Neck varnish removal

[Fishman]

So… I sanded off the varnish from the back of the neck of my 78 Aria Pro II jazz bass and I'm wondering what to do next – it feels much better now without the glossy varnish – much faster

Should I worry about anything other than it getting dirty? Can the stability of the neck be affected?

As for a new finish, what about the virtues of tung oil, or some kind of wax or whatever

Something I noticed immediately was that the hard-edged, percussive sound of the bass (un-amped) was altered somewhat, now a bit more muted

All opinions and experience welcomed!

[mybass]

Danish oil, applied via a rag and let it soak in a few minutes then a clean rag to clear away excess. Slight roughness might appear after a few plays but fine wire will and maybe a little re application of oil will sort that.

[Fishman]

Thanks mybass – ah yes, fine wire will could be it!

Sorry, I know you meant wool – I've got some Danish oil from an old DIY project so that could be an option

I just read another thread here where @Andyjr1515 mentioned tru-oil

Will report back

[mybass]

Correct about the wire wool..some iPad problems typing all that out. I use Tru oil for body finishing taking up to ten coats. I haven’t used it on a raw wood neck as an oil finish so keep checking on that.

 

[gary mac]

Tru Oil is spectacularly good for the neck, gives a lovely feel. 

[Osiris]

I've just picked up a cheap and cheerful Ibanez short scale that is virtually new and may or may not have an unfinished neck (there are conflicting opinions on TalkBass) so would something like Danish oil or Tru oil also be just the ticket to give the neck on it a quick going over? 

[Thunderbird]

11 minutes ago, Osiris said:

I've just picked up a cheap and cheerful Ibanez short scale that is virtually new and may or may not have an unfinished neck (there are conflicting opinions on TalkBass) so would something like Danish oil or Tru oil also be just the ticket to give the neck on it a quick going over? 

Imo it's best if you sand that Ibby neck with a seriously light touch and grit and seal it with a decent wax job done lovely and smooth 

[Osiris]

14 hours ago, Thunderbird said:

Imo it's best if you sand that Ibby neck with a seriously light touch and grit and seal it with a decent wax job done lovely and smooth 

Cheers @Thunderbird. Wouldn't wax make the neck sticky though? 

[Cuzzie]

0000 wool is the thing to sand it with

 

gentle and does the job

[Thunderbird]

1 hour ago, Osiris said:

Cheers @Thunderbird. Wouldn't wax make the neck sticky though? 

If you went mad with it yes but a little goes along way 

[Andyjr1515]

On 15/05/2018 at 19:39, Fishman said:

Thanks mybass – ah yes, fine wire will could be it!

Sorry, I know you meant wool – I've got some Danish oil from an old DIY project so that could be an option

I just read another thread here where @Andyjr1515 mentioned tru-oil

Will report back

Yes - there's a recent thread somewhereabouts where I briefly describe the tru- oil slurry and buff approach.  Very quick, very easy, very cheap, very repeatable if you mess it up and leaves a wonderful, silky smooth, frictionless finish that nevertheless still feels like wood.

Let me know if you can't find it and I'll have a search

Edited May 17, 2018 by Andyjr1515

[Andyjr1515]

It's here 

 

[Fishman]

Thanks – I'm leaning toward the true oil approach – will report back

[rushbo]

I've refinished quite a few necks and bodies with Tru Oil and wire wool or high grit sandpaper. The good thing about this method is that you can build up to a mirror shine if you keep on applying it, or just use enough to protect the wood. I'm not a fan of thick varnish on basses and although it's a fairly laborious job to get the original finish off, it's pretty straightforward. Cheap, too.

[Grangur]

@FishmanHave you removed all the lacquer? If you have, then knock yourself out; use any finish you like. 

If you still have some lacquer there, then an oil finish won't go so well over lacquer. What would be better would be to spray the back with a semi-matt finish lacquer.  The reason gloss finish lacquer sticks to your hand is friction. Semi-matt has an uneven surface and this stops the friction; like roughing the surface with a scotchbrite does too.

[Fishman]

Thanks @Grangur – the varnish is pretty much gone – it now looks a bit like a pistachio shell – I'll probably try a light coat of tru oil just to keep the sweat and grime out of the wood. I had a couple of Wals in the past that were sticky as hell but I never felt like i could just sand off the varnish, what with the value of them – this old thing was found in a skip before I revived it so such worries there – will report back once done