TruOil neck or Vintage Tint Clear Coat neck? Show me yours!

[PixelMover]

I'm up in the air whether to do my USACG q-sawn maple neck in TruOil or a Reranch vintage tint clear coat. Show me your necks! What are the application pros and cons of TruOil and Vintage Tinting?

Sadly I don't have any neck wood test blocks so this is going to be quite a decision. Help me out guys!

Much appreciated - exciting times!

[Teleblaster_1]

Here's a USA Custom in Tru-Oil:



This one is Tru-Oil back, clear nitro on the front of the head:

[PixelMover]

Did you mask off the frets and the Paua when you did that neck above?

[Teleblaster_1]

Pau ferro fretboard was masked off, no finish.
Paua shell marker, maple board was finished completely with Tru-Oil. It came right off the frets with steel wool with minimal effort.

[PixelMover]

Very well then! Thank you.

[tommytutone]

Is the tru-oil different from Formby's tung oil or Watco danish oil?

[steve s]

Originally Posted by tommytutone

Is the tru-oil different from Formby's tung oil or Watco danish oil?

I read that yes it is. It is similar but has different resins or additives of some kind. It all the rave around here. There are som good reads on the Tru-oil finishing. I don't have the links of this computer.....but search it out for some good info.

[tommytutone]

I'm in the middle of a finishing job.........I'm allowing my 3 coats of tung oil finish to dry. My plan is to shoot lacquer over it...........now I'm curious if I should consider putting tru-oil on it before the lacquer (based on the picture above i've pretty much decided to do the neck in tru-oil)

[ThaLowEndTheory]

Tru oil really makes the grain figure pop if the neck has any, so it gets my vote. Plus I really like the feel of it.

Squier neck dyed with transtint honey amber, and finished in tru oil.




Sx necks finished in tru oil no dye.

[PixelMover]

Low end, awesome fotos thank you!

[Home Grown Tele]

The necks on the left and right in this picture where both done with Tru-Oil and varying amounts of Stew Mac Vintage Amber...............



This neck is Tru-Oil and VA as well........................

[grabby]

HomeGrown... those VA necks are StewMac ColorTone Tinted Aerosol Guitar Lacquer with Tru-Oil on top, right? That's what I think I'm going to do and I want to make sure I buy the right product. You didn't sandwich the VA between coats of clear? i.e., tint is right on the naked wood? Then Tru-oil for the top coat? Or is it wood>clear>VA>Tru-Oil?

Thanks

[ThaLowEndTheory]

Grabby, if I remember correctly Homegrown's necks are stewmac VA dye. The same method I used. Hell I learned it from him and the other regulars on the reranch forum. Stewmac VA dye is the same as Transtint Honey Amber dye. As I understand it they are made by the same company. I do know that it is not recomended to apply tru oil over lacquer. You can put lacquer on top of tru oil though. So the steps are to whisker and dye the neck to color first, then apply tru oil. Then if you want to apply clear do it last. I usually apply clear to the headstock only. If you are using tinted clear for color then most guys like to sandwich it between regular clear. Keep in mind that lacquer doesn't enhance the grain like tru oil does.

[JCBurke59]

These Warmoth necks are both Tru-Oil over Stew Mac Vintage Amber dye. The VA is the concentrated Color Tone dye (mixed with water) not the spray lacquer. The headstock face shot shows clear lacquer over the VA stain and Tru-Oil. Tru-Oil is actually a varnish that builds and creates a 'hard finish'. I think the name misleads people into thinking that it is an oil that will just absorb into the wood. It was developed as a gunstock finish, is very durable and feels great. I got all of my info (and a lot of support) on the ReRanch forum.

The neck that isn't flamey is quarter sawn.

[steve s]

WOW! Gentlemen.....al very nice.......I'm GAS'N!!!!

[grabby]

Originally Posted by ThaLowEndTheory

Grabby, if I remember correctly Homegrown's necks are stewmac VA dye. The same method I used. Hell I learned it from him and the other regulars on the reranch forum. Stewmac VA dye is the same as Transtint Honey Amber dye. As I understand it they are made by the same company. I do know that it is not recomended to apply tru oil over lacquer. You can put lacquer on top of tru oil though. So the steps are to whisker and dye the neck to color first, then apply tru oil. Then if you want to apply clear do it last. I usually apply clear to the headstock only. If you are using tinted clear for color then most guys like to sandwich it between regular clear. Keep in mind that lacquer doesn't enhance the grain like tru oil does.

It's this stuff? #5030? OK. I think I'll try that (VA dye with Tru-oil on top). Seems like the only big drawback is that if I screw up, I can't easily remove the tint and do it over. So I won't screw up. :)

I'll check out the ReRanch forum to learn how to do it. Thanks for the pointer.

These necks looks great.

[JCBurke59]

Originally Posted by grabby

It's this stuff? #5030? OK. I think I'll try that (VA dye with Tru-oil on top). Seems like the only big drawback is that if I screw up, I can't easily remove the tint and do it over. So I won't screw up. :)

I'll check out the ReRanch forum to learn how to do it. Thanks for the pointer.

These necks looks great.

Yup, that's the stuff. Be sure to look at the ReRanch forum FAQ's for the recipe. If you search the posts, you will find tons of info about the process or if you ask, someone will direct you to them.

That dye gets mixed with water to a fairly dilute solution. You will have a reasonable amount of control in applying it. Just a tip - the Vintage Amber by itself tends to look a little yellow if it is applied for a slight tint. Some of the guys mix a little brown with the amber if you're doing a medium or light shade - that's how I did the flamed neck. The quarter sawn neck in my photo is vintage amber dye only, but I applied more of it to get the deeper color. It doesn't seem to make sense - add brown for the lighter tint, amber only for the darker color - but that's the common wisdom.

