EpiphoneSG77
New member
I have an Ibanez S series with a unfinished maple neck and I would like info on what it would take to make it a gloss finish !!!
Poly could work well. I would just sand between coats working from 1500 grit up to 7000. I would also be tempted to try Tru-Oil on a smoothly sanded neck.
Good-ol' nitrocellulose lacquer is incredibly user friendly (easy to apply evenly, very easy to blend, very tolerant of imperfection, and very repairable), and it's plenty glossy. It doesn't wear as well as newer finishes, but that's about its only drawback. Sherwin Williams make the most traditional (I would argue "best") nitro lacquer out there. It's very pure - not a lot of additives or catalyzers. It dries fast and hard. But you need to thin it and spray it with a gun yourself; there is a bit of a learning curve, as well as an equipment curve. If you want to K.I.S.S. and spray from a can, I'd go with Re-Ranch, even though their spray nozzles suck ass. Deft is cheap, it can be found in almost every local hardware store, and the spray nozzles are excellent. However, it doesn't dry as completely or as quickly as the Sherwin Williams or Re-Ranch lacquers. I might use it on a body if I wanted something quick, cheap, and easy, but definitely not on a neck, as it would take months with good ventilation to lose that slightly tacky feel.
I prefer an unfinished/sanded neck with a very light oil finish. Tung Oil is amazing stuff–a little goes a LONG way!
The Nitro finish is amazing stuff, if you go that route be sure you protect yourself, that stuff is not the best thing for your lungs.
Or your brain (but most spray finishes aren't, soooo...).
FWIW, I second (or third, or fourth, depending on how you're counting) the TruOil and tung oil recommendations. Very easy to do, very easy to fix goofs, and feel fantastic.
Yeah, def not good for your brain either lol
Tru Oil and Tung Oil are awesome stuff!
I'd recommend TruOil. You can buy it at a gunshop for nothing and it's easy to apply. I did it over the summer when a friend was restocking his rifle. It's almost idiot proof (not saying you're an idiot just an expression).
Obviously you don't live in California. State regulations have now made it next to impossible to buy lacquer. Can only order it online.
The same sorts of statements about lacquer being kaput were all over the L.A. guitar shops in the '90's. It was pretty much universally believed that lacquer was a mythic, black market sort of thing by that point. Yet if you simply did your legal research and some footwork, and if you walked into a pro paint shop instead of listening to some guy behind the desk in a guitar shop, you could still buy it right off the shelf, not to mention Deft at any hardware store in rattle cans or quarts and gallons. Here we are 25 years after this supposed death of lacquer, and while it is less common now, it's still pretty much the same experience if you want to go buy some: you just call around to find out who carries it, and you go buy some. It's not some big hassle or back-alley thing like many love to make it seem.
And it's still perfectly legal (and easy) to buy and use in CA for these purposes.
The same sorts of statements about lacquer being kaput were all over the L.A. guitar shops in the '90's. It was pretty much universally believed that lacquer was a mythic, black market sort of thing by that point. Yet if you simply did your legal research and some footwork, and if you walked into a pro paint shop instead of listening to some guy behind the desk in a guitar shop, you could still buy it right off the shelf, not to mention Deft at any hardware store in rattle cans or quarts and gallons. Here we are 25 years after this supposed death of lacquer, and while it is less common now, it's still pretty much the same experience if you want to go buy some: you just call around to find out who carries it, and you go buy some. It's not some big hassle or back-alley thing like many love to make it seem.
We can blame these laws all we want, but the main reason lacquer has died off is about demand. The material has simply lost popularity in manufacturing, so it is less common to find in stock now. The use had dropped off long before these laws were even conceived. But it is still in demand in certain niches because of its traditionalism and ease of use (antique furniture restoration or reproduction for the most part). It's one of the best choices for low-volume at-home finishing, or in a low-volume shop, because it is a very workable and forgiving material. And it's still perfectly legal (and easy) to buy and use in CA for these purposes.
You make some interesting assumptions and insinuations.....
What makes you think I got my info from "some guy behind the desk in a guitar shop"? Actually, I have never talked to such a person regarding this.
I'm not talking about 25 year old laws or rumors in LA, I'm referring to recent legislation in the past year or so.
I have done my research. It seems that the Calif. Air Resourses Board has determined that the previous exemption for small businesses (Rule 1171) to purchase lacquer coating products would still allow them to purchase large amounts from shopping multiple sources. The lacquer thinners/solvents, however, are still available.
And I have done my footwork...yes, even to Sherwin Williams and OSH. SW is not buying it anymore due to the regulations. They used to keep a supply in stock, but checking all of the SW stores in the Sacramento area confirms that they are all out and will not buy any more. OSH, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. have been completely out of stock for quite awhile with no plans to buy any more. Even on-line sellers have decided not to ship to Calif due to the possibility that someone may purchase in bulk. However, there are still many on-line businesses that sell to Calif buyers in small quantities (eg: StewMac).
I'm glad that you seem to have a source for all the lacquer you want down in LA.
Your comments made some assumptions and insinuations...
I wasn't talking about any 25 year old laws/regulations. I was referring to regulations in the past year or so. The Calif Air Resources Board was concerned that even small businesses could get around the quantity regulation exemption (rule 1171) by purchasing small quantities from several suppliers. Lacquer thinner is still freely available, however.
No I didn't get my info from "some guy behind the desk in a guitar shop". I've never even talked to such a person about this.
I actually have done my "footwork", at least in the Northern California/Sacramento area. All of the Sherwin Williams stores stopped buying lacquer earlier this year and have recently (in the past few months) sold out of their stock on hand. OSH, Home Depot, Lowes, etc. have been out for a year or so and have no intention to order any more due to the most recent VOC regulations. Many on-line stores will not ship to Calif due to the regs. There are still some, like StewMac, that will ship small quantities to Calif., but the prices have really gone up.
I've had nice results with tru oil
I did not state or imply that you were talking about 25 year old regulations, or that you got your information from some guy behind the counter at a guitar shop. There were no assumption or insinuations made.
I'm not sure what the issues you're having are..
I can order it through my usual Sherwin-Williams (just called to check), and OSH has a full shelf, at least as of three days ago
I also never stated that you are wrong about new regulations. Me exceptions to your initial comments were because they seemed a bit overly dramatic: "Obviously" I don't live in California, and its' "next to impossible" to get the stuff.
I beg your pardon. What the heck does this mean..."Yet if you simply did your legal research and some footwork, and if you walked into a pro paint shop instead of listening to some guy behind the desk in a guitar shop"...?
I told you what my issues are...I can't find a source in the greater Sacramento area, and ALL of the stores tell me the same thing...because of the latest VOS regulations, they have no lacquer in stock and are not about to order any more.
Well, I'm glad that LA seems to be a different state than Northern California and that you readily have it available from several sources. I'm jealous. I certainly wish that were the case here.
Oh give me a break. If you weren't stating that I was wrong about the regulations, what does this mean..."Yet if you simply did your legal research"...?
It IS next to impossible to get it up here. There's no drama in that. It's fact, pure and simple. Do you think I haven't tried to get it?!