Tru Oil on unfinished Roasted Maple Neck

[johnnyj]

Hi guys,

i just received my second warmoth build parts. I ordered an unfinished RM neck with RM fretboard and plan to finish it with some few doeses of tru oil. My goal is to make the wood details pop out a bit more with higher contrast and that ideally i would archieve a slightly smooth "oily" feel at the neck. even after spending two nights in reading myself into this topic i still feel not informed enough to start. so i would be very much interested in your opionion on my open questions:

1. will TO alone be sufficiant to reach my goal or do i also need wax for this afterwards as well?

2. i dont want to have a thick layer of the finish on it and remain the woody character. in this case, how much layers of tru oil would you recommend?

3. when do you need to sand down the neck? is this at all needed if you would just apply 2 or 3 times? will the improved dramatic look come because of the sanding or because the oil is getting into the pores?

4. after finishing with TO, can you still apply care products such as lemon oil? if no, what would you recommend as the usual cleaning ritual?

5. some people report that their finishing went wrong and the neck becomes sticky after TO. any recommendations how to prevent this? and if it works out perfectly, would you say that TO can make the feel more smooth compared to unfinished?

6. any concerns of finishing the fretboard aswell with TO?

7. would you also oil the neck joint part of the neck (the part that is pressed against the body) or will this affect the joint negatively?

thanks and best
johnny

 

[stratamania]

Use thin coats of tru-oil till you get the result you are looking for. Gunstock wax is optional.

If needed between coats a quick once over with some 600 grit is usually enough to get rid of any witness lines. But make sure it is left to dry for long enough.

You will start to get a dramatic look, usually after the first application. No concerns using it on a maple board, but apply it thinly to avoid it pooling near the frets.

I usually avoid the bottom of the heel, or at least part of the section that is hidden in the pocket.

For cleaning, Murphy oil soap or similar is a good choice. But you should not need to do that too often.

And in case I did not mention it, use thin coats.

 

[johnnyj]

thanks for the insights, i just started with the first coat today. curious how it turns out. if i am happy with the witness lines (or their absence), do i still need to walk over it with the 600 before getting the second coat?

 

[Spud]

thanks for the insights, i just started with the first coat today. curious how it turns out. if i am happy with the witness lines (or their absence), do i still need to walk over it with the 600 before getting the second coat?

I do not use Tru oil on necks, but I would let it dry and lightly give it a once over with 600 before another coat. If you don't you may end up with irregularities after the next coat.

 

[stratamania]

thanks for the insights, i just started with the first coat today. curious how it turns out. if i am happy with the witness lines (or their absence), do i still need to walk over it with the 600 before getting the second coat?

It depends, when it gets closer to the final result you might use finer grits from say 800 - 1000, but there is also a certain art within a craft where you have to make some judgements as you go.

 

[johnnyj]

okay, i finally went with two coats without walking over it with a grit, i like the result very much. will soon post some pics here. thanks for the recommendations.

 

[Strat Avenger]

You're going to need about 10 coats of the Tru-Oil as it goes on very thin, lightly "scuffing" it with super fine steel wool after every two coats. It literally feels like bare, unfinished wood when dry. Rubbing on some gun stock wax after the last coat dries makes it feel even smoother and more slippery. Tru-Oil is not sticky at all (like nitro lacquer).

 

[johnnyj]

thanks for your comment street, i posted my final experience here:

Finished my Shred Velocity

hi folks, just finished my new velocity build which i created as a reminiscence to my old cane superstrat from the 90s. the build is a roasted maple neck with 24 frets paired with a black korina body and a flamed top. for the neck i chose the 3a option. i oiled the neck with just two coats of...

unofficialwarmoth.com

 

[stratamania]

Just as a footnote.

How many coats and technique that are used can vary depending on the look you are going for. And what wood you are using it on. Roasted Maple does not require a finish, so in this case the aesthetic need was met in two coats. On other woods such as untreated maple you may very well need around 10 coats (though I prefer fine abrasives to steel wool on guitars).

 

[mookyshoots]

This is just six light coats of Tru-Oil (a light bit of 3M pad between coats) plus a coat of of their wax and have been playing it for nearly three years now. Still looks like the day I bolted it together.

 

[Dero08]

i just received my second warmoth build parts. I ordered an unfinished RM neck with RM fretboard and plan to finish it with some few doeses of tru oil. My goal is to make the wood details pop out a bit more with higher contrast and that ideally i would archieve a slightly smooth "oily" feel at the neck. even after spending two nights in reading myself into this topic i still feel not informed enough to start. so i would be very much interested in your opionion on my open questions:

good evening everyone! I have done three Warmoth necks with Tru Oil … I used the same process for all three, and they all turned out great:

1. sanded up to 400 grit, cleaned off sawdust
2. applied a thin coat of Tru Oil with cloth, sanded with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper using TO as lubricant, then wiped another light coat immediately after sanding. I progressed down the neck small sections at a time. I lightly wiped off excess oil with a shop towel as I moved down.
3. once dry (6-12 hrs) scuffed with fine synthetic sanding pad (grey colored 3M) … repeat steps 2 & 3
4. keep progressing with the following grits, two coats each: 800, 1500, 2000, 3000, 4000. I occasionally burnished with an old tee shirt between coats.
5. Finished with a light coat of Casey‘s Gunstock wax.

I used this process on Goncalo Alves, Wenge, and roasted flamed maple.

https://flic.kr/p/2o9rAdL

https://flic.kr/p/2o9sTNx

Best Wishes!
regards,
Nate

 

[Dero08]

This is just six light coats of Tru-Oil (a light bit of 3M pad between coats) plus a coat of of their wax and have been playing it for nearly three years now. Still looks like the day I bolted it together.

That neck looks so nice!

 

[ragamuffin]

good evening everyone! I have done three Warmoth necks with Tru Oil … I used the same process for all three, and they all turned out great:

1. sanded up to 400 grit, cleaned off sawdust
2. applied a thin coat of Tru Oil with cloth, sanded with 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper using TO as lubricant, then wiped another light coat immediately after sanding. I progressed down the neck small sections at a time. I lightly wiped off excess oil with a shop towel as I moved down.
3. once dry (6-12 hrs) scuffed with fine synthetic sanding pad (grey colored 3M) … repeat steps 2 & 3
4. keep progressing with the following grits, two coats each: 800, 1500, 2000, 3000, 4000. I occasionally burnished with an old tee shirt between coats.
5. Finished with a light coat of Casey‘s Gunstock wax.

I used this process on Goncalo Alves, Wenge, and roasted flamed maple.

https://flic.kr/p/2o9rAdL

https://flic.kr/p/2o9sTNx

Best Wishes!
regards,
Nate

Those look killer!