Applying lacquer to a neck for dummies

[njb182]

Title pretty much says it all. Never done this before. I have a crappy bass lying around that I want to practice on.

When I'm done, I want the neck to have a tint much like the necks below.

image removed

Someone want to walk me through it? Supplies (what kind of lacquer, bla bla), how to do it, etc.

 

[bossaholic]

Simple..(well kinda)

A can of ReRanch Neck amber and a can of Watco gloss lacquer.

Give the neck a couple of coats of the gloss lacquer and let it dry. Then lightly mist the neck amber all over the neck (and I mean mist). Spray a couple of more coats of gloss. Then lightly mist more neck amber until you get the color you want.

Let it cure for a couple of weeks and wet sand using wet sanding paper, then buff.

Take your time applying both the tint and the lacquer. It won't happen over night.

another option is to use Amber Shellac. Simply brush it on. You can get the Amber Shellac (Bullseye) at any Home Depot or Lowes.

 

[njb182]

Simple..(well kinda)

A can of ReRanch Neck amber and a can of Watco gloss lacquer.

Give the neck a couple of coats of the gloss lacquer and let it dry. Then lightly mist the neck amber all over the neck (and I mean mist). Spray a couple of more coats of gloss. Then lightly mist more neck amber until you get the color you want.

Let it cure for a couple of weeks and wet sand using wet sanding paper, then buff.

Take your time applying both the tint and the lacquer. It won't happen over night.

another option is to use Amber Shellac. Simply brush it on. You can get the Amber Shellac (Bullseye) at any Home Depot or Lowes.

The amber shellac seems simpler. Does the other option turn out in a better tint?

 

[Hiker]

...A can of ReRanch Neck amber and a can of Watco gloss lacquer.

This is it!

 

[njb182]

A can of ReRanch Neck amber and a can of Watco gloss lacquer.

Where can I buy those?

 

[bossaholic]

ReRanch (http://reranch.com/) sells the Neck Amber.

I get my Watco at my local Woodcraft store. If you don't have one, you can use Deft Gloss at any Home Depot or Lowes.

 

[bossaholic]

The amber shellac seems simpler. Does the other option turn out in a better tint?

I've never used the shellac even though I have a can in my garage. I love the high gloss look lacquer provides, but it does take work, but it's very rewarding and will achieve the look in those pics when done right.

 

[njb182]

I've read that working with lacquer can be dangerous. What should I look out for?

 

[physicsguitar]

All of this stuff is unhealthy. Just do any spraying in a well-ventilated area and wear a mask. It will get everywhere, so cover your valuable stuff with paper or dropcloths...oh yeah, and don't smoke while spraying combustibles.

 

[Colt W. Knight]

Title pretty much says it all. Never done this before. I have a crappy bass lying around that I want to practice on.

When I'm done, I want the neck to have a tint much like the necks below.

image removed

Someone want to walk me through it? Supplies (what kind of lacquer, bla bla), how to do it, etc.

1. Finish sand the wood, I ussually progress up to 220 or 320 depending on the wood.
2. Wipe down with naptha or mineral spirits to remove oil.
3. Spray or brush on a sanding sealer. Allow to dry.
4. Sand flush with 220 grit. wipe clean
5. Spray/ brush on a sanding sealer. Allow to dry.
6. Buff with 000 steel wool.
7. Spray several coats of thin lacquer in thing coats. When spraying lacquer, you want to go lightly, and build the coats slowly. When the lacquer takes on a wet looking appearence, stop. Let it dry for 30 minutes or an hour, and apply another coat.
8. Spray thin coats of tinted lacquer until you have achieved the desired amber appearence.
9. Spray more thin coats of clear gloss lacquer.
10. Allow the lacquer to cure, this may take 2 weeks or a month depending on your climate. Humid, cold, and wet climates take longer. Dry, arid, warm climates take less.
11. Begin wet sanding with 800 grit. Check in direct sunlight, when the surface is level, move onto 1000 grit, 1200 grit, 1500 grit, 2000 grit, then buff with an automotive swirl mark remover, then apply a glaze/wax and polish it an extremely high luster.


*** You can use a dewaxed amber shellac instead of a sanding sealer. Then you wouldn't need to use a tinted lacquer. However, the process pretty much stays the same. You can not get a beautiful finish like the one pictured without some hard work and due dilligence in prep work, sanding and polishing.


The best and easiest lacquer to spray in my opinion is nitrocellulose. If you have spray equipment or a prevail sprayer, you can buy nitrocellulose lacquer from Sherwin Williams, Mohawk, Behlens, Deft, and I am sure I am missing a few. If you want to use an aerosol can, DEFT clear gloss available at every Lowe's I have ever been too works extremely well. However, they do not make a tinted lacquer, so you will need to order that from StewMac.Com, Reranch, somewhere else, or use a dewaxed amber shellac as a sealer.

Sanding Sealer comes in many forms,

Shellac
Minwax poly sanding sealer
Deft Lacquer sanding sealer
and vinyl sealer

They all work equally well for lacquer. Deft Brushing lacquer sanding sealer is about my favorite because its cheap and readily available at Lowes. Lowes also carries Deft aerosol sanding sealer that works well too.

 

[tcarp]

I did an MK maple neck last year using Mohawk amber toner and about a dozen coats of Mohawk clear nitro....very easy to use and inexpensive...less than $6 per can. This neck was my very first attempt...I screwed up on the first pass and made the neck way too dark and orange-y, used acetone to remove it and did a second pass which came out perfect.

1) MK necks are already shellac'd and ready for finish. If yours isn't, a couple of coats of clear will serve as a sealer

2) Lightly spray the toner...don't be too agressive. Mohawk seems to darken as it sures, and it dries very quickly. A couple of very light coats misted on does the trick. If you're not happy, Acetone will remove the toner immediately.

3) Once the toner has cured (I let mine sit 2 weeks without a problem) smooth the finish with 0000 steel wool.

4) Clean neck thoroughly with naptha and apply clear. A dozen coats oughta be enough. Don't bother masking the frets. The final buffing will remove overspray.

5) After the clear has cured, smooth it again with 0000 steel wool. This will leave a satin sheen....you can leave it that way or buff it to a gloss. I used MicroMesh polishing cloths with success.



Tom

 

[SixShooter]

A can of ReRanch Neck amber and a can of Watco gloss lacquer.

How does ReRanch neck amber compare to their tinted clear? My impression is that they are similar. I find the tinted clear to be very yellow with not enough brown to simulate aged maple.

My best results so far have been with Colortone amber dye with a few drops of brown dye added.

 

[tonewoods]

All of this stuff is unhealthy.

Shellac flakes mixed with Everclear is not, which is the main reason I like to use it...

That, and I like the resulting finish....

 

[bossaholic]

How does ReRanch neck amber compare to their tinted clear? My impression is that they are similar. I find the tinted clear to be very yellow with not enough brown to simulate aged maple.

My best results so far have been with Colortone amber dye with a few drops of brown dye added.

I use both Neck Amber and their Butterscotch. Neck Amber alone can be a little yellow (but does darken up with each coat). I then use the Butterscotch to spray aging highlights.

 

[tonewoods]

Neck Amber alone can be a little yellow...

Take a stroll through the Blackguard Book...

It's amazing how light in color a lot of those necks are....

 

[SixShooter]

Take a stroll through the Blackguard Book...

It's amazing how light in color a lot of those necks are....

I am amazed at the range of colors (bodies included) of those blackguards.