Finishing 3 Guitar Necks

I used Dark Brown Rit Dye to stain the Maple. Then, I sanded off the excess to reveal the hidden figure. For contest, I sanded the fretboards more aggressively. 

To seal in the dye and protect the wood, I rubbed in a generous amount of tung oil.

Dig that figure.

Next, I'll have to workout what my logo will look like.

Back To The Necks

I use decals for the Highline Envirocaster headstocks.

Each neck will receive six coats of tung oil. After the oil has dried a few days, I'll rub the neck with some extra fine synthetic steel wool.

Two Cool Guitar Finishes

This double cutaway features a hand rubbed tung oil finish

This single cutaway features red dye and a water-based acrylic lacquer finish

The necks for both of these guitar projects are finished with hand rubbed tung oil

eGuitar Plan's Daily Diary 12/22/11

Let it snow, let it snow! If you need a little snow to get you into the holiday spirit, come to Colorado. We've got plenty of it. Here's a photo of my backyard shot this morning:

All I have time to do today is to wipe tung oil onto the Highline Envirocaster necks as well as the Highline Legato.

eGuitar Plan's Daily Diary 12/17/11

This is my homemade tung oil applicator. It's made by inserting a folded cloth on to a section of nylon pantyhose. The pantyhose prevents the fibers from the cloth from depositing onto the surface of the guitar as the tung oil is wiped on.

The result is a smooth application of tung oil.

eGuitar Plan's Daily Diary 12/15/11

No pics today, but I did get some work done on a couple of ongoing projects. First, I wiped on the last coats of tung oil onto the Highline Legato. To get the coats as smooth as possible, I made an applicator by inserting a folded, lint-free cloth into a section of material cut from a pair of nylon pantyhose. The nylon prevents the cloth from depositing tiny fibers onto the surface as the oil is applied. Next, I poured a liberal amount of the tung oil directly onto the top of the guitar's body and used the applicator to quickly spread it around the top and sides. Then, I covered the guitar with a large plastic storage container to keep dust away. After 12 hours of dry time, I checked the results and was delighted by the smooth, glass-like shine. Tomorrow, I may repeat the process with one more coat. I'll have to look at the body in the daylight to see if another coat is necessary. Once the top and sides are done, I'll repeat the process on the back.

While the Legato cures, I'll proceed with the Envirocaster necks. So far, I have sanded both to 220 grit and wiped on a protective coat of boiled linseed oil. In the next day or so, I'll install the frets. In the next update, I'll share some progress photos. Stay tuned!

eGuitar Plan's Daily Diary 12/10/11

This morning, I dry sanded the Highline Legato with 400 grit sandpaper and wiped on another coat of tung oil. Tonight, I'll add another coat. If it looks good tomorrow morning, I'll dry sand with P1500 grit and buff it out with some paste wax.

eGuitar Plan's Daily Diary 12/08/11

Right now I have 3 different electric guitar builds underway. The closest one to being finished is a Highline Legato. Check out the progress up to this point:

So far, I have wiped on about 7 coats of tung oil to the body, neck and headstock. Tomorrow, I plan to examine the surface to see if I need to apply any more coats. What I'll be looking for are rough spots where more tung oil may be needed to make the surface smooth and consistent. Once I have achieved a uniform surface sheen, I'll lightly sand the surface with 400 to 600 grit sandpaper to remove any dust specks or lint fibers. Then, I'll wipe it down with another coat of tung oil and cover it with a plastic sheet to keep dust off the surface. Finally, I'll wipe on another coat 12 hours later. Once that last coat has dried, she'll be ready for final assembly.

The other two guitars I'm working on are a pair of Highline Envirocasters. The body blanks are resting on a shelf for the next couple of weeks since they were made by glueing two boards together. Glue adds moisture, therefore it's a good idea to let them sit and dry out before cutting out the body shapes.

While the blanks rest, I'll continue to forge ahead with the necks. The photo below shows my progress so far:

The top neck will be used on a single cut design while the bottom one will find a home on a double cut. Both necks are made from beautiful slabs of Birdseye Maple. The next step will be to make the fretboards. Stay tuned!

