cheap, easy, fast, good looking neck finish

for a neck i'm doing. any ideas? I saw some spray on poly at Micheals the other day. Can I just hang the neck from the ceiling, spray it down, and then scrape the excess gunk off the frets and stuff? If not, anybody know something inexspensive I can do? I need a durable finish, because my guitar goes everywhere with me, but at the same time I want it to be good looking. I'm hoping for a vintage tint, I heard I can get this with poly by leaving it in the sun. Oh, and I'd also like the neck to be fast, no finishes that will slow down my playing. I'm on a small budget, and I have limited work space to do the finishing in.

Hi from a fellow Squier tele lover.

I just used some shellac french polich for a nice amber tine. See my thread currently right below yours!

Now Im just looking to seal it over with a lacquer of some kind.

I use Plastic-Kote Metal Flake clear car paint in a spray can.
[http://www.plastikote.com/plastikote/auto/template.jsp?searchcode=SPEC&product=MetalFlake&t=1
Here is a neck that I just sprayed.
http://i88.photobucket.com/albums/k197/mitchelguitar/Guitars/HarrysBBender004.jpg
I will tell you a my secrets, the first thing I do before I paint is to use a Mach 4 razor and shave the neck. This I do instead of a final sanding. Sanding will rip up the wood grain while scrapping will smooth them out. The paint won't have sanding grove to fill in and laying down on the neck smoother. I then prepare the can for painting by heating the can under hot tap water for ten minutes. I then shake the can, if the can becomes cold, I repeat the process. It will take two or three times until the can does not become cold. The heat will add pressure inside the can so that the paint will come out in a finer spray without globs. The way I paint my necks is to first tap off the frets with blue painter tape, so that just the frets are covered. I spray the fret board and headstock first. the paint will take between 1/2 hour and 45 minutes to dry. Now I flip the neck over so that it will be sitting on the taped cover frets. I then spray the back and sides of the neck.
As far as spraying there are a coupler things to remember. the first is distance, 8 to 10 inches away from the neck will lay down a wet coat. Which should be the first two passes. Then keep the can 12 to 14 inches away for lay down a dry coat. The dry coats will activate the paint already on the neck and cause them to smooth out. If when ready thing is dry if I have and runs I use a razor blade to smooth them out. Again it works better than sanding. Finally if a high gloss is desired I will wait a day and rub it out with rubbing compound and then polishing compound. I then will use Scratch Out to clean off any left over. I hope you find my method helpful as a can of spray paint runs about $7.

Shellac, Wipe On Poly, or spray lacquer will all work. They are all relatively inexpensive and can stand up to some punishment. Poly is probably the toughest. Modern spray lacquers dry pretty quickly and can be used within a few days really. Any spray will take longer than a wipe on finish to set up and harden. shellac is a tried and true wood finish that's been around for centuries and dries within minutes to final hardness. However it is probably more brittle than the other finishes and can dissolve with alcohol.... but might be the easiest to fix if it does get enough alcohol on it that disturbs the finish.

Shellac, Wipe On Poly, or spray lacquer will all work. They are all relatively inexpensive and can stand up to some punishment. Poly is probably the toughest. Modern spray lacquers dry pretty quickly and can be used within a few days really. Any spray will take longer than a wipe on finish to set up and harden. shellac is a tried and true wood finish that's been around for centuries and dries within minutes to final hardness. However it is probably more brittle than the other finishes and can dissolve with alcohol.... but might be the easiest to fix if it does get enough alcohol on it that disturbs the finish.


I bought some Minwax Satin Poly in a can, and a foam brush, hoping it will work. I got some fine grit sandpaper, too. Now to get started...
The neck is still attached to the body, with all the strings. Can I remove them without the neck warping? How can I get rid of the old finish, a razor, or sandpaper? Does prepping need to be done to anything? Can I do the fretboard with the same stuff? Blah, blah, blah. Blah, blah, blah. Ideas people! Thanks! :P

If my experience is typical, you can't get rid of the old finish on a maple neck without more drastic action than I was willing to take. I thought a little acetone, maybe some steel wool at worst.

Hah! Not a chance! That stuff is really on there to stay, even though on my Squiers it looks almost non-existent. Without some heavy sanding you better figure on whatever finish you apply sitting on top of what's already there.

I recently asked in a thread if this was wearing OK since a lot of folks have done it. Not much response, so I'm assuming it's working out OK and I'm proceeding to do one that way myself.

If my experience is typical, you can't get rid of the old finish on a maple neck without more drastic action than I was willing to take. I thought a little acetone, maybe some steel wool at worst.

Hah! Not a chance! That stuff is really on there to stay, even though on my Squiers it looks almost non-existent. Without some heavy sanding you better figure on whatever finish you apply sitting on top of what's already there.

