Tru-Oil / Amber Tint help

Mike P · August 30th, 2008, 03:51 PM

I troll these pages on a daily basis, but this is my first real post. Hopefully you guys can help me out as I haven't found a definitive answer via the search.

I have 2 Tele necks (maple) that are matte finished and I was wondering if I can add amber tint and then Tru-Oil without stripping to the bare wood. Any help would be appreciated!

rhh7 · August 30th, 2008, 07:18 PM

May not be directly responsive, but you can add leather dye directly, without stripping, then apply Tru-Oil. This is what I do to all of my Fender Squier necks. To my taste, they look and play great.

McFly · August 30th, 2008, 10:19 PM

If you scuff up your matte finish with some 220 sandpaper, and spray some amber shellac, that should work. I have done tru-oil before, but had much better luck spraying deft nitro (on top of shellac coat.) I'm not a fan of anything you don't 'spray' on. IMHO, spraying is the way to got, much less margin for error. YMMV

guitarbuilder · August 31st, 2008, 07:01 AM

I don't know about tru oil, but my buddy made a mahogany body and put aniline dye on it followed by some danish oil finish. The red would bleed through the tung oil and get on you. I'd try it on scrap first.
Marty

freewater2000 · August 31st, 2008, 02:16 PM

read hounddogs tru-oil tutorial also see orange tele..that was advice given to me here in the forum

Mike P · August 31st, 2008, 08:00 PM

I read Houndogs's tutorial, which I found very informative, but he doesn't mention anything about applying Tru-Oil over a matte finished neck. I have since scoured the forum pages over at the Re-Ranch site and found that it's recommended that you have a thin layer of clear-coat before applying the RR Amber Clear Coat, and then you can add the Tru-Oil, but you'll need to strip the neck if using a water-based tint. I welcome any corrections if I'm wrong (which I very well could be).

Old Cane · August 31st, 2008, 11:03 PM

Yeah but when they recommend clear first, that's over bare wood. It's to keep the color from soaking in in case you want to try something else. You can wipe it off with a rag instead of having to sand the color out of the neck's wood. Since yours is already coated that's not a problem. However you may want to shoot nitro clear over what you have. I know the RR neck amber does indeed work well over nitro. It may run or blotch up over poly. You can always try it and see for yourself. It will just wipe off if there is a problem.

Reranch stuff is highly regarded. The problem is it's highly priced and lots of us try to find something as good for less. I haven't been able to and have come to despise Deft. Looks like my Deft neck and body are going to need to cure for a couple of years.

I'm working on a tru-oil neck now. Things I've learned is that it's going to be great on the back of the neck. It's made a mess on the fingerboard and I'm having a real hard time getting it cleaned up. This taught me something I should have known after all these years. I need to stick with rosewood. If this thing had not needed the fingerboard done I would have just done the rest of the whole thing with tru-oil and loved it. Instead I have a sticky Deft headstock and heel, a silky smooth tru-oil back of the neck and a gooy fingerboard.

Mike P · September 1st, 2008, 10:19 PM

Old Cane - What was the problem with Tru-Oil on the fretboard? I've taken steel-wool to both necks, but I still haven't decided to what I want to do with either one them. One already has the typical high gloss finish, with some natural aging, but I'd like a smooth fretboard. The other is a new MIM with the standard bleached maple matte finish. I happy with the way the neck feels, but would like a little color. I appreciate all the advise guys!

August 30th, 2008, 03:51 PM	#1 (permalink)
Mike P NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Upstate, NY Posts: 5	Tru-Oil / Amber Tint help I troll these pages on a daily basis, but this is my first real post. Hopefully you guys can help me out as I haven't found a definitive answer via the search. I have 2 Tele necks (maple) that are matte finished and I was wondering if I can add amber tint and then Tru-Oil without stripping to the bare wood. Any help would be appreciated!

August 30th, 2008, 10:19 PM	#3 (permalink)
McFly Tele-Meister Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: New York Age: 33 Posts: 166	idea If you scuff up your matte finish with some 220 sandpaper, and spray some amber shellac, that should work. I have done tru-oil before, but had much better luck spraying deft nitro (on top of shellac coat.) I'm not a fan of anything you don't 'spray' on. IMHO, spraying is the way to got, much less margin for error. YMMV __________________ "Ahh...this is a blues riff in B, watch me for the changes, and try and keep up."

August 31st, 2008, 11:03 PM	#7 (permalink)
Old Cane Tele-Holic Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: Murfreesboro, TN Age: 47 Posts: 928	Yeah but when they recommend clear first, that's over bare wood. It's to keep the color from soaking in in case you want to try something else. You can wipe it off with a rag instead of having to sand the color out of the neck's wood. Since yours is already coated that's not a problem. However you may want to shoot nitro clear over what you have. I know the RR neck amber does indeed work well over nitro. It may run or blotch up over poly. You can always try it and see for yourself. It will just wipe off if there is a problem. Reranch stuff is highly regarded. The problem is it's highly priced and lots of us try to find something as good for less. I haven't been able to and have come to despise Deft. Looks like my Deft neck and body are going to need to cure for a couple of years. I'm working on a tru-oil neck now. Things I've learned is that it's going to be great on the back of the neck. It's made a mess on the fingerboard and I'm having a real hard time getting it cleaned up. This taught me something I should have known after all these years. I need to stick with rosewood. If this thing had not needed the fingerboard done I would have just done the rest of the whole thing with tru-oil and loved it. Instead I have a sticky Deft headstock and heel, a silky smooth tru-oil back of the neck and a gooy fingerboard. __________________ http://www.myspace.com/otiskeithwatkins

August 30th, 2008, 07:18 PM	#2 (permalink)
rhh7 Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Calgary, Alberta, Canada Posts: 402 4 Photos	May not be directly responsive, but you can add leather dye directly, without stripping, then apply Tru-Oil. This is what I do to all of my Fender Squier necks. To my taste, they look and play great.

August 31st, 2008, 07:01 AM	#4 (permalink)
guitarbuilder Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Hemlock, NY Age: 54 Posts: 342	I don't know about tru oil, but my buddy made a mahogany body and put aniline dye on it followed by some danish oil finish. The red would bleed through the tung oil and get on you. I'd try it on scrap first. Marty

August 31st, 2008, 02:16 PM	#5 (permalink)
freewater2000 TDPRI Member Join Date: Mar 2008 Location: Hueytown Alabama Posts: 64	read hounddogs tru-oil tutorial also see orange tele..that was advice given to me here in the forum

August 31st, 2008, 08:00 PM	#6 (permalink)
Mike P NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Upstate, NY Posts: 5	I read Houndogs's tutorial, which I found very informative, but he doesn't mention anything about applying Tru-Oil over a matte finished neck. I have since scoured the forum pages over at the Re-Ranch site and found that it's recommended that you have a thin layer of clear-coat before applying the RR Amber Clear Coat, and then you can add the Tru-Oil, but you'll need to strip the neck if using a water-based tint. I welcome any corrections if I'm wrong (which I very well could be).

September 1st, 2008, 10:19 PM	#8 (permalink)
Mike P NEW MEMBER! Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Upstate, NY Posts: 5	Old Cane - What was the problem with Tru-Oil on the fretboard? I've taken steel-wool to both necks, but I still haven't decided to what I want to do with either one them. One already has the typical high gloss finish, with some natural aging, but I'd like a smooth fretboard. The other is a new MIM with the standard bleached maple matte finish. I happy with the way the neck feels, but would like a little color. I appreciate all the advise guys!