Boiled Linseed Oil and burnishing on a solid Canary Neck

[vikingred]

Got that beautiful Canary neck, and was going to just straight burnish from 800-2000grit as I normally have been.  But, I've been reading some old threads about BLO.  Tonar seems to pull it off quite well with a 50/50 mix of BLO and Paint Thinner (looks like urine sample).  How would this likely work on a solid Canary neck with a skunk stripe versus just plain burnishing?

Seems like Tonar applied 50/50 BLO and Paint Thinner with a paper towel and began sanding with the 600.  Let soak in or dry overnight and hit it with the same the next day, finishing it out to 2000 grit. 

Would this bring out the grain on Canary a little more, or would it f*** it up?

Also saw were someone took a rag soak in hot boiling water and wiped the neck down lightly before applying the BLO/Thinner, presumably to open up the grain a bit to receive the oil.

Opinions?  Good or bad on a Canary neck?  Possible to ruin it?

 

[dmraco]

I think Tonar uses the BLO on necks that NEED a finish, like maple and mahogany.  Is is not needed on Canary.  A properly burnished neck will look great.

I do not think it will hurt the neck is you do it, but it will give you a different feel.  As to wiping it down with hot water....not sure that is a good idea.

 

[Tonar8352]

I polish the wood with 2000 grit then start with the BLO and thinner mix. I rub that in by hand until my hand gets so hot I can't stand it and then let it set until it soaks in. (I no longer use abrasive at this step only my hand because I was getting some discoloration from walnut skunk stripes or fret ends.) I do about 2 coats of that mixture and then switch to pure BLO. I stop when the oil quits soaking into the surface and it starts staying tacky. I wipe it down really good with a paper towel and then I take it to a polishing arbor for the final sheen.

I never use water on raw wood unless it is to steam up a dent in the surface. That is a recipe for disaster in my book but I'm an old cuss set in his ways.

Warning Boiled Linseed Oil will spontaneously combust on rags if you do not dispose of the rags correctly!!!!! Please do not burn down your homes! 

 

[vikingred]

I polish the wood with 2000 grit then start with the BLO and thinner mix. I rub that in by hand until my hand gets so hot I can't stand it and then let it set until it soaks in. (I no longer use abrasive at this step only my hand because I was getting some discoloration from walnut skunk stripes or fret ends.) I do about 2 coats of that mixture and then switch to pure BLO. I stop when the oil quits soaking into the surface and it starts staying tacky. I wipe it down really good with a paper towel and then I take it to a polishing arbor for the final sheen.

I never use water on raw wood unless it is to steam up a dent in the surface. That is a recipe for disaster in my book but I'm an old cuss set in his ways.

Warning Boiled Linseed Oil will spontaneously combust on rags if you do not dispose of the rags correctly!!!!! Please do not burn down your homes!

Thanks for the info Tonar.  For clarification, when you say "polish the wood with 2000" do you mean the same process as burnishing?  I.E., start with 800, then go up 1000, 1200, 1500, 2000 like Cagey described?  Or do you just mean take the neck and just polish it straight away with 2000?  Seems the full "burnishing" process would nearly "seal" the wood and that it wouldn't accept much of the BLO.  Or maybe that's what the thinner is for.  Could you clarify?

Also when you rub it in (vigorously as I imagine) are you just using a lint-free cloth?

Last question, it seems some people have mixed results with the BLO approach.  Is this wood dependent?  Or perhaps variations in the techniques of the people doing it?  I have the solid Canary neck, then I also have a custom solid 3A Birdseye maple neck coming.  Would BLO technique be okay to use with each?

Thanks for your time!

 

[fdesalvo]

I found out that I don't like unfinished neck, but finished necks that feel unfinished lol.

Blasphemous as it may be, I used TO on my Afra neck and finished it to a glassy sheen along the back and satin on the head stock itself.  For whatever reason, oiled wood, whether glossy or satin, just looks richer and deeper IMHO.  If the Canary neck in question doesn't have an oily disposition naturally, I'd go ahead and do it up.  Otherwise, I'd surely burnish it.  Burnishing can also add depth and richness.

 

[vikingred]

I found out that I don't like unfinished neck, but finished necks that feel unfinished lol.

Blasphemous as it may be, I used TO on my Afra neck and finished it to a glassy sheen along the back and satin on the head stock itself.  For whatever reason, oiled wood, whether glossy or satin, just looks richer and deeper IMHO.  If the Canary neck in question doesn't have an oily disposition naturally, I'd go ahead and do it up.  Otherwise, I'd surely burnish it.  Burnishing can also add depth and richness.

Indeed.  Sounds like Tonar was saying, though, burnish through 2000 first, THEN do the BLO/Thinner applications, then pure BLO, then polish wheel.

 

[Tonar8352]

I take the neck directly from Warmoth and start right away with 2000 grit. Unless there are some deep sanding scratches from the factory take 2000 wet/dry, pop a movie in and have at it.

