Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

[Mr 9finger]

I used the Reranch stuff on my Warmoth build awhile ago. I'll never use it again. I spend more time cleaning hand gunk off of it than I do playing it. It is near impossible to keep clean. I'm OCD about washing my hands, and always wash up before I pick up my guitars, especially this one. I've got really acidic sweat and I go through strings really quick. I'm beginning to wonder if the acid in my hand sweat isn't reacting with something in the nitro causing it to goop up.

I'm almost to the point of stripping it off and using an oil finish on it.

 

[Ball&Chain]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

I have a painted satin finish on the neck of my mk patriot. I dont have any dirt/gunk issues at all. The only issue I have is that technically the satin finish is no longer satin. My hand has buffed it to a shine.

 

[ErikH]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

Strip it down and wipe on about 3-4 thin coats of Min-Wax Poly Satin on it. Use some 0000 steel wool between coats to knock off any burrs. I did that on a neck of mine and it's baby butt smooth. No issues with it gooping up.

 

[StratFreak]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

I used the Reranch stuff on my Warmoth build awhile ago. I'll never use it again. I spend more time cleaning hand gunk off of it than I do playing it. It is near impossible to keep clean. I'm OCD about washing my hands, and always wash up before I pick up my guitars, especially this one. I've got really acidic sweat and I go through strings really quick. I'm beginning to wonder if the acid in my hand sweat isn't reacting with something in the nitro causing it to goop up.

I'm almost to the point of stripping it off and using an oil finish on it.

I hope you find a solution to it ! But i'm seriously OCD about guitars and handwashing too ! I'll never pick it up if my hands aren't washed+dried.

 

[Vasshu the humanoid typhoon]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

Sounds like you need to check you diet instead??
Acid sweat is sign of something wrong in the food!
Anyways the nitro may not have hardned correctly?!

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

Yeah, something didn't take, Gibson's been finishing necks in nitro forever, and I refinished a Charvel neck with nitro, no problem.

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

Sounds like you need to check you diet instead??
Acid sweat is sign of something wrong in the food!
Anyways the nitro may not have hardned correctly?!

I've always had pretty gnarly sweat. I did wonder if it wasn't the Reranch nitro. I had to use 2 separate cans. The body is also done in satin nitro and doesn't have the problem. Maybe just got a bad can. I'll strip it down and try again.

 

[King IzzO)))]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

Bummer.

 

[JeffB]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

My relic strat partscaster was done in reranch nitro..satin vintage tint neck. I did not do the spray job but it was an amazingly fast smooth finish. Never had an issue. Sounds to me like a curing problem...which will def cause a nitro neck to get sticky/gunky.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

Yeah, you have to give nitro plenty of time to cure or it will do exactly as you've described. Keep in mind that high humidity or low temperature will increase cure time.

In any case, I am never one to say no to a good oil finish on a neck, so if that's what you want, go for it.

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

I used the Reranch stuff on my Warmoth build awhile ago. I'll never use it again. I spend more time cleaning hand gunk off of it than I do playing it. It is near impossible to keep clean. I'm OCD about washing my hands, and always wash up before I pick up my guitars, especially this one. I've got really acidic sweat and I go through strings really quick. I'm beginning to wonder if the acid in my hand sweat isn't reacting with something in the nitro causing it to goop up.

I'm almost to the point of stripping it off and using an oil finish on it.

Another fastidious hand washer here too.

The nitro didn't harden all the way. Rattle can nitro usually takes months to harden. Pro paint jobs use additional additives to achieve a mirror-like hardened finish. These additives are not present in rattle cans. The most important additive is a hardener and retarder called cellosolve.

When I finished my last project which was a combination of ReRanch and Ohio Valley Nitro rattle cans, I made sure to go and buy some Behlen's Qualalaqc, put in in a Preval sprayer and spray it on top of the already dried nitro lacquer. The finish hardened rapidly after drying and was good to go after about a week or so of re-curing (the qualalaqc re-amalgamated the lacquer). The side benefit is a SHINE and sheen that needs VERY little buffing and polishing with the main benefit of being hard as a rock.

