Refinishing a neck: oil vs gloss poly?

[StuartV]

Greetings, all!

I have a neck that has a gloss poly finish all over (with a maple board). I want to strip the back of it and refinish it with Tru-Oil.

I also want to get rid of the headstock decal and put my own on. It appears that the original is cleared over. So, I reckon I need to strip the front of the headstock as well. I guess that means stripping the sides of the head stock, too.

The questions are:

- If I refinish the front of the headstock with Tru-Oil, then attempt to put a waterslide decal on, will the decal stick or will the oil finish make it not stick?

- If I Tru-Oil the front of the headstock and then want to do a clear gloss later, will the Tru-Oil prevent the clear gloss from sticking?

I'm really not sure exactly what I want to do with the front of the headstock yet. But, i want to make sure I don't do something that will ruin future plans (e.g. putting oil on it and then finding out that prevents me from painting it later).

Thanks for any help!

 

[praisegig]

You can scuff the back and apply Truoil over existing finish. Sand the front of headstock to get rid of logo, apply coats of Truoil to build, let cure and level sand up to 1200. Apply new decal, let set overnight, apply more coats of Truoil to build, cure and level sand to 1200

You will need to lock in the ink of the new decal by mist coating with nitro, before applying. In the future, you can build coats of Truoil or nitro and level sand up to 2000 and polish for higher gloss

 

[StuartV]

You can scuff the back and apply Truoil over existing finish. Sand the front of headstock to get rid of logo, apply coats of Truoil to build, let cure and level sand up to 1200. Apply new decal, let set overnight, apply more coats of Truoil to build, cure and level sand to 1200

You will need to lock in the ink of the new decal by mist coating with nitro, before applying. In the future, you can build coats of Truoil or nitro and level sand up to 2000 and polish for higher gloss

I think you answered my main question. A waterslide decal should stick on top of a Tru-Oil finish. Thanks.

But, I'm not sure if you really got my true purpose. I want the back of the neck to have the "bare wood" feel of my EBMM Sterling or Peavey Cirrus. So, I don't want to oil it to the point where it builds up and needs to be sanded, I don't think. I built a workbench for my garage and used a nice piece of birch plywood for the top. I put numerous coats of Tru-Oil on that to build it up, with sanding in between. That made a nice, somewhat durable (but not girlfriend-proof! arrgghh!!) top. But, that is not the finish or feel I want on my bass neck.

I just want enough oil to protect the wood from moisture and dirt. I think scuffing the gloss finish, versus sanding it completely off will not give me the result I want?

And, I plan to strip the body and have it painted with a nice glossy finish. I will probably want the headstock done the same way. So, my other question was/is, if I Tru-Oil it (just enough to protect it), will that cause a problem later if I want to have it cleared with a gloss polyurethane?

 

[DiabolusInMusic]

Removing A Neck Finish

Here is the thread when I asked about doing this, I have used the method on multiple basses with great success. Scuffing is not what you want so don't bother with it.

The decal should stick on top of tru-oil but it will easily rub off if you do not clear coat it. I have never done this though so I am not certain.

 

[StuartV]

Removing A Neck Finish

Here is the thread when I asked about doing this, I have used the method on multiple basses with great success. Scuffing is not what you want so don't bother with it.

The decal should stick on top of tru-oil but it will easily rub off if you do not clear coat it. I have never done this though so I am not certain.

Thanks! I responded in that other thread, to try and keep all the info in one place.

I agree that scuffing is not what I want to do. I did the green Scotchbrite pad thing with the Sadowsky Metro I had. It was better than the original gloss, but definitely nowhere near as nice a feel as my EBMM Sterling neck.

 

[Hopkins]

You could always use the Tru oil on the back of the neck to get the feel you are looking for, and a high gloss hard finish on the front of the head stock. I have never tried to bury a water slide under an oil finish.

 

[StuartV]

You could always use the Tru oil on the back of the neck to get the feel you are looking for, and a high gloss hard finish on the front of the head stock. I have never tried to bury a water slide under an oil finish.

