Burnishing Raw Necks

Hi, and welcome, and congratulations on your new neck!


You will sand dry, not wet.


Absolutely no oil or other finish required for bloodwood.


You need not go through all the grits - stop when you have a sheen you want.  But by all means, go further if you want to.


I think the guide to doing this is the first post in this thread.


Good luck!


Which Phaedrus are you?


Phaedrus (Athenian) (c. 444 BC – 393 BC), an Athenian aristocrat depicted in Plato's dialogues
 
You're going to love burnished Bloodwood. I have an Ebony over Bloodwood neck here that I treated that way and it came out fantastic! It's a very dense, smooth, close-grained wood that responds well to the treatment.

Be aware that as you get to the finer grained papers, you need to spend more time with them. Change comes slowly. The higher grits don't cut as fast because they only take off tiny amounts, so to get the full benefit you need to be patient. That's why it's a good idea to have a movie to watch, so you can sorta do it mindlessly. Eventually, the thing will get to the point where you'll swear it's a finished part, but it's like the finest satin you can imagine. Then, unlike a satin finish, it stays that way! It's a really cool trick.
 
Great! was actually thinking of doing it while checking out some new records I got (=

Say, I get that bloodwood's dust could possibly irritate (toxicety matters...fun fun!)
in your expirience what are the precautions I need to take? I assume no need to do it outside if I planned to watch a movie in the meanwhile, right? So just a mask, gloves and full clothing with proper vaccuming afterwards?

Thanks!

Oh and bagman, I guess I'll have to say none. Was really aiming for the one in Zen and the Art of Motorcycling (;
 
I don't want to tell you that you don't need to worry about it, but my understanding is you usually develop a sensitivity to such things; it's not normally something that affects you on first exposure. Some woods are more toxic than others. For instance, Warmoth rarely offers Cocobolo necks because the stuff is so wicked they don't want to work with it. Ebony is another one that people seem to react to more often than not, but it seems it takes more exposure. Most of the "exotic" woods are that way to some degree or another. They've evolved over time to resist rot and insects, and it's that internal chemistry that affects us as much as any living thing.

I've not heard anything about Bloodwood, but I haven't had any trouble with it and I've done two necks now without issue and I'm somewhat sensitive to such things. The other thing to consider is you're not machining the stuff - there's not going to be a lotta dust in the air. You're doing it by hand and you're not taking a lotta wood off. It's fine work - basically polishing - so there's not going to be a cloud of dust in the air for you to breathe in.

I wouldn't worry about it unless you're one of those people with a million allergies right from the git-go. Personally, I react to a lot of different things, but haven't had any issue with any of the necks I've worked with.
 
Thought I'd bump this thread for all the newcomers, and post of my own success.  I hafta say, like a few people I was a bit skeptical but I was really surprised!  I have an Ebony Macassar, lined fretless board on a Wenge neck (with I think Bloodwood striping on the back, idk for sure, but it's a Gecko 6 neck).

http://www.stewmac.com/Materials_and_Supplies/Sanding_and_Polishing/Sandpaper_and_Finishing_Papers/3M_Flexible_Polishing_Papers.html
I tried to keep it simple, so I bought nothing but the Green, Grey, Blue, and Pink 3M polishing papers from the link above (400, 600, 1200, and 4000 grit respectively).  I split all 4 papers into 3 sections, to be used on the fretboard, headstock, and neck. I spent about 45 minutes with each grit, giving the piece a quick wipe-down with naptha right before moving onto the finer papers.  After 1200 grit I did the TV check, and I could definitely watch Adult Swim from just the reflection on the fretboard -- just hope my future flatwounds won't be scratching it too much!  In any case, I'm not too sure how much a difference the 4000 grit made on top of it, but it seemed like it at least improved the amount of light being reflected;  I would still spring for it on a future project.

All in all, I am very satisfied with how this turned out.  The thing almost looks wet!  Even seems to give the Ebony Macassar a bit of depth or 3D-ness at the right angle, just like a well-stained laminate.  Now my only worry is if I might end up blinding someone in the audience when playing out  :icon_tongue:

But anyways it's late and time for bed.
Cheers!  :eek:ccasion14:
 
Ahh, me soapbox is a bit dusty, 'n what's a Monday Morning without a little DOOM?

WOOD TOXICITY IS NO LAUGHING MATTER

Wood dust is a rapidly increasing cause of disability, COPD, death... But, it's not so much the poison-ness* of specific woods, as it is the size of the particles. And that, in turn, is a result of modern science.... if you looked around a cabinet shop or guitar luthier or custom woodworker of any sort 100 years ago, even 50 years ago, even 25 (?) -  you would see a WHOLE BUNCH of chisels, spokeshaves, knives and adzes and saws and such - sandpaper was the very last thing only. However, because of advances in making and sizing particulates, and even more so, better glue - everybody's sanding off what they used to slice. And, it turns out that "black lung disease" and "asbestosis" and such have little to do with coal or asbestos being bad for you - it's the size of the particle that matters.

That ultra-fine dust you see gathered on your drill press or work table - hey, no problem! Snort it up, your lungs will mucus it up and eject it. BUT THERE'S A FINER DUST YOU CAN'T EVEN SEE - it's floating in the air. And when it gets in your lungs - doesn't matter if it's wood, coal, asbestos, fiberglass - your lungs will "encapsulate" it, but it won't cough out. On some woodworking site, I read that 25% of all woodworking professionals are now "retiring" due to disability? And this is all just coming up NOW, because of the wholesale move away from carving wood to sanding it down. The more responsible shops are treating this with utmost seriousness, if you look through your tool catalogs at all the vacuum apparatus, that's what they're doing.

