to either the bottom or top of my neck, and it's as smooth as a pitted windshield. lol

Just kidding. I made sure to apply the tru oil as smoothly as possible (and thinner than on the body), let dry for a day or so between coats and then cut the gloss with 0000 synthetic steel wool between applications totally removing the tru oil and then when I was satisfied with the coverage :lol:, I polished it with Mother's metal polish and wax...just like the body and waxed it and buffed it really hard with burlap. The neck now looks glossy yet plays real smooth.

Sorry for getting off track here, and re editing the post 14 billion times because I can never leave well enough alone....

looks good to me!

Ok there almost done heres some more photos with BB suggestion on cardboard. Tele neck is almost done, Strat needs a couple more coats on the back only as it is a Rosewood board. Strat has alot more birdseye.
http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/519/medium/rsz_100_2114.jpg

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/519/medium/rsz_100_2109.jpg

http://www.tdpri.com/telephoto/data/519/medium/rsz_100_2117.jpg

Tried to get next to a window with as much natural light as possible, really would have liked to go outside to snap a few but its snowing today.
Not a real good camera for close up detail.

Wally

Sorry to hijack, but...I think everyone reading this might be interested...

How do you handle decals with a Tru Oil neck? I plan to apply the decal on top of the Tru Oil but then do you use more TO on top of the decal or do you use lacquer? I think I have heard that both can be done. What are the pro's & con's?

Hey Sixshooter (Love my double action Dan Wessons:wink:)

My plan, and all I have read is shoot a couple coats of clear lacquer on the face of the head stock, let dry, apply waterslide decals, shoot a couple more coats of clear over the face of the head stock again.
Be sure to tape off/mask the sides of the headstock just slightly down from the edge and at the nut. You may get a slight edge there but if you shooting straight on it won't be anything that won't buff off with a little rubbing compound after you peel the tape and its dry of course.

TO over a water slide decal ? Don't think I would want to do anything that couldn't be sprayed on and dry quick so for me I'm not going to gambel on that one. Not saying it couldn't be done but...

Wally

My plan, and all I have read is shoot a couple coats of clear lacquer on the face of the head stock, let dry, apply waterslide decals, shoot a couple more coats of clear over the face of the head stock again. Be sure to tape off/mask the sides of the headstock just slightly down from the edge and at the nut. You may get a slight edge there but if you shooting straight on it won't be anything that won't buff off with a little rubbing compound after you peel the tape and its dry of course.
Wally

I like your taping method so that you don't get a sharp edge at the edge where the face meets the side.

What would the purpose be of shooting clear lacquer before you apply the decal? I'm not sure this is necessary.

I like your taping method so that you don't get a sharp edge at the edge where the face meets the side.

What would the purpose be of shooting clear lacquer before you apply the decal? I'm not sure this is necessary.


Since we are talking about tape...is there a better tape to use besides the typical blue painter's tape? I have had issues (small) with a residue being left behind where the tape meets the area being treated, sprayed etc.

3M Automotive tape, from auto paint jobber.
called "Fine Line" for edges where you want a nice clean crisp edge & no residue.
Other wise 3M Green masking, better than the blue stuff from big box and wood refinish stores.
Not cheap but when you know you get to a certain stage of the process and a re-do can start to get costly. Its worth the extra to me.

Wally

Just saw the Boss's thread on the decals, need to go & get me some ordered.

Not dark enough!!!!

I am a dark aged amber junkie!!! It's my kryptonite!

Looks good!

I'm honored, Thanks !

Need the get my decals, let me know how that works out with that ebay seller.

Wally

Came out great, Birddog!

Not too dark at all.

I went through a "no such thing as too dark" phase, perhaps like Bossaholic, but I gave away or redid a number of them. Not because they were too dark per se. Either it was because the darker tints are merciless showing scratches back thru to maple or even partially through, or the tint obscured the beautiful maple figure too much, or because the dark toner was the wrong hue and was too green, too gold, too beige or too reddish. Something not apparent using the very same product more sparingly.

C'ngrats!

3M Automotive tape, from auto paint jobber.
called "Fine Line" for edges where you want a nice clean crisp edge & no residue.
Other wise 3M Green masking, better than the blue stuff from big box and wood refinish stores.
Not cheap but when you know you get to a certain stage of the process and a re-do can start to get costly. Its worth the extra to me.

Wally

Just saw the Boss's thread on the decals, need to go & get me some ordered.


Thanks for the heads up on that tape.