vintage tint made my pearl blocks gold.

[thelettereye]

I recently received my Tele bass neck from warmoth.  the craftsmanship is superb!  I got a maple neck and fret-board with pearl block inlays in vintage tint satin nitro.  when i opened the box the frets and pearl blocks were gold (from the finish?)  I was able to remove the gold from the frets with some steel wool.  is it possible to remove the gold from my WHITE inlays to make them white again or do i get gold inlays because of how they do things?

THanx for your help!

Jason

 

[Ddbltrbl]

Was just about to open a similar topic. My stainless frets are GOLD!.
I spent a few minutes after I got my new neck wondering if they sent gold frets by mistake Then I finally figured out that it was due to the vintage tint.  :doh:
Fortunately for me, my inlays are black.
I suspect that most folks buying the vintage tint want a neck that looks like the orginal finish has yellowed.
I bet you could remove it, but it might be a lot of work with a big potential for messing up the finish on the fret board. :dontknow:

 

[line6man]

It's simple color theory. You put transparent yellow/orange over white, and you get yellow/orange. There is no way around this. The idea of vintage tint is to simulate a nitro finish that has yellowed over time. You cannot yellow wood and not also inlay. Even if you could, it would be very odd and unnatural.

 

[AprioriMark]

I totally made a "confused puppy dog" face at this yesterday.  Yes, dye changes the color of whatever's underneath it.

-Mark

 

[thelettereye]

I know the finished changed the color of the blocks... I assumed they would finish the wood then install the frets, nut and inlays so that the finish would not get on them.  my question is how do i safely remove the tinted finish from the inlays.  I have already removed it from the frets using 00 steel wool and i am afraid the wool will scratch the inlays.

 

[line6man]

I know the finished changed the color of the blocks... I assumed they would finish the wood then install the frets, nut and inlays so that the finish would not get on them.  my question is how do i safely remove the tinted finish from the inlays.  I have already removed it from the frets using 00 steel wool and i am afraid the wool will scratch the inlays.

How would you inlay a fretboard after it has been finished?
First off, you would be unable to sand the inlay level with the fretboard, since doing so would scratch up the finish; routing into finished wood would leave the finish vulnerable to chipping; the wood would be exposed to the elements around where the inlays are put in, potentially allowing uneven expansion and contraction rates; dirt may collect around the inlay area, if not perfectly fit to the route, since it cannot be sanded; and doing such a job would complicate the production process unnecessarily.

There is no way to cleanly remove the finish from the inlays. Even if you can succeed in removing the finish without damaging the rest of the fretboard, you will not be able to ensure a smooth, level surface.

 

[AutoBat]

I think if you're determined to have your pearly bits be white you'll need to sand the fretboard and reapply a different finish to it. I'm not sure this would look good overall though.

Finish FAQ section from http://www.warmoth.com/Guitar/Necks/NeckFinish.aspx :
"Note: On maple necks with maple fingerboards the entire neck is finished including the
fingerboard & frets. We do not remove the finish from the frets. This work is part of the set up,
assembly and fret leveling process, and these services are not currently available from
Warmoth Guitar Products, Inc."

Vintage Tint gloss with pearloid stars:

No finish with pearloid stars:

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

It's no secret on maple necks with maple fretboards, they finish the whole thing.

 

[Mor Paul]

It's no secret on maple necks with maple fretboards, they finish the whole thing.

And you unfinish them.