A Question About the Sealer on Warmoth Necks...

[SabbathFan0220]

I tried posting this in the Unofficial Warmoth forum, but haven't gotten many responses...

Warmoth dips all of their necks in some kind of sealer before shipping them out (info at the bottom of this page). I have a Warmoth Indian RW neck (back and fingerboard) and I did a little sanding/shaping to the headstock that revealed the "unsealed" wood underneath. I'd like to re-apply some of the same sealer that they use at the factory to the area...anyone know what it is?

I'm aware that it probably isn't essential to have the sealer on there but I'm compulsive about these details. The sanded area looks different than the rest of the neck now and I'd like to match it, if possible.

Also, a related question, what sandpaper grit are the raw necks sanded to? It feels like 300 or 400ish.

I emailed Warmoth with the question but they won't share their secrets. I appreciate the help, guys.

[SabbathFan0220]

Re: A Question About the Sealer on Warmoth Necks...

No guesses?

[ImmortalSix]

Re: A Question About the Sealer on Warmoth Necks...

Based on what they stated in their bottom-of-the-page disclaimer, I would venture a WAG that they are using danish oil or linseed oil or, at best, Tru-Oil.

Let me reiterate, this is a WAG.

Oils, while GREAT temporarily, are organic in nature, and thus undergo natural breakdown and require occasional re-application.

Some oils form a hard shell, but that shell is temporary, and will break down regularly.

If you decide to linseed, danish, or Tru your neck, please be advised; you must reapply regularly. Your play time per day / week / month determines your interval. You'll know. Just be up on the fact that an oiled neck is like a car with oil changes - no sweat if you stay up on it, catastrophic failure if you fool yourself into believing "naw, it's fine."

[SabbathFan0220]

Re: A Question About the Sealer on Warmoth Necks...

Thanks, I6. I don't mind if the oil wears off in this case. I'm just looking to "blend" the sanded area with the rest of the neck. I know Tru Oil will leave a hard shell...but that's not ideal here.

HERE is the thread I started at Unofficial Warmoth, in case anyone is curious.

[SabbathFan0220]

Re: A Question About the Sealer on Warmoth Necks...

Someone at UW suggested paraffin oil, does that sound reasonable? I've never used it.

[Redmist]

Re: A Question About the Sealer on Warmoth Necks...

I wouldn't use paraffin oil dude, stinks and is far too thin. Will evaporate rather than cure.

Danish oil actually contains varnish, the oil word is incorrect.

Linseed stinks somewhat too, and if you use it, be sure to use the boiled variety or it will take too long to cure otherwise.

My choice is well applied pure tung oil, applied in seperate coats gradually getting more concentrated for the last coat. Will last for a few years at a time this way. Looks great, feels even better, and smells pleasant.

At a push, you could use pure lemon oil. Pure, mind, not the crap scented mineral stuff. You can buy it online easy enough, Robin Sorby is a good brand.

Paper grade is a lottery, depending on the wood being sanded.
A 400 grit will leave a very hardwood quite smooth, but leave a softer wood quite rough, so experimentation with your neck will be required.

[orpheo]

Re: A Question About the Sealer on Warmoth Necks...

yes, I suggested parafin oil. The stuff warmoth uses is just a very thin sealer. can't recall the name. the longer you play it, the more it rubs off. I can't recall if its oil or not, didn't think so, though.

parafin doesn't smell at all; where do you get that from? besides, the widely used 'lem oil' is just parafin oil with a little lemon aroma to it. nothing special.

warmoth sands their bodies to grit 220, so I assume their necks go to 220 as well. I always finesand up to 1200 if I'm into it :P

parafin works just fine to get the discoloration out of the way. I've done so a TON of times. hell, i've got 17 warmoth necks here :P

but in a few years you'll be aggrivated again, because the rosewood of the shaft and board will discolor in a different way compared to the headstock and each other, because you touch the neck more directly than the board and the headstock, and the board and neck are made of different billets of wood. so it all all color in 3 shades of grey. uhm... wood.

