Maple neck finish without spraying

[dean]

I've sprayed a couple dozen Tele and Strat necks over the years and haven't have any problems getting them to look good. I usually like to do a bit of a vintage tint, but not too much orange/yellow to the finish. I'm working on a neck I had custom-made, and I'm having a devil of a time getting a half-way decent finish on it - maybe it's the wood or maybe old stain or something. I just stripped it again (third time) and am ready to try something different. Could some of you with wipe-on experience please point me in a direction that will give me passable results. Maybe a website or a product that will work. I live in Minnesota, so I can't really get out to spray for another few months, and I'd like to get this project finished! What sort of wipe-on or rub-on finishes might work for me? Thanks!

 

[Wyatt]

Some ideas that are popular, look and feel good, and wipe-on...

• Danish oil, as used on Fender Custom Shop and Musikraft necks
• Tru Oil, same as G&L "Gun Oil" necks
• Emmet's Good Stuff Wood Finish (urethane), as recommend by John Suhr for a "raw" feel and used on the some EVH models

 

[old wrench]

One wipe-on finish that I like in particular is Osmo Top Oil.

It's also the easiest finish I've ever applied

I use it mainly on the Maple necks I build.

Two coats and done!

It's not a gloss finish, but it does bring out the grain.

It gives the wood a nice glow and the necks have a great feel to them.


.

 

[Sea Devil]

Don't forget shellac and polyurethane. Both are very easy to apply.

 

[Boreas]

Wipe on poly is quick and easy.

 

[erix]

I use tru-oil on all my necks. I put it on in very thin coats, so thin it takes until coat 5 or so to start feeling like a finish. After 13 or so coats I’ll let it hang for a few weeks before a quick buff and then it is play ready.

Here’s an example:

2023 Brotherhood Build = Kitchencaster

Gluing week! Using titebond ii. Overkill but I like how it sets up fastest. smooth it out Clamp it, Jed! Next day I had a bit of a moment - one of my big plywood blocks was stuck to the body. Turns out a little glue had leaked through around one of the knots. I managed to separated them...

www.tdpri.com

 

[Direwolf]

Shellac is great and easy to apply. Tru-oil takes quite a few coats but looks and feels great. It's also very durable.

 

[Lemon]

I'm in no position to give advice on finish, so I just want to share some of my recent experience with shellac flakes.

1. Homemade shellac is pretty "open source", meaning that you know what's in it (insect secretion and alcohol) and can control its formulation on a basic level.
2. It is the cleanest finish I had a chance to work with. I reused a single pair of gloves for all applications and the ethanol and candy-like smell made it feel like finishing with triple sec. The smell goes away completely after a few days.
3. I had (well, still have) concerns about its durability, but I have yet to notice any wear on the neck after a month of use. I put on very thin coats and let them dry thoroughly.
4. If and when needed, dewaxed shellac is supposed to be very accepting of other finishes, so you won't have to strip it all away if you decide on a different top coat.
5. New coats will dissolve into the old ones, so it can be easily retouched when necessary. I used blonde flakes in a 2 lb. cut on maple, which is a bit too pale, so I plan on topping that with some darker flakes in the future.
6. Application is not so easy like Danish oil or tung oil, where you simply wipe off the excess, as the alcohol evaporates quickly.

Even if it's not the ideal finish for a neck, I'm still happy to have tried it and to have it as an option for other projects. Those insects make quite remarkable stuff.

 

[orbiterred]

I've done a few maple necks with Osmo Polyx Satin and it is quite nice. Haven't tried the top oil but it is another contender on my list to try out. I wasn't as happy with the Osmo on the open grained mahogany neck I did and sanded most of it back... that could've been because i didn't give it time to cure properly.

Love shellac necks, they feel great, can be sanded down smooth, easy to work with and can always add to it if you mix your own flakes.

 

[Trenchant63]

I’m a Tung Oil fan - more coats, more shine - decide how far you want to go. Durable and easy.

 

[ChicknPickn]

Don't forget shellac and polyurethane. Both are very easy to apply.

Ah, my old fave, shellac. So easy. And just the satin sheen so many like on the back of the neck. For the top of the maple neck, though, I find that shellac wears through pretty easily, and I like to spray some lacquer over the shellac there.

De-waxed shellac is far more durable than a lot of people believe. I have shellacked wooden kitchen implements that have been through the dishwasher many, many times and still have their sheen.

 

[Lou Tencodpees]

I've done shellac, Tru-Oil and a version of the "Maloof" finish using an equal parts mixture of poly, mineral oil and tung oil. All came out good but the best looking results I've had have always been with lacquer.

 

[chris m.]

The one time I finished a maple neck was with TruOil and it came out great. It was super easy to do, too.

 

[NewTimerJH]

+1 for TruOil. Stupid simple, absolutely beautiful feel and look. Wipe the whole thing top to bottom with a thin coat every 12 hours or so and in a few days you have a nice satin finish that feels great

 

[Beebe]

Rubio Monocoat in a hard wax oil like sone others mentioned above.

Search: 3 results found for "guitar"

Discover Rubio Monocoat's plant-based hardwax oil wood stain and finish in one coat—0% VOC, durable, matte, and preserves the natural look and feel of wood.

www.rubiomonocoatusa.com

 

[jrblue]

Tru-Oil is better than tung oil, and as long as you don't slop it on, any bozo can get a great neck finish. It's good to apply gunstock wax (Birchwood-Casey is excellent) and this combo is what EB/MM uses, and they make the best finished maple necks on Earth. Other versions of these products likely yield good results, too, though I find it best to stick with the proven products when working to the highest standard.

 

[hemingway]

The purists might have kittens, but I've used floor oil.

It's oil, it's strong, it works beautifully. It's just called something un-fancy.

 

[SacDAve]

What kind of finish are you using? I just did some test with Wipe on poly I was impressed and it's very tuff dries really hard. I also bought some non wipe on poly did some test spraying next guitar is going to be poly. Want to try some bigger test items first.

 

[jchabalk]

I just got a new Musikraft neck (ordered mid-january). It's a 1 piece rock maple neck and i got it with their "Clear Oil" finish. It feels great. The bright white maple isn't something that i'm used to but i'm looking forward to it darkening over time.

This is my first oiled neck and as mentioned above by Wyatt it feels like danish oil (they say it's a blend of oils and is the same as the fender custom shop uses). I've been wondering if i should apply another coat or 2 but i think i'm just going to go with it and see how it ages.