Sanded neck and tru oil

[tedmanzie]

I have gently sanded my jap p-bass neck back to the wood - rough to very fine sandpaper. I then put a super thin coat of tru oil, let it dry, super fine wire wool light rub, another coat of very light tru oil, dry and light rub wire wool again.

My issue is the tru oil is still quite a shiny surface so it doesn’t feel like the really dry bare wood that some relics/custom shops have.  It’s more like a very light varnish.

I’m concerned the neck will take on moisture if I just sand it back to plain wood.

Any advice please?

 

[Bridgehouse]

You can dull the finish of tru oil with something like micro mesh (very fine grades) or lapping paper - but it won’t truly feel like bare wood. Even the impregnated acrylic finishes don’t. Untreated the wood is more likely to mark or discolour, so it’s always best to have a finish on of some description

[Grangur]

Lacquered finishes don't accept oil very well. 

The stickiness of the back of the neck was due to the friction of the amount of smooth lacquer in contact with your skin. All you needed to do was lightly remove *some* of the lacquer and make it into a matt finish. This can be achieved with a light rub over with kitchen scotchbrite pad. An old one is better than a new one.

The best thing to do now is sand it back. Wash off any oil residue with white spirit and spray it with matt or semi-matt lacquer.

[Muppet]

After you've done a couple of coats of tru oil and wire wool,  take the final coat just down to a dull finish. I do this with wire wool again and then the green side of a kitchen sponge. Then, use gunstock wax as your finishing coat.  I use the Birchwood Casey stuff (as I do with the Tru Oil).  Bit of elbow grease with a cloth leaves a lovely smooth and natural type finish.

 

[Bridgehouse]

1 minute ago, Muppet said:

After you've done a couple of coats of tru oil and wire wool,  take the final coat just down to a dull finish. I do this with wire wool again and then the green side of a kitchen sponge. Then, use gunstock wax as your finishing coat.  I use the Birchwood Casey stuff (as I do with the Tru Oil).  Bit of elbow grease with a cloth leaves a lovely smooth and natural type finish.

 

Make sure you use really high quality super fine wire wool - I’ve seen necks with bit of the wool fibre stuck in there and it’s quite nasty!

[Grangur]

4 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said:

Make sure you use really high quality super fine wire wool - I’ve seen necks with bit of the wool fibre stuck in there and it’s quite nasty!

That's why it's better to use an old kitchen scotchbrite pad. Old ones are the best as they're less severe.

Edited November 7, 2018 by Grangur

[Bridgehouse]

6 minutes ago, Grangur said:

That's why it's better to use an old kitchen scotchbrite pad. Old ones are the best as they're less severe.

I have to sneak into the kitchen so Mrs B doesn’t catch me nicking all the pads from under the sink 

[Muppet]

11 minutes ago, Bridgehouse said:

Make sure you use really high quality super fine wire wool - I’ve seen necks with bit of the wool fibre stuck in there and it’s quite nasty!

Absolutely. I mask off the pickups too - little bits can get everywhere and anywhere.

[gary mac]

I tru oiled a P bass neck a few months back and now gig with it most weeks. I think I probably used a few more coats than you and then rubbed back with micromesh. After that, for a few evenings, I sat with the bass on my lap whilst watching t.v. and using an old t shirt, just gently buffed the finish. No vigorous, breaking in to a sweat buffing, just gently gently. It feels quite lovely now 

[Reggaebass]

I personally wouldn’t put wire wool anywhere near my basses , the fine fibres go everywhere , and can stick to the pickup magnets.   if you’re after a silk finish   Flour paper is the best option it’s used in cabinet making then as Gary Mac says buff with an old t shirt 

[tedmanzie]

Thanks everyone I think I’ll start by giving it a rub over with a scotchbright and see how that feels.  

[fleabag]

That sounds a tad painful

[darkandrew]

On 07/11/2018 at 16:06, Muppet said:

After you've done a couple of coats of tru oil and wire wool,  take the final coat just down to a dull finish. I do this with wire wool again and then the green side of a kitchen sponge. Then, use gunstock wax as your finishing coat.  I use the Birchwood Casey stuff (as I do with the Tru Oil).  Bit of elbow grease with a cloth leaves a lovely smooth and natural type finish.

 

+1 here for Birchwood Casey gunstock wax. I use this on my EBMM Sterling's neck about once a year. I clean it down first with Ernie Ball neck and fretboard wipes, let it dry and then apply a thin coat of wax, let that dry too and then give it a rub with a soft cloth. Leaves a nice, natural finish that still offers the wood some protection. If I recall correctly, there's a video on the EBMM website where they show you how to do this but they use Murphy's Oil Soap instead of their wipes.

Edited November 13, 2018 by darkandrew

[dyerseve]

18 hours ago, darkandrew said:

+1 here for Birchwood Casey gunstock wax. I use this on my EBMM Sterling's neck about once a year. I clean it down first with Ernie Ball neck and fretboard wipes, let it dry and then apply a thin coat of wax, let that dry too and then give it a rub with a soft cloth. Leaves a nice, natural finish that still offers the wood some protection. If I recall correctly, there's a video on the EBMM website where they show you how to do this but they use Murphy's Oil Soap instead of their wipes.

or use warwick wax. i know that this is only typically applied to the Warwick bass bodies to "feed" the wood but Warwick also use it to finish the necks - they apply it melted and then rub it in and then rub off an excess afterwards. leaves a nice protective finish that is lovely and smooth.

[Grangur]

3 hours ago, dyerseve said:

or use warwick wax. i know that this is only typically applied to the Warwick bass bodies to "feed" the wood but Warwick also use it to finish the necks - they apply it melted and then rub it in and then rub off an excess afterwards. leaves a nice protective finish that is lovely and smooth.

This will be Bees wax. It's debatable how "protective" this is, but it's better than being left to soak up the sweat and grime from you hands.

[dyerseve]

Yes that's right. Well all the Warwicks I have and have had the necks look just fine to me. If it ever does get grimey you can just give it a light rub down with fine wire wool and then re finish. A quick and easy job to do.

[Dan Dare]

Don't be concerned about a neck "taking on moisture". If you throw the instrument in a river or leave it out in the rain, it probably will, but hard woods such as maple are tight grained and not at all porous. They will not absorb moisture over the course of a couple of hours playing. Products such as Tru Oil, Birchwood Casey, etc are meant for gun stocks and similar, so will leave a slightly shiny finish. Most seem to consist primarily of linseed oil. A wipe down after you've played will be fine. If it gets dirty, clean it as suggested above.