Painting a Neck?

[conradgrimmer]

If I were theoretically to order a neck from Warmoth how would I theoretically paint the neck, say black? By this I'm implying the headstock and the back of the neck. I have some ideas on how to protect the fingerboard, but I'm not 100%. Suggestions?

 

[nexrex]

OK theoretically  :icon_tongue: , if the finger board is ebony or rosewood that you don't need to put a finish on it. Just a bit of lemon oil does the trick. Maple fingerboards always have finish applied which is usually nitrocellulose or polyurethane.

 

[conradgrimmer]

Thanks for that tip, but what I meant was painting the back of the neck the way that Gibson does with some guitars.

 

[CtheHammer]

I'll kind of echo the OP's post and add some clarification with what I think may be a similarly intentioned question:  the neck I have is maple with a rosewood fingerboard and I'm finishing it with lacquer; for masking the fingerboard is it better to mask everything that is rosewood like I did when I dyed the maple or mask just the top of the fingerboard/frets and let the lacquer cover everything up to where the face of the neck starts?  I would like to avoid a tactile line where lacquer ends and rosewood begins, I'm just not sure if masking the face of the fretboard would best avoid that or if I should mask all the rosewood and then just, very carefully, sand smooth the lacquer to meet the rosewood after removing the tape.  Any thoughts or opinions on how this would best be accomplished?

(conradgrimmer, I apologize if this is not along the same lines as what you are trying to find out, if so please let me know and I'll delete this post and start a separate thread)

 

[conradgrimmer]

Hey CtheHammer what you're looking for is almost exactly what I'm finding out how to do. Any help?

 

[swarfrat]

how do you plan to kill the edge of the paint? I'd think you'd almost need binding on the neck, applied after the paint job - or else you'll have a naked paint edge that might be prone to chip. But I'm just thinking - haven't done this before.

 

[CtheHammer]

I very carefully taped off the face of the fingerboard, allowing the finish to hit the sides of the fretboard but not the functional playing surface.  We'll see how this turns out...

 

[AGWAN]

how do you plan to kill the edge of the paint? I'd think you'd almost need binding on the neck, applied after the paint job - or else you'll have a naked paint edge that might be prone to chip. But I'm just thinking - haven't done this before.

I've taken care of that edge on bikes and furniture.

the trick?

be ready to sand.
lots.
and accept that even if you get the color coats to have a near seamless edge. the clear will always leave a bit of an edge. even after you sand it.

 

[Cagey]

I very carefully taped off the face of the fingerboard, allowing the finish to hit the sides of the fretboard but not the functional playing surface.  We'll see how this turns out...

I have three necks here, two maple and one koa, all with ebony 'boards, none of them with binding. In all cases, they're finished the way you describe - tape off the playing surface, and finish the neck and sides of the fretboard. Works great. No chipping, no uneven wear, not even obvious it's been done that way. It just feels nice and smooth all the way around.

 

[pabloman]

I would tape off the sides of the fingerboard for your color so that the side dots and what not would be visible. Then finish the clear to the edge of the fretboard. That is If you are using a 2 stage process.