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I'm still in the planning stage and haven't lifted a sanding sheet yet, but ...
I have been known to get down to 1000 or 1200 wet and dry on a neck to get it super smooth. Then I haven't sealed the neck.
So, assuming I go that smooth on my new build, what can I then use to seal the timber, without losing the "smoothness"?
Probably just lemon oil.
Another way would be to apply several coats of finish and polish it off using 1200 wet & dry paper to bring up a nice smooth satin feeling finish.
This is a timely question. I was wondering what most people finish their necks to with W&D.
Can you go too smooth? What would be the neck feel like if I used my micro mesh pads all the way up to 12000?
All of mine have been micro meshed to 12,000 and then finished off with Meguiars and they feel great. Only danger is can they feel a bit grippy from the high gloss finish and if so just hit the back of the neck lightly with 1500 to take some of the shine off. No longer a fan of steel wool after reading an article about how it breaks down so easy and the small particles can end up inside PUP's which is not good but I have previously used 0000 steel wool on the back of necks and they came up smoother than smooth.Quote:
Originally Posted by Zandit75
on sthe strat I just did I took the neck to 800, put a few coats of TO on it , then sanded those with 1200 and left it at that.
12,000 micro mesh? Would that make any discernible difference (particularly since I think that 1,200 wet & dry is really smooth)?
And I'm sorry Dedman if this is a very dumb question, but by "TO" do you refer to tung oil or Tru-Oil? That sounds like the way I'm headed.
yea Tru-Oil, sorry lazy typer :P
Haha, I thought so as well, but I just completed the finish on my LP build, and yes, I thought 1200 was great. Then I tried 3000, and couldn't believe the difference in feel to my fingers. Next I went 5k, then 8k, and finally 12k. It was like glass, but unlike anything I had felt before!!Quote:
Originally Posted by zipen
Hard to believe the difference until you have tried it.
Micro mesh pads brings things up oh so super, super smooth. In fact if you want a low sheen finish just skip the car polish step.
And here I was, ready to finish the neck sanding tomorrow!! HA!
I gotta get myself some micro-mesh pads... I suspect my local Mitre 10 definitely won't have them
And some Tru-Oil.
And, and, and the list grows longer!
Thanks folks
Some things just cannot be found at your local hardware store unfortunately.
If you plan on doing more than 1 build suggest buying 2 micro mesh 'guitar' packs as on my 4th the 4,000 grit was already knackered from the 3 previous builds but stepping from 2,000 to 6,000 was not a problem as that still had plenty of bite even up to 8,000 grit. At 12,000 it takes things to an insanely smooth flat level finish with no lumps or bumps.
Timely thread indeed as my re-finish is getting some neck treatment. I've found that finishing the neck to 2000 grit gives a sublime finish on the old Jap guitars I play with and just love that satiny, smooth feel under the hand, so micromesh pads are a new wrinkle for me....
Given that I'm no longer playing out, I've been leaving the necks untouched after sanding them down, working on the principle that if they do get a bit yukky, then I'll just give 'em a quick sand!! I do wipe them down after playing them but gee... they feel GOOD in hand in bare wood, and the precedent is there in that very high grade acoustic instruments - violins etc. - often have bare finished necks...
After reading this, I'm now undecided as to whether I'll finish this neck I have on the bench!! :-D
I'm with corsair! On all my guitars (whether store bought or built) I regularly sand the necks with 1200 or 2000 to give them that smooth satin finish. On my last build I just did a couple of coats of Tru-oil to "seal" the raw wood, but sanded back with 2000 so there's not really a finish per se. I've never used micromesh before so might give that a crack too given the other comments here.Quote:
Originally Posted by corsair
Hi I just came across this even though it might be a bit late I'll add to it anyway with the experience I had.
I did the same method wazkelly and zandit did however I probably didn't apply the TO correctly (34 coats & not enough drying time between each coat).
Following waz's advice after the last coat of TO I left it for about one month to cure. Then:
- used micro mesh pads up to 12000.
- cut and polish with meguiars ultimate compound.
The neck is nice and smooth and I'm very happy with the results compared to my first build where the neck was too "grippy" and not very easy to play.
Cheers,
Alkay.