Question About Finishes

vanrrice · January 26th, 2008, 08:03 PM

I am getting ready to start my next build and I want to try and do the finish myself this time. My first two were from Warmoth: a maple/swamp ash in vintage tint satin, and the all hog Tele in gloss tint. Warmoth does a great job but this time I wanted to try it myself. After that extended preamble, this is my question:

Can you have the neck and body in different finishes or will this cause problems, i.e. the body is Nitrocellulose lacquer and the neck is tru-oil, or the body is Urethane and the neck is Nitrocellulose lacquer, or the body is Nitrocellulose lacquer and the neck is anything else……you get the point. These are all chemicals and I just don’t know if they interact in bad ways when they come in contact. Are there some that will work and some that don’t play well with others?

I have been reading but haven’t found any information on this and don’t know if it’s not an issue, or if it’s one of those things my Dad should have told me. You know, as ten they tell you about Santa Claus, at 13 they tell you about the birds and the bees and at eighteen Your father sits you down and warns you about bolting two pieces of wood together with different finishes. I just don’t know.

Any help would be appreciated.

PS – what I want to do is tru-oil on the neck and Nitrocellulose lacquer on the body. I am trying for a ’51 Nocaster kind of thang. It will be a one-piece maple neck and pine body.

Thanks again.

Robert(og) · January 26th, 2008, 08:09 PM

i have heard that mixing poly and nitro is bad and will cause bubbles in the finish but i have laid nitro over poly before and had good results.
on the other hand i have done it once before and it turned out kidna nasty(it was my first attempt ever so it was nasty tobegin with)
as far as oils, you should be fine.

vanrrice · January 26th, 2008, 08:19 PM

Thanks Robert, I am actually getting kind of nervous about trying this. It has been a long time since junior high shop class!

Jellecaster · January 26th, 2008, 08:27 PM

I've now built five guitars with nitro bodies and poly necks - no problems at all. The only way that I could see a problem would be if you actually mixed the finishes. Obviously you are going to let both the neck and body completely cure before assembly!

Now, I don't have any experience with tru-oil, so I can't speak with authority on that!

guitarbuilder · January 26th, 2008, 08:28 PM

I have never heard anyone ever speak of any reaction between an oil and varnish based finish neck and a nitro lacquered body.
Marty

ChicknPickn · January 26th, 2008, 08:44 PM

I've been reading about - and experimenting with - shellac lately. It's pretty interesting stuff, and still considered one of the best finishes or undercoats you can get. As a sealer, it's really good, and it will raise the grain of your wood stiffly so that you can put a very level sanding on it. After three coats, you have a non-yellowing finish that can take almost any top coat, including polyurethane. You can make it up fresh yourself from flakes, and you can select from several natural colors, including "vintage" orange tints. I was reading an article this week about fine furniture finishing and the author concluded that a properly cut and applied shellac topped with wipe-on poly is one of the best combinations he's ever seen.

Rich Rice · January 26th, 2008, 09:37 PM

Nitro can be sprayed over poly, (as long as the poly is fully cured), but no poly over nitro. Poly stays wet too long, and eats the nitro. Tru oil on a neck and nitro on a body works great. Be sure to let the finishes dry for a while before you assemble, but no chemical reactions I'm aware of. I'm sure you could do Tru Oil neck and a poly body, too.

vanrrice · January 27th, 2008, 07:46 AM

Feeling better now about going with the tru-oil neck and nitro body.

Will keep you posted.

Van.

January 26th, 2008, 08:03 PM	#1 (permalink)
vanrrice Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Plano, Texas Posts: 155 6 Photos	Question About Finishes I am getting ready to start my next build and I want to try and do the finish myself this time. My first two were from Warmoth: a maple/swamp ash in vintage tint satin, and the all hog Tele in gloss tint. Warmoth does a great job but this time I wanted to try it myself. After that extended preamble, this is my question: Can you have the neck and body in different finishes or will this cause problems, i.e. the body is Nitrocellulose lacquer and the neck is tru-oil, or the body is Urethane and the neck is Nitrocellulose lacquer, or the body is Nitrocellulose lacquer and the neck is anything else……you get the point. These are all chemicals and I just don’t know if they interact in bad ways when they come in contact. Are there some that will work and some that don’t play well with others? I have been reading but haven’t found any information on this and don’t know if it’s not an issue, or if it’s one of those things my Dad should have told me. You know, as ten they tell you about Santa Claus, at 13 they tell you about the birds and the bees and at eighteen Your father sits you down and warns you about bolting two pieces of wood together with different finishes. I just don’t know. Any help would be appreciated. PS – what I want to do is tru-oil on the neck and Nitrocellulose lacquer on the body. I am trying for a ’51 Nocaster kind of thang. It will be a one-piece maple neck and pine body. Thanks again. __________________ “My mind is aglow with whirling, transient nodes of thought careening through a cosmic vapor of invention” Copper Tone Tele Partscaster, Gooddall Concert Jumbo MhCJc

