Finishing Indian Rosewood

[audiophilosophy]

If anyone can provide me with some info, it would be greatly appreciated. I got an unfinished Warmoth body made with an Indian Rosewood top. I understand that rosewood has natural oils, and as a result, does not necessarily require a finish. However rosewood can also dry out and even crack if it is neglected for many years without being conditioned. Since I don't want to bother with frequent maintenance of the rosewood by applying conditioner/oil/moisturizer to it every so often, I just want to finish it now that it's brand new so that it will be permanently protected, not get damaged from drying out or whatever, and basically last a lifetime without me having to do maintenance ever.

I know that if I were dealing with a non-oily wood as opposed to rosewood, it would be easy to achieve my goal by simply applying a polyurethane finish. However, I've read that since rosewood is oily, it does not work too well with poly finishes (maybe just the oil-based poly finishes??).

Anyway, if anyone could advise me on what to use, I'd appreciate the advice. Aesthetics are not that big of a deal to me as protection and durability, but if possible I'd like to go the route of satin/low-gloss. If I can get away with just rubbing some naphtha or acetone on the rosewood and then quickly applying a water-based poly finish that would be great. I'd like to know before I get started so that I wont have to sand it down and start all over with "plan b".

 

[Cagey]

My understanding is that it's difficult to get a poly finish over the oily woods (Rosewood, Cocobolo, Purpleheart, etc.) to cure properly no matter what you do. What the guys on the turning/cabinet/furniture forums recommend is cleaning the wood with an aggressive solvent such as acetone or denatured alcohol, then quickly applying a 3-4 lbs. cut of shellac as a barrier coat. Couple more coats of that for insurance, then a hard varnish for furniture or things that will be handled a lot, or lacquer for things that won't. Since we're talking a guitar here, I'd want to use some grain filler between at least one of those coats of shellac, then finally lacquer would be the better choice if you want a fine finish.

I think I've seen poly finishes from Warmoth on those woods, but I'm pretty sure they use a catalyzed urethane, which isn't really a good option for most DIY folks. It doesn't flash off as quickly as lacquer (or at all, really), so it's very important to have a clean booth to shoot it because the part needs to rest where it won't be contaminated for at least 15 or 20 minutes. After that, it can be stored hung for a couple weeks to cure thoroughly. It's also toxic as hell, so a good respirator and high-quality filtered ventilation is necessary. It's also tougher to work the stuff once it's cured, which means the initial shoot needs to be very good so it doesn't need to be worked. On the plus side, it looks fantastic and can take a lot more abuse than most finishes while still looking good.

 

[amigarobbo]

Rickenbacker Fretboards have been Indian rosewood* for sometime, I'm not aware of any thing special they do for the rosewood compared to the maple of the rest of the body.

:dontknow:

I tru-oiled Bubinga and that finish went on as well as it did on ash and Maple.


*as far as I know.

 

[Logrinn]

I'm just speculating here and thinking about my experience with rosewood on necks ...

Wouldn't the risk of it drying and cracking be far greater if you hanged it on a wall and didn't touch it for, say, 20 years? And if you played the guitar somewhat regularly you would get oil in the wood from your hands just by handling it. Meaning that the risk of anything happening for maaaaany years is pretty small?  :dontknow:

 

[Cagey]

Rickenbacker Fretboards have been Indian rosewood* for sometime [...]

Actually, Rickenbacker generally uses Bubinga, but that's of the Dalbergia genus so it's technically Rosewood as are Tulipwood, Kingwood, Cocobolo, and many others.

 

[amigarobbo]

Rickenbacker Fretboards have been Indian rosewood* for sometime [...]

Actually, Rickenbacker generally uses Bubinga, but that's of the Dalbergia genus so it's technically Rosewood as are Tulipwood, Kingwood, Cocobolo, and many others.

I believe they've used "Caribbean rosewood" since late 2011, the fretboard on my new 620/12 certainly looks different, darker, more brown less red, than my 1980 4001.

http://www.rickenbacker.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=5&t=14915

Not that it really matters, I was just humblebraging about getting a Rickenbacker 620/12.

 

[audiophilosophy]

Thanks, everyone, for responding. I found success with 2 generous coats of Bullseye brand spray-on Shellac (which is the only de-waxed Shellac for sale at the big box hardware stores). Then I added 2 coats of oil-based polyurethane with a foam brush. A note to anyone planning to do something similar: be cautious of dust/tiny hairs in the air while it's drying. It can be a real problem. I think if I ever do this again, I might construct a tiny fort with a plastic painters tarp covering it to do the finishing. And maybe leave a hepa air purifier in running on high in there for a few hours before doing the job. Dust is the enemy of a good finish!

 

[BigSteve22]

if I ever do this again, I might construct a tiny fort with a plastic painters tarp covering it to do the finishing........

That works for a small job. I use a similar idea for finishing necks.

See attached Rube Goldberg set up!