newb learning to modify a squier neck

[slowist]

I've got CBS squier strat neck with a rosewood fretboard. I don't like the CBS necks, squier decals or rosewood fretboards, so I've been looking to learn how to print out/use a headstock template to sand the neck down to a classic look, and make a custom decal. For the fretboard I'm gonna lightly sand the fretboard, use mineral spirits, and stain the fretboard with a minwax ebony stain marked I found on amazon. Since I'm planning on doing so much to the neck already, I'm also thinking about giving the whole neck a light sanding afterwards as well, and applying some kind of brownish wood stain, furniture polish or shoe polish as I've seen it done before on youtube, wondering If anyone has any applicable advice for the project ahead

 

[line6man]

Don't use stains. Buy a bottle of Fiebing's leather dye, instead. StewMac sells it, but you can get it locally, or even from Amazon, for a few dollars.

Edit: Apparently StewMac sells India ink now, instead of leather dye. Here's what you want. https://www.amazon.com/Fiebings-Leather-Dye-Black-4oz/dp/B000HHM20M/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1468127987&sr=8-2&keywords=fiebings+leather+dye

 

[Cagey]

Even minor changes to the headstock shape using sandpaper will take a month of Sundays. You may want to consider getting some rasps (slow, but much faster than sandpaper), or create a template from MDF and route the shape you want (best way) with a pattern follower bit.

 

[slowist]

I've heard of leather dye before, but figured a stain pen would be more appropriate based on hearing people use it before (then again I've seen a guy use a black sharpie to ebonize his fretboard, and that sounds like a horrible idea even to me) I'll definitely order buy it,how should I apply the leather dye though? and should I go ahead with the mineral spirits? As for the rasps, that's probably the route i'll go, never thought about doing that before, It was either sand paper, or look around for someone with access to a sander, but the rasps seem like the best option

 

[line6man]

how should I apply the leather dye though?

It doesn't really matter how you do it, as long as you remember to wipe off the excess.

It's probably easiest to just use the brush that comes inside of the container.

 

[slowist]

I planned on using brown wood stain on the neck to give it a sort of vintage tint, any suggestions for something to use instead?

 

[Cagey]

Staining Maple can be a real pain in the shorts to get good results with. It quite often comes out blotchy and unattractive. Usually, for necks, if you want any kind of coloration you tint some clear and shoot that. For "vintage" tint I think it's mainly a couple drips of yellow with maybe a wet toothpick's worth of red into a pint or so of clear.

Once you've got the neck stripped, get some similar color wood to experiment with for color checks before you shoot the thing. Raw Pine is usually pretty close in color to raw Maple, so a new hunk of 1x2 or 2x4 will get you where you need to be.

 

[line6man]

Yeah, don't try to put brown stain on a neck. That's not going to turn out well. Vintage tint is almost always done by mixing some yellow/orange in the nitro/poly.

 

[slowist]

I had a feeling staining maple would be a bad idea, heard stories of people trying to ebonize maple. I've got another neck lying around that has a very yellow tint, very glossy, but I gave up on it because when I drilled the screw holes in the heel they were off by a little and so the neck sat a bit crooked in the pocket, maybe I should go back to that neck? although I don't know how to make dowels, and I don't have a drill to make new holes.

 

[line6man]

I had a feeling staining maple would be a bad idea, heard stories of people trying to ebonize maple. I've got another neck lying around that has a very yellow tint, very glossy, but I gave up on it because when I drilled the screw holes in the heel they were off by a little and so the neck sat a bit crooked in the pocket, maybe I should go back to that neck? although I don't know how to make dowels, and I don't have a drill to make new holes.

DON'T use dowels. You need wood plugs. With a typical dowel, the screws would be going in, parallel to the end grain. Plugs are cut so that the screws can enter perpendicular to the end grain.

 

[slowist]

I had a feeling staining maple would be a bad idea, heard stories of people trying to ebonize maple. I've got another neck lying around that has a very yellow tint, very glossy, but I gave up on it because when I drilled the screw holes in the heel they were off by a little and so the neck sat a bit crooked in the pocket, maybe I should go back to that neck? although I don't know how to make dowels, and I don't have a drill to make new holes.

DON'T use dowels. You need wood plugs. With a typical dowel, the screws would be going in, parallel to the end grain. Plugs are cut so that the screws can enter perpendicular to the end grain.

wow thanks, I'll go to the hardware store as soon as I can and look for some wood plugs instead. I also remember I had trouble with fret buzz all over the neck when I first put it on, I don't know if that's still going to be a problem but I'm going to wait until I actually go to put it on.