I recently asked in a thread if this was wearing OK since a lot of folks have done it. Not much response, so I'm assuming it's working out OK and I'm proceeding to do one that way myself.

Heh, interesting. Mine came off with light sanding. Now all the strings are gone, trying to remove tuners. Took neck off body. Practiced staining cheap scrap wood. This foam brush is horrible, so blotchy!

Can I remove them without the neck warping? How can I get rid of the old finish, a razor, or sandpaper? Does prepping need to be done to anything? P

From past experience you do not want to remove all the finish as it seal the wood. What I suggest you do is light sand the neck with 400 grid sandpaper and then use a razor to smooth the neck. Use a shaker can of clear finish and spray about two coats. For more detail please see;

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-tech/95571-cheap-easy-fast-good-looking-neck-finish.html#post1078578

From past experience you do not want to remove all the finish as it seal the wood. What I suggest you do is light sand the neck with 400 grid sandpaper and then use a razor to smooth the neck. Use a shaker can of clear finish and spray about two coats. For more detail please see;

http://www.tdpri.com/forum/tele-tech/95571-cheap-easy-fast-good-looking-neck-finish.html#post1078578

Too late. Removed everything.

Why are you taking off the original finish?

Why are you taking off the original finish?

+ 1 I was going to ask the same thing .

going over poly I like to 000 steel wool or better yet

http://images.hardwareandtools.com/P/u106575.jpg

000 Between Coats Finishing Pads

Why are you taking off the original finish?

+2

If you want a really cheap, easy, and FAST finish...just gave the bare wood a light tung-oil coat. Not the cheap sh_t you get in Home Depot...get the good stuff...the real stuff. For me, there's nothing faster than the feel of bare wood.

Why are you taking off the original finish?

It's really crapped out. I'd rather spend time refinishing the whole neck than sitting here using clear nail polish, or wipe on poly to get all the areas where the finish is chipping like crazy. And I don't have mony for a new neck, altogether.

Im not sure what kind of facillities you have for spraying a finish on, or what the climate conditions will be. However, spray on poly or spray on clear coat will work well. Just spray a little bit at a time, that way you don't have any runs. Spray a little, wait an hour, and keep doing that till you have a nice coat on there. Then knock her down with some ooo steel wool, spray a few more times and wet sand.
The easiest thing would be to just apply some true oil.
How did you sand off the previous finish, what grit?
You'll want to resand with 400, 500, and 650 before appling any new finish, or the sanding marks will shine through like christmas lights. I like polyeurethane, but everyone has differing opinions.

Glass smooth finish is not a quick task, takes a lot of patience.

You can do the same thing with regular old lowes wipe on poly, just sand with a fine grit between applications, then as its get smoother switch to steel wool. Just remember the more you put on, the longer it takes to dry. Just follow whatever you use instructions on the can eventhough it may take a while. In the the end you will be happier taking your time having done it right.

Hey, Colt

I guess my hottest lick on boots is a pair of Tony Lamas (Llamas?) I bought in Amarillo around 1995. Gotta love 'em. Burgundy ostrich. They still look as good as the day I got them. Not as much mojo as y'all were talking about but a teeny little bit.

But serially, I have a mahogany Tele body. I sanded the heck out of it and applied a couple of Tung oil coats to seal it, then multiple more coats, letting them dry and buffing with 0000 steel wool just a little in between. When it seemed like it wouldn't absorb another drop and more coats of Tung weren't making any difference in the look, I started shooting clear on it, a whole bunch of coats, also rubbing it lightly with the steel wool between coats. I intend to let it cure and then wet-sand and polish. Right now, the grain is really popping pretty and so far I'm happy. My question on this particular issue is, would about a month be long enough for the multiple coats of clear over Tung to cure before wetsanding and polishing?

Secondly, I have an unfinished neck that I intend to put on it. I'm considering Tung or Tru-oil, the gunstock stuff. I've seen some purty gun stocks and I think the look would go well with a really shiny mahogany body. Or, I guess I could just go with a mahogany stain and shoot clear over that. (Maple fretboard). Do you have an opinion on this issue?

Thirdly, should I seal the fretboard? It's nice and smooth and I want to make sure the wood between the frets stays flat and level. I think I remember hearing somebody say that the wood curled away from the fret a little bit on his neck. I'm thinking that if the fretboard is one piece of maple and just has the fret slots cut into it, there should be no reason for the wood to separate around the frets but I don't want to take any chances. I have a set of Seymour Duncan quarter pounder pickups for this beast, I've ordered a mahogany control plate, I want it to be as special as my ignorant hindquarters can make it.