[Redmist]

Re: A Question About the Sealer on Warmoth Necks...

I just realised that Parafin means something different here in the UK..... it's what you in the US call kerosene. Your form of parafin is what we call liquid wax, and is pure mineral oil. The parafin will not cure, just discolour the wood.

At a push, you could use pure lemon oil. Pure, mind, not the crap scented mineral stuff. You can buy it online easy enough, Robin Sorby is a good brand

I really wasn't referring to pretend lemon oil.

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Re: A Question About the Sealer on Warmoth Necks...

When I worked at Warmoth, the dip seal was called "Nelsonite". That's all I remember of it. I only had that question come up maybe once when I worked there.

[ImmortalSix]

Re: A Question About the Sealer on Warmoth Necks...

When I worked at Warmoth, the dip seal was called "Nelsonite". That's all I remember of it. I only had that question come up maybe once when I worked there.

Thanks for sharing that ----

Nelsonite is a great product for wood stabilization that Jim lucie put me onto a few years back, he has been using it forever. It is used by the furniture making industry in Grand Rapids MI, and can best be described as mutant Thompsons Water Seal on steroids. What it does, without pressure treatments or vacuum, is stabilize the wood so that it barely moves again, but does not turn your wood into a piece of plastic. You cannot tell it has been treated, it doesn't darken or change the color at all. The only way you can tell it has been used is if you really know what to sniff for, you can smell it a little when grinding a treated piece, and the end grain will not longer turn black if you apply a light brown stain.

I personally use the stuff on any natural material in my shop. Wood, stag, horn, some folks put their fossil ivory in mineral oil, I drop mine in a sealed jar of Nesonite and leave it there until I need to use it. It will turn white stag and ivory a bit of a translucent honey color, but I like that look.

Where to get it? Darren Ellis carries it, which would make it easier to get it in small quantities for those that don't live near G.R. MI.

NELSONITE
A very popular moisture content stabilizer used by wooden products manufacturers world wide.
What is Nelsonite?
Nelsonite is a highly effective stabilizing agent engineered to combat common problems in the wood products industry. Although nature provided us with a wonderful construction material having outstanding properties of strength, warmth and beauty, wood also has many short comings associated with dimensional instability, workability and uniformity. Nesonite works to correct and prevent these undesirable characteristics.
How does Nelsonite work?
It penetrates deeply into the woods structure and lines the cell walls. It is generally applied with a dipping or spraying operation. Upon curing, it blocks rapid moisture content changes that often result in wood defects such as warp, cracks, shrinkage and swelling.

Why do I need to apply Nelsonite?
All wood products expand and contract based on relative humidity. This causes great stress to develop within the wood fibre. These stresses make themselves known to us in the form of splits and checks, warp, twist and bow. Expansion can cause buckle and jamming problems, doors that won’t fit, shrinkage lines in stained paneled doors, cracked drawer fronts, crooked dimensional products, and broken glue joints are just a few. Nelsonite helps control these problems by retarding the movement of moisture in or out of the wood. This eases the stress differences across the thickness or at the ends of the wood. Control your manufacturing defects both in production and in the field. The formulations below are available in 1, 5, or 55 gallon containers.

[SabbathFan0220]

Re: A Question About the Sealer on Warmoth Necks...

Thanks so much guys, this has been really helpful. I love the SDUGF for my guitar OCD problem solving.

[Bludave]

Re: A Question About the Sealer on Warmoth Necks...

No guesses?

Why not just call Warmoth & ask them?

[SabbathFan0220]

Re: A Question About the Sealer on Warmoth Necks...

Why not just call Warmoth & ask them?

I emailed Warmoth with the question but they won't share their secrets.

I assume they don't want to share "trade secrets." I'm going to try NELSONITE. It sounds like it's probably 15B02 that Warmoth uses on the necks, because I believe it can be stained over.

I read on another forum that Musikraft uses the same stuff.