You should work out your color on test blocks before staining the neck, it is time well spent.

Joe

[Old Cane]

This one is tru-oil neck and fingerboard with nitro and tint on the headstock and heel. This is on the telecaster.

[PixelMover]

good good fotos gentlemen.

Prepping for neck finishing, how are you securing a handle to the base of the neck? using the drilled screw holes?

[Old Cane]

we don't need no stinking handles!

[PixelMover]

I see you said "we", can I please speak to Cane?

Now I don't wanna go smudging my nice TruOil work Cane. Actually, I've never used trueOil before,.. ER doesn't everybody attach something to the base of the neck?

My Jedi powers aren't up to anything quite that large. I'm still practicing on coffee mugs and small rocks.

[Old Cane]

Well, seriously folks, I just lay it on my lap. I do the front or the back, depending on which one I did last. If you knew me you'd know that's an imporvement over my old system of just continually rolling it around on my knees while wet. I guess you could use a wire hanger through the tuner holes (like i do when spraying) and stand up and do it but again, if you knew me you'd know how lazy I am. So, in summary, I just do one side and do the other a couple of hours later and on and on until I think I'm done. If you screwed a handle to the heel.....how would you coat the heel?

[PixelMover]

Originally Posted by Old Cane

If you screwed a handle to the heel.....how would you coat the heel?

checkmate

[Teleblaster_1]

One side, then the other. It tacks up pretty fast.

[PixelMover]

I gotta tell you, this truOil looks great even after 1 coat. I have a block of swamp ash test block with one side grain filled using Bartley's and the other side just bare wood. The grain filled side seems to shine much more. I'm really leaning toward doing the entire guitar in TruOil... hmm...

[dubert]

is it possible to put truoil over stewmac spray on va lacquer? or will it not harden? for those of you who did stewmac va dye then truoil, did you have to do any wet sanding or steel wool sanding before/between coats? i'm really liking how that truoil turned out on some of those necks and am thinking of doing the same to my cv tele

[Home Grown Tele]

Sorry for not logging back in on this thread sooner guys.

Grabby those necks were done with Stew Mac Colortone Vintage Amber Dye as Low End Theory noted in his reply. It's the stuff that comes in the small bottles and can be mixed with water or alcohol. NOT the lacquer with dye added. As I noted in the previous post, you vary the degree of amber by adding more or less to the water.

For all you guys that are interested in the Houndog recipe for VA/Tru-Oil that is used by a lot of the guys on ReRanch, here ya go. BTW the reference to "prepped" necks means "whiskering" the neck first. By whiskering I mean dampening the neck with damp cloth, letting it dry and then sanding or steel wooling it to remove the whiskers. You should whisker it several times before applying the dye..............................

If you are starting with a bare wood neck that's been prepped the first thing to do is to stain the wood.

What I use is StewMacs' 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 alchohol, or oil based stain. This is what gives the grain "pop" you hear about.

After the stain is the color you like ( 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.

You can then 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 to gether 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!

[P-Zilla]

I gunstock oil all my necks now. I do however put a real clear coat on the headstock to cover the decal. But the fretboard (mine are all maple) and back of neck are all gunstock oil from wal mart.

[claudel]

on the maple.

Kingwood fretboard is naked...

[Old Cane]

WOW!

[Home Grown Tele]

She's a beauty Claudel!! That's not on Ole Froggy is it??

[claudel]

That one's on a Strat...

Warmoth Showcase special....

[PixelMover]

Flashback, I'm noticing a little oil has built up around and close to the frets - just 0000 this? Tight edges/corners to get into x 21

[claudel]

Personally, I just ignore the buildup.

It doesn't seem to really interfere with the tones or the playability.

After a couple of necks I've learned to use really light coats on the fretboard to minimize this quirk of physics...

[Home Grown Tele]

If you feel like you really need to remove that buildup, take a piece of OOOO steel wool and pinch an end to to a small edge and take it down some. That should get you where you want to go.

[JCBurke59]

I've used the edge of a white or gray Scotchbrite pad to clean that up (nice square edge). Now, I go with super-thin coats on the fingerboard to avoid the accumulation in the first place. If it does puddle up in there you can wipe it out while wet with your finger or a lint-free cloth.

[mudbean]

First time Tru-Oil convert here - this stuff goes on easier than any finish I have tried to date, dries very fast, even in my garage at about 50 degrees.

I started the top (flame) neck with a quick wipe on/wipe off of MinWax stain, to add just a little deeper color, but not too much. I then proceeded with Danish Oil, but I was unsatisfied with the coverage - after a half dozen coats, it still didn't look like much. After just one coat of Tru-Oil, the grain stayed looking like it was wet, and has gotten better with each coat.



About a half dozen coats on here, applied very thin with a rag. I have just buffed with 000 steel wool, plan on a few more coats. Photo above is same two necks, without & with flash.

** Anecdote Alert ** Gotta love Tommy at USACG - the flamey neck on top is absolutely gorgeous; the static photos don't begin to do justice to the way the flame shimmers as you move the neck in the light. I had called and just missed a Web Special, was bummed. Now, Tommy doesn't know me from Adam, I've purchased one or two items, so I'm nobody. Well, he says, "Let me see what I've got laying around ..." He sold me this beautiful neck at the special price, and I couldn't be happier. That's what I call excellent customer service. Back to your regularly scheduled programming ...

mud