Well, yeah, that's kind of where I'm going. And I'm not trying to put a decal under the oil. I'm wondering about just sanding the whole neck, front and back, oiling the whole neck, then putting the decal on. It seems that that should be okay. But then, would I have trouble doing a clear gloss coat on the headstock later (because of oiling it)?

 

[Hopkins]

Well, yeah, that's kind of where I'm going. And I'm not trying to put a decal under the oil. I'm wondering about just sanding the whole neck, front and back, oiling the whole neck, then putting the decal on. It seems that that should be okay. But then, would I have trouble doing a clear gloss coat on the headstock later (because of oiling it)?

It entirely depends on the type of finish you are spraying over the oil. You would have to do some testing on scrap wood to make sure all is compatible. I would imagine that Nitro wouldn't play well with the oil finish, but a urethane would probably work fine.

 

[praisegig]

I guess that I didn't get the jest of your question. I guess you are worried about the thickness of the finish. My point is by scuffing the original finish and applying Truoil will give you the same feel as sanding to bare wood, then applying Truoil

You don't need to build like nitro. I use paper coffee filters to apply Truoil on my necks. Apply a quarter size drop on an area and work in until it starts to drag, quickly smooth out in straight lines. Continue until whole neck is done and dry to the touch. You can repeat until desired coats are applied, I usually apply 3 coats per day. If dried over night between coats, scuff with white scotchbrite pad then apply oil. After last coat, let cure 7 days. If wiped tight, no sanding is required.

 

[StuartV]

I guess that I didn't get the jest of your question. I guess you are worried about the thickness of the finish. My point is by scuffing the original finish and applying Truoil will give you the same feel as sanding to bare wood, then applying Truoil

You don't need to build like nitro. I use paper coffee filters to apply Truoil on my necks. Apply a quarter size drop on an area and work in until it starts to drag, quickly smooth out in straight lines. Continue until whole neck is done and dry to the touch. You can repeat until desired coats are applied, I usually apply 3 coats per day. If dried over night between coats, scuff with white scotchbrite pad then apply oil. After last coat, let cure 7 days. If wiped tight, no sanding is required.

Doing this will end up with the neck still feeling like bare wood? Like a non-Classic model Stingray or Sterling? I don't mean to sound like I'm trying to debunk what you're saying, but I'm kind of skeptical that it will ever feel like bare wood if I don't sand it down to bare wood. I don't want it to feel like Tru-Oil (the way my work bench does, which has about 12 coats). I don't want it to feel like a satin finish. When I'm done, I want it to feel like bare wood, like my Sterling does (which only has a couple of coats).

When I put Tru-Oil on my Sterling (for occasional maintenance), I put a little on a paper towel, wipe it on, then wipe it right back off. I do that once or twice, then buff it with a paper towel and I'm done.

 

[praisegig]

Bare wood has one feel, a neck with Truoil has another feel. To me, bare wood grabs my hand, not a fast, smooth feel. It gets worse with sweat or humidity. Truoil is basically a linseed oil and a mix of drying oils, similar to a wipe on poly, for durability and ease of application. But makes a great feeling, fast neck, if worked properly

You might try and briskly burnish the neck with a piece of old denim and see how it feels to you. You may want to try on scrap maple and work up the feel you like, I was just passing on some schedules I like.

 

[gsnad2000]

I don't know how many people use it, but the gun stock wax made by the same folks who make truoil works great as a final finish over truoil. Makes a neck feel so slippery it's ridiculous.

 

[StuartV]

I don't know how many people use it, but the gun stock wax made by the same folks who make truoil works great as a final finish over truoil. Makes a neck feel so slippery it's ridiculous.

I used it on my Sterling - once. I felt like it gave it a very similar kind of feel to have a gloss poly feels. I.e. if my thumb is very slightly damp, it wants to kind of catch on it, instead of sliding smoothly, like it does with bare wood (or wood with just Tru-Oil). Thus, I quit using the wax.