Finishing roasted maple headstock with decal: best (easy?) method

Buzzgrowl

Newbie
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Dear all Warmoth DIY-ers,

Happy to join and will be soon receiving a rosewood on roasted maple strat neck for my Jimi inspired partscaster.

I have one question: I will be adding a (non-Fender) decal (water slide) to the headstock so:

- what is the order and process? (e.g. do I finish under the decal and how much?)
- what are the best or easiest finishes?

Any advice is very very welcome - many thanks in advance!

Cheers, - Buzzgrowl
 
What I've done is put 3 layers of try oil.  Lay on the decal.  Bury it under 10 layers of try oil.  Done.  Over the years I've come to like the head stocks plain.  If I put a personal marker it'll go on the neck plate or the truss rod cover.
 
Often decal suppliers will provide instructions with their decals. Not all decals are compatible with different finishes.
 
My method is similar to Rick2's, except I cut my decals out of vinyl using my little Cricut machine.  A couple of layers of lacquer, then the decal, then bury the sonofagun in a lot more lacquer, sand back a bit, then bury it again, and keep going until it's as smooth as I want it to be.

I imagine a waterslide decal will use far less finish since it's not as thick as the Cricut vinyl.
 
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