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Refinishing a Warmoth Neck


Sharkfinger
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Did this early hours of NYE 2018 after I got home from a gig.  Started on the whisky and seemed like a good idea :/

I should mention I've never done anything like this before, so a complete amateur.

Bought new from Warmoth, it's a roasted maple neck so technically doesn't need a finish.  Super satin smooth but wasn't getting on with the bare wood finish, so wanted to go for a gunstock oil finish.  

The pictures are vaguely in chronological order.  There's an initial rub-down (with coarse steel wool) to get a few months of playing grime off and a light rub down with super fine (0000 grade) SW between coats.

 

At the beginning:

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Coarse SW:

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So some wood is off :)

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Masking up the fretboard, so don't get the finish on the fretboard.  Making sure the tape is properly stuck down at the edges, so it doesn't seep in.

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Thin tape, so just 2 columns wont cover it at it's widest point.

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Microfibre cloth, cut into pieces, as will be useless when the finish dries on it:

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Decanting some into a small cup to use a bit at a time without polluting the pot:

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First coat goes on:

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First coat finished:

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A little browse of the 'library' while I wait for that coat to dry :)

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Dried after 20 mins or so.  Fresh wood soaked it right in.  Has really brought out that 'quilting' in the back of the neck!

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Gave it another very light coat before going to bed.

Next morning after light rub-down.  Then put everything away. 

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A couple of evenings later, gave it got another couple of coats with light coat between.

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Finish actually got too think so knocked it almost right back to wood. 

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At this point, pretty much all the grain has been filled.

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And the feel is almost indescribable.  Super smooth and satin but nowhere near glossy or sticky.

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I coated over and rubbed down the decal too, in case you're wondering.

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Edited by Sharkfinger
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5 minutes ago, BassTool said:

Nice neck! 

Am I right in assuming you didn't do the slurry buff through the grits then? Just the one coat with the wire wool or is there more?

Good pics 😎

No slurry, no. Didn't trust myself to get it right, so coat then buff, repeat 4 times till the grain was filled (though not completely on edge of fretboard), then knocked it right back almost to wood, then the lightest coat I could.  The stuff has soaked into the wood, so the protection is there.  

I gave it another light rub and coat about a year later and will probably do that every year.  Don't know if it's recommended but hey-ho, seems like a good idea to me.

Edited by Sharkfinger
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3 minutes ago, Sharkfinger said:

No slurry, no. Didn't trust myself to get it right, so coat then buff, repeat 4 times till the grain was filled (though not completely on edge of fretboard), then knocked it right back almost to wood, then the lightest coat I could.  The stuff has soaked into the wood, so the protection is there.  

I gave it another light rub and coat about a year later and will probably do that every year.  Don't know if it's recommended but hey-ho, seems like a good idea to me.

Nice one! This stuff has been a revelation to me, you can achieve anything from a silky smooth satin finish all the way up to a gloss with amazing results 😎

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59 minutes ago, BassTool said:

Nice one! This stuff has been a revelation to me, you can achieve anything from a silky smooth satin finish all the way up to a gloss with amazing results 😎

It's good stuff.  I refinished the wooden handle of a 50's teapot with it.  Other half was pleased, so "that practice on the bass wasn't wasted".  Her words.

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