NOW THAT YOU'RE ALL TERRIFIED:

Personally, I don't think that banging out a guitar every once in a while can hurt you, you could probably snort up all your wood dust intentionally if you're doing even a few guitars a month - it's the big guys, day-in, day-out sucking it up for 40 hours a week that are kaaking, and there are going to be a LOT of third-worlders dying from this for sure because they don't have ANY protection (and they work 400 hours a week). It's all a matter of degree. I think wiping off a sanding project with a damp towel every once in a while is probably a good idea, but the only thing WE have to fear is fear itself. If I WORKED at Warmoth, I would be careful, that's all. As they are - they won't even fiddle with cocobolo.

And the "toxic" woods really do behave as any allergen, the trick with them is that you never, ever had any likelihood of developing a resistance to them, UNLESS you grew up in a South American jungle and chewed on a lot of bark. In which case you're a scary person, and I don't even want to know...



*(F U, spell check)
 
StübHead said:
And the "toxic" woods really do behave as any allergen, the trick with them is that you never, ever had any likelihood of developing a resistance to them, UNLESS you grew up in a South American jungle and chewed on a lot of bark. In which case you're a scary person, and I don't even want to know...

My understanding is that you never develop a resistance, you develop a sensitivity. Occasional exposure isn't the issue, it's constant exposure. You can sand Ebony or Cocobolo here and there without issue, but if you do it all the time, you're liable to end up with a problem.
 
I generally disagree with "bumping" threads, and I hate to see too many "stickies" on any forum, but this thread is referenced often enough that it ought to be easier to find than it is, so... BUMP!
 
    I just did this for the first time on my wenge neck.  This neck has always been my best sounding neck, but my least favorite to play.  However I like the neck a lot more now that I polished it with these: http://www.amazon.com/Zona-37-948-Polishing-11-Inch-Assortment/dp/B001BHGC7G/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1412372745&sr=8-1&keywords=3m+polishing+paper
 
That's a good price. It's (ahem) pretty clearly the same stuff, but depending on where you get it, it can be kinda precious.  Stewie sells that set for $13.80, but - they also started selling single sheets. Green->gray->blue will only get you to 1200 grit, and easy to find regular paper can be had in 1500, so I'd really only buy the pink and blue anyway.
 
It's not the grit so much as the difference in backing. The polishing "papers" are "paper" the same way money is. It's more of a cloth, so it's more flexible and wears better. You can certainly still tear it up, but it doesn't happen as fast as your typical wet 'r' dry stuff. Some people have even commented that they wash it and re-use it, but in my experience by the time it seems like it needs attention, it's pretty much wore out.
 
AgentPotato said:
I just finished to polish my all pau ferro neck and thought I'd share a picture. I am very pleased with the outcome and quite frankly didn't expect it to feel that awesome.
It is hard to believe that the tuning mashines mirror in a not painted neck :)

I hope it shows the attached picture, since it doesn't preview it

I would imagine a polished/burnished Pau Ferro neck to feel like it's been lubricated with Fingerease or Fast Fret on the back, but totally natural!
Nice work folks!
 
That's very much what it feels like. I recently sold a Strat with an Ebony over Pau Ferro neck that had received that treatment, partly because of that. It not only sounded good, the guy couldn't believe how good the neck felt. Wondered why you don't see more of such things in the wild.
 
I noticed an improvement after about 3 full swipes or sweeps or full length neck runs with the finest polishing papers in the pack. Took about  :icon_scratch:...2 minutes.
I can't imagine going as long as an hour with polish papers let alone an entire movie sanding away...maybe I need to take more vitamins  :toothy10:
 
The micro mesh sanding pads go to 12,000 grit (grey.) They recently started making cloths/paper in addition to the pads.
 
On raw wood, you reach a point of diminishing returns when approaching 2000 grit, which is my stopping point. Past that, you're just wasting expensive abrasives. The finer stuff is for finishes/plastic/glass/metal. For instance, those super-fine micromesh pads are great for frets if you gradually work your way up to them.
 
Well the roasted maple burnishes up nicely. I got some sore fingers from all the rubbing. That 3M cloth works awesome. Thought this was a worthy photo.
001-8.jpg
 
Great thread. Funny story. One of my projects has been to repair a cosmetically damaged headstock on one of my guitars. I'm almost done with the wood filling and probably will start painting it tomorrow. I headed out to Home Depot to get some finer sandpaper than I had on hand at home. On the way, I stopped by Jack in the Box to grab breakfast. I was reading the forum on my phone while I was waiting for my order and just happened to run across this thread. I thought "OK, it's an omen, since I was already out to get sandpaper."  But I saw a post on the first or second page of this thread that home improvement stores might not have paper that fine. No problem, as long as they have something finer than 220.  I get to the sandpaper aisle, and lo and behold, they had grits all the way down to 2000. 

Just what I need, a new project.  :tard:  LOL.  Seriously, though, this looks to be a must-do.  I picked up a pack of each of the papers and I've got a canary neck on my Warmoth "mutt" that I'm going to practice on.

:icon_thumright: 
 
Great! Most home improvement stores don't carry paper that fine, as there's not much call for it for home projects.

Be aware that as you go finer in grit, it takes progressively longer to have an effect, so be patient.

Canary will come out very much like the Afra neck I started this thread with, so you have a point of reference.
 
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