It's main purpose and use is to prevent blush, but it also is a mad awesome hardener.

Although with the ph of your sweat being what it is... maybe a poly finish wouldn't be a bad idea? But if you have properly cured nitro lacquered guitars and your sweat poses no problems there, then I'd just go with the Qualalaqc spray and you're good to go.

EVERYBODY who sprays with rattle nitro should have a can of Behlen's Qualalaqc handy IMHO.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

1. Nitrocellulose takes a long time to harden.
2. You're in Indiana. Isn't it rather humid there this time of year?
3. Rattle cans will never apply an ideal finish.
4. Necks are harder to finish than bodies, especially when using a rattle can.

So it sounds like you are rubbing gnarly sweat (which some people have) all over a neck that was not painted under ideal conditions, and which has not properly hardened. I would expect problems. I'd strip it and do it over...or just let it sit and come back to it.

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

I painted this neck this time last year lol. Not just last week. I also let it hang for almost 9 weeks before I even assembled the guitar. It's still entirely possible it didn't cure right, but it's had ample time to dry out. I don't keep it in a case. It hangs in the open air on my wall.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

I painted this neck this time last year lol. Not just last week. I also let it hang for almost 9 weeks before I even assembled the guitar. It's still entirely possible it didn't cure right, but it's had ample time to dry out. I don't keep it in a case. It hangs in the open air on my wall.

I'd say there was some sort of problem with the application. I would strip it and take it to a pro. Neck refins are not that expensive compared to bodies. There should be nothing wrong with satin nitro if it is applied in the right conditions. On fact, it's the only kind of nitro that Warmoth uses.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

2 cans?!

You used too much for starters...

Also, nitro needs LONG cure time and they often get sticky but it always passes...

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

I'm tellin' ya... get a can of Blush Eraser (Butyl Cellosolve like Behlen's Qualalaqc). Clean the **** out of the neck with naptha and then spray the blush eraser. Let it cure for a week or so and voila, you should have a much harder finish that holds up to much more than it used to.

I would not steer you wrong.

 

[Mr 9finger]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

2 cans?!

You used too much for starters...

Also, nitro needs LONG cure time and they often get sticky but it always passes...

I didn't use 2 cans on the neck bro LOL! I used a whole can on the body, and maybe 1/4 of a can on the neck. Surprisingly though, the finish on the body isn't that thick even with using a whole can.

I'm tellin' ya... get a can of Blush Eraser (Butyl Cellosolve like Behlen's Qualalaqc). Clean the **** out of the neck with naptha and then spray the blush eraser. Let it cure for a week or so and voila, you should have a much harder finish that holds up to much more than it used to.

I would not steer you wrong.

I'm going to give it another whirl from scratch using a new can of nitro and this stuff you're talking about. Gotta wait a little while though until fall sets in. It's far too humid right now to even think about spraying nitro.

 

[zenmindbeginner]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

I can run through a can of nitro when shooting outdoors just trying to get the right angle and whatnot... a lot of the rattle can goes into the atmosphere (if your outdoors) because they just aren't as accurate as pro set-ups and to get a good looking finish sometimes, a 3rd of the the can doesn't even get on the guitar.

Oh and the blush eraser removes moisture from the finish... that's what it does.

Butyl cellosolve re-amalgamates the finish allowing the trapped moisture to free itself from under or within the finish... from 1PM to 5Pm is the sweet spot for shooting nitro outdoors in the Summertime as far as humidity goes. Just spraying the Blush Eraser will harden, smoothen and make the nitro that you've got on there really shiny.

Pro guys use retarders in their nitro... it's the basic difference between a pro job and an amateur one. Please spray it outdoors though because it is dangerous as hell to you and your family.

 

[the guy who invented fire]

Re: Satin Nitro on a neck....NEVER AGAIN!

I didn't use 2 cans on the neck bro LOL! I used a whole can on the body, and maybe 1/4 of a can on the neck. Surprisingly though, the finish on the body isn't that thick even with using a whole can.

Thank God...I was worried for a bit!