To introduce myself, I'm a recovering drummer. I started noticing a couple years back that used guitar parts are pretty cheap around here where I live in L.A. I got a couple of books and started assembling guitars and learning to set them up and trying to play a little. Now, I've got 4 Strats, 4 Teles, one 1951 Sherwood Standard acoustic, and my excuse for a Gibson 335. I love the 335 but I'm not as absorbent as I used to be and my playing is coming along ever so slowly and I didn't think it justified the expense of a 335 so I found a FLAWLESS Epifone Dot Studio with pickups upgraded to Seymour Duncan Phat Cats. It has a fine neck and came with a really nice OHSC. I may have taken advantage of the guy, I bickered him down to $200. Since my wife is Jewish, I always say I 'Presbyterianed' him down.

Plus I've got another Tele (in addition to the mahogany) almost finished and enough pickups and hardware for one more. I'm on a campaign to use up all the parts I've stockpiled and then devote all my guitar time to learning a 4th chord and 5 or 6 lead
notes. LOL

I listen to older music most of the time. Now and then something comes along that grabs me, Foo Fighters or Black Keys or Jack White, there are some pretty decent players going. I know this might sound crazy, and I can't stand their music for more than about 1 song, but Dave Mustain with Megadeath is a bodacious rhythm player, or so it seems to me. Of course, they're older music now. Sort of the same with reggae, I think Bob Marley was fantastic, but the reggae beat and rhythms start to blur together for me after just a few songs. I've never bought (or intend to buy) any music by Prince but he has all my respect as a player.

Love singer/songwriters, too. John Prine knocks me out. I love Jimmy Buffet although I don't really consider myself any sort of parrothead. I love old school soul, Otis and Wilson Pickett and William Bell and Sam and Dave and on and on. Has anybody heard of Robbie Fulks? Heck of a singer/songwriter and a fine guitarist.

I consider Ray Charles a double-first cousin to God.

And there is some country that I like. I don't care much for the current generation of 'hat' singers but I love me some Hank (the first) and Lefty Frizzel and Luvin brothers and a few more. A nice dose of Patsy Cline now and then doesn't hurt. Call me crazy but I just adore the original Jimmy Rogers. Merle Haggard is great, too. There was somebody else I was going to mention but he or she slipped out of my brain. I think my brain synapses are still functional but they might have reached a cease-fire agreement. Oh, well, what're ya gunna do?

I think the music we hear when we're kids sort of imprints into our awareness and we always regard it as better than what comes later. I know my parents thought I was out of my frakkin' mind when I was a little kid and liked the Beatles and Stones and Kinks and Beach Boys (wonderful harmonies, to me tin ear). If it wasn't country or gospel, they couldn't understand why anybody would sit still for it.

I'll admit that there are times when the lyrics and wordplay in Rap or Hip-Hop or whatever you want to call it sort of amuse me but in general, it bores me to tears. It's like music reduced to the lowest common denominator.

I don't really care much for guitarists who can burn through a trillion notes in each solo. I love me some guitar work that consists of the right notes played at just the right time to really fit within the framework of the song. David Gilmour comes to mind. I love Hendrix and Clapton and Jeff Beck and Jimmy Page and Kieth Richards and so many of those guys who got hot in the 60s and kept on improving. Love all the Kings, B.B. and Albert and Freddy.

The newer players like Coco Montoya and David Gogo and Tommy Castro and on and on really sound good to me, too.

I'm sure I sound like an old fogey but Mariah Carey and Beyonce and Shakira and all the current female singers leave me cold. Their music seems so over-produced and deliberate, as opposed to organic, that it just doesn't penetrate my awareness.

I like old blues guys, too. Howlin' Wolf really lights my fire (with Hubert Sumlin playing lead with fingers, no picks), of course Muddy Waters and Robert Johnson was his own deal. Truly special. I like Lightnin' Hopkins and T-Bone Walker and Son Seals and Son House and Son Of A Gun if this ain't turned into a real ramble.

I'll stop now before this becomes novel-length. Any suggestions regarding the original subject (Telecaster) would be most appreciated.

Thanks,
Ray-Boy

OH, yeah, the other country guy (more or less) I wanted to name was the great Johnny Cash. Not a Telecaster guy but he had his own thang.

I'm surprised no one has mentioned Tru-Oil, possibly the cheapest, easiest finish you can use, especially on a neck. It's designed for use on gun stocks, so it's pretty durable, and it will slightly darken the wood as more coats are applied. As long as you use very thin coats, it's almost idiot-proof.

Backporch Guy did beat me to it, but:

Cheap? Tru Oil.
Fast? Tru Oil.
Easy? Tru Oil.
Good looking? TRU OIL!

5 year old post is old

5 year old post is old

And you are correct, sir. My bad for only looking at the recent posts dates.:oops:

I'll bet the OP has found a finish for his neck by now! Time to lock this thing.