Guitar Build Update: Applying Finish To The Envirocaster Part 4; The Neck

Like most guitarists, I am very picky about how the necks of my guitars feel in my fretting hand. I don't like glossy necks as my hand tends to stick when it gets sweaty. The feel I prefer is as if there was no finish at all. Unfortunately, if I were to leave the neck au natural, the wood eventually would suffer from the effects of exposure. 

At the same time, I want to bring out the beauty of the wood I used for both the neck and fretboard. The question is; How do I do this and protect the neck without harming the environment? The answer: tung oil.

Now there are those who might argue that tung oil is hardly eco-friendly since after all, it is an oil. But in truth, it is an oil that comes from pressing a nut from a tung tree. These trees are grown specifically for the purpose, so it's not like they are endangered. Furthermore, if you wipe on the oil rather than spray it on, you won't have to worry about filling the air with over spray.

Before you run out and buy yourself some tung oil, it's important to understand that there are two varieties; pure tung oil and polymerized tung oil. Most common and easiest to find is polymerized tung oil. It is basically pure tung oil with chemical additives that promote faster drying and different levels of sheen. I prefer pure tung oil as it seems to dry just as fast as the polymerized variety. However, if I want a glossy sheen, I'll wipe on a few thick coats of Formby's gloss after the pure tung oil has dried as day or two.

The method I used for the Envirocaster's neck was to wipe on three coats of pure tung oil a couple of hors apart. Then I let it dry over night. Next I wiped on two fairly heavy coats of Formby's gloss about 12 hours apart and let it dry for 12 more hours. Then, I wiped down the back of the neck with 0000 steel wool to get a luxuriously smooth and satiny feel.

In part 5, I will discuss polishing the Envirocaster's water-based lacquer topcoat. However, the body will need to sit and cure for about a week before the next steps can be taken. Until then, I have an idea for a binding jig I may build. Stay tuned!

The Highline Whisky Special Update: It's Getting Close!

After applying numerous coats of gloss tung oil, I rubbed out the finish with 0000 steel wool and followed up with some carnauba paste wax. The result really shows off the body wood's grain and texture while preserving the neck's silky feel. Check it out so far:

The hardware was temporarily installed to make sure everything lined
up as it should.

The next step will be to wind some pickups that will compliment the guitars tonal capability as well as its visual style.

Update: Getting Oiled Up!

I like to add several heavy coats of tung oil in order to achieve a glossy sheen that highlights the grain without filling in the wood's beautiful texture. I HATE the thick, glossy look so many guitars have these days. Instead, I prefer to showcase the beautiful (expensive) hardwoods I use.

Update: Wiring Up The Whisky Special Guitar

The first coat of tung oil.

I used a blank Tele control plate and drilled holes
for the pots and switch.

I use black wire for ground and red for the signal.
The cap is an Orange Drop .047.

Progress On The Highline Prodigy Guitar

Today, I finished sanding the Prodigy's body and neck from 80 grit down to 220 grit. Next, I applied a thin coat of pure tung oil, which highlighted a few nicks and scratches that needed further sanding. After the touch-up sanding was complete, I slathered on a liberal coat of the tung oil and let it soak in for about an hour. Then, I went back and sanded the entire surface of both the body and neck with a couple of 1/4 sheets of 220 grit. This process generated a good amount of oil-soaked dust, which I rubbed into the grain with a cloth and more tung oil.

Since pure tung oil dries hard, it acts like a binder for the sanding dust.  And by rubbing it into the wood, it works perfectly as a grain filler. I'll let the oil/dust layer dry for 24 hours before repeating the process to insure a nice, smooth surface. Then, I'll start applying pure tung oil by itself with a cloth rag until I achieve the light sheen I'm after. Check out the progress so far:

The body after filling the grain with tung oil/sanding dust. 

The neck heel was sanded to match the body's contour.

I use threaded inserts to bolt the neck in with machine screws rather than bolt it on with wood screws.

I'm going to use a nice slab of Cocobolo for the fretboard.