The thinner does help the oil to soak into the surface.

When I rub it vigorously I only use my hand. I use paper towels to wipe off any oil that is laying on the surface when it stops soaking in.

I have never done a Canary neck but I don't see why it would not work, Birdseye works killer for this finish. It should work on any deciduous wood but if it you don't like the results you should be able to wipe it down with thinner and start over with something else.

Hope that helps. 

 

[Neo Fender]

Slightly off topic but a warning about linseed oil; It is extremely combustible so please don't leave any soaked rags in an airtight container, especially indoors.

 

[vikingred]

I take the neck directly from Warmoth and start right away with 2000 grit. Unless there are some deep sanding scratches from the factory take 2000 wet/dry, pop a movie in and have at it.

The thinner does help the oil to soak into the surface.

When I rub it vigorously I only use my hand. I use paper towels to wipe off any oil that is laying on the surface when it stops soaking in.

I have never done a Canary neck but I don't see why it would not work, Birdseye works killer for this finish. It should work on any deciduous wood but if it you don't like the results you should be able to wipe it down with thinner and start over with something else.

Hope that helps.

Yes. Wow, ok, literally you apply the BLO/thinner with your bare hand?  I suppose I will try this.  I've polished it up real nice with 2000 and it's shiny as glass.  Tomorrow I will do the BLO/thinner and see how it goes.  Will probably not do the fretboard, just the back first, and see how it goes.  May just do some Fret Dr. Oil on fretboard (which I suspect is actually something like vegetable oil or olive oil or maybe even snake oil, heh.  Thanks.  Will post pics later into the weekend.  Unless it's a disaster.

 

[stratamania]

I wouldn't put fretboard type conditioners onto maple. The BLO would be a better choice.

 

[Cagey]

I wouldn't put "fretboard conditioners" on any wood. They tend to soften it over time, which is NFG. Frets let go, the wood wears faster, they become more difficult to maintain, etc. What appear to be "dry" fretboards have lost moisture, not oil. It looks/feels good for a minute, but ultimately, oiling fretboards is poor practice. The better thing is to keep the guitar away from harsh chemicals/harmful environments, or at least make sure it lives most of the time at ~50% RH.

Knowing fretboards needs some cleaning, though, what's a mother to do? My suggestion would be mineral spirits. It's oil-based, but super-thin, and leaves nearly no residue, or at least not enough to hurt the wood. Plus, it's aggressive enough to remove stubborn finger residue without leaching the wood of its innate oil/moisture content. Best of both worlds. Problem is, it's dirt cheap, so the marketing weenies at the music stores can't make any money on it.

 

[Hbom]

or at least make sure it lives most of the time at ~50% RH.

A quick check of cities in the US that can do that makes it beyond most of our capabilities.
How do you manage?
MICHIGAN                            YEARS  JAN    FEB    MAR    APR    MAY    JUN    JUL    AUG    SEP    OCT    NOV    DEC   
                                          M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A
DETROIT, MI                      35  35  80  69  79  65  79  61  78  55  78  53  79  54  82  54  86  56  87  57  84  57  82  65  81  71  81  60

http://www.shorstmeyer.com/wxfaqs/humidity/rh.html
:rock-on:

 

[Cagey]

How do you manage?

I live indoors in a modern home where I have climate control. It's always between 72°-74°F @ 45%-55% RH year-round. Plus, note the "~" sign, which means "approximately". You're right, it would be tough to stay spot on a particular value.

 

[Re-Pete]

or at least make sure it lives most of the time at ~50% RH.

A quick check of cities in the US that can do that makes it beyond most of our capabilities.
How do you manage?
MICHIGAN                            YEARS  JAN    FEB    MAR    APR    MAY    JUN    JUL    AUG    SEP    OCT    NOV    DEC   
                                          M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A  M  A
DETROIT, MI                      35  35  80  69  79  65  79  61  78  55  78  53  79  54  82  54  86  56  87  57  84  57  82  65  81  71  81  60

http://www.shorstmeyer.com/wxfaqs/humidity/rh.html
:rock-on:

Buy a  de-humidifier. I set one up in a small spare bedroom & can get RH down to ~40% for an acoustic guitar that needs a drying out occasionally. I live in Australia, just north of Sydney & it gets sticky around here at times.

 

[vikingred]

I ended up just taking the BLO off with mineral spirits and reburnishing a bit.  The BLO is just nasty feeling.  Tried polish wheel and all, and it just doesn't work for me on this Canary neck.  Feels sticky, oily, and wrong.  Ah, well.  I fixed it.

 

[Cagey]

That's been my experience with the stuff, too. I even gave it months of cure time. Just too soft/sticky. That was on a Maple neck. Ended up doing the same thing - stripping it off.

Canary burnishes up nice and doesn't need any finish.