January 26th, 2008, 08:19 PM	#3 (permalink)
vanrrice Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Plano, Texas Posts: 155 6 Photos	Robert Thanks Robert, I am actually getting kind of nervous about trying this. It has been a long time since junior high shop class! __________________ “My mind is aglow with whirling, transient nodes of thought careening through a cosmic vapor of invention” Copper Tone Tele Partscaster, Gooddall Concert Jumbo MhCJc

January 26th, 2008, 08:27 PM	#4 (permalink)
Jellecaster Friend of Leo's Join Date: Dec 2006 Location: New Hampshire, USA Age: 40 Posts: 2,085	I've now built five guitars with nitro bodies and poly necks - no problems at all. The only way that I could see a problem would be if you actually mixed the finishes. Obviously you are going to let both the neck and body completely cure before assembly! Now, I don't have any experience with tru-oil, so I can't speak with authority on that! __________________ It was born at the junction of form and function...

January 26th, 2008, 09:37 PM	#7 (permalink)
Rich Rice Friend of Leo's Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: In a dream world.. Just ask my wife. Age: 53 Posts: 2,523 11 Photos	Nitro can be sprayed over poly, (as long as the poly is fully cured), but no poly over nitro. Poly stays wet too long, and eats the nitro. Tru oil on a neck and nitro on a body works great. Be sure to let the finishes dry for a while before you assemble, but no chemical reactions I'm aware of. I'm sure you could do Tru Oil neck and a poly body, too. __________________ Please visit my website! If you are driven to play, you will find a way.

January 27th, 2008, 07:46 AM	#8 (permalink)
vanrrice Tele-Meister Join Date: Nov 2006 Location: Plano, Texas Posts: 155 6 Photos	Thanks to all Feeling better now about going with the tru-oil neck and nitro body. Will keep you posted. Van. __________________ “My mind is aglow with whirling, transient nodes of thought careening through a cosmic vapor of invention” Copper Tone Tele Partscaster, Gooddall Concert Jumbo MhCJc

January 26th, 2008, 08:09 PM	#2 (permalink)
Robert(og) Tele-Meister Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: crawfordsville In. Age: 22 Posts: 128	i have heard that mixing poly and nitro is bad and will cause bubbles in the finish but i have laid nitro over poly before and had good results. on the other hand i have done it once before and it turned out kidna nasty(it was my first attempt ever so it was nasty tobegin with) as far as oils, you should be fine.

January 26th, 2008, 08:28 PM	#5 (permalink)
guitarbuilder Tele-Meister Join Date: Mar 2003 Location: Hemlock, NY Age: 54 Posts: 315	I have never heard anyone ever speak of any reaction between an oil and varnish based finish neck and a nitro lacquered body. Marty

January 26th, 2008, 08:44 PM	#6 (permalink)
ChicknPickn Tele-Meister Join Date: Apr 2007 Location: Suffolk, VA Age: 45 Posts: 436	I've been reading about - and experimenting with - shellac lately. It's pretty interesting stuff, and still considered one of the best finishes or undercoats you can get. As a sealer, it's really good, and it will raise the grain of your wood stiffly so that you can put a very level sanding on it. After three coats, you have a non-yellowing finish that can take almost any top coat, including polyurethane. You can make it up fresh yourself from flakes, and you can select from several natural colors, including "vintage" orange tints. I was reading an article this week about fine furniture finishing and the author concluded that a properly cut and applied shellac topped with wipe-on poly is one of the best combinations he's ever seen.