# "Roasting" a Maple Neck... kinda...



## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

I like the looks of a roasted maple neck, but, neck I'd like to roast is already on a guitar and finished. Even with the poly stripped, obviously oven roasting it will do all sorts of havok of the neck and melt the inlays.

Anyone try stripping a neck to wood and "roasting" it (just the surface) with a torch? or heat gun?

Plan is to strip the poly, faux-roast and tru/danish/tung oil the wood when done.

Anyone done this? Got some pics to show how it turned out?


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## Markus 1 (Feb 1, 2019)

I am watching this thread. I have 2 cheap (free) kit necks (Maple) . But they are already fretboarded and fretted. Paddle headstocks.
I worry that the heat may cause the fretboards to loosen, or worse- that the drying on only one surface may cause bowing


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## knight_yyz (Mar 14, 2015)

You can do it with UV light. The UV will darken the wood and it won't smell your house up. But you will need proper eye protection unless you do it in a box. Youtuber BigD guitars has a video. But keep in mind it takes about a month in the box, (depending on light intensity) it won;t happen in a few hours.


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## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

@Markus 1 I was curious about the paddle ones... I was looking at eBay at a few necks that were roasted with paddle headstocks and thought, once you cut out the shape, that cut edge is going to be way lighter than the rest of the headstock. Not sure how those ones would work.

But yeah... once the fretboard is on, fretted and inlays are in I don't want to stick it in the oven for sure. Torching wouldn't roast it all the way through but might be enough to roast the top layer and quick enough not to affect the glue and such. Paint stripper gun will burn a guitar easy enough, had that when trying to strip one years ago before finding easier methods. But I think it'll need to go much more slowly and may increase the chances for warping.

@knight_yyz I've seen that BigD guy's setup. I wanted to use a UV cure clear coat on some guitars and wanted to make a similar thing with LED UV lights. That UV will make it look aged, but more yellowed than roasted looking. Roasting is more of a browner tint and looks like it brings the grain pattern out a bit more.

Sadly... no spare necks to test on. Guy had 3 for $20, from cheap Walmart guitars on the ad page last week, but 2h away. Sold now I think. Shoulda grabbed them just for testing.


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## Lincoln (Jun 2, 2008)

You really are playing with fire on that one. I use a heat gun to flatten cupped boards. Hate to think what a neck might do if it was heated on one side. Good idea to try it on a test neck first. A heat gun on hi does get hot enough to darken wood btw.


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## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

Lincoln said:


> You really are playing with fire on that one. I use a heat gun to flatten cupped boards. Hate to think what a neck might do if it was heated on one side. Good idea to try it on a test neck first. A heat gun on hi does get hot enough to darken wood btw.


Heat guns will definitely darken wood, and set wood on fire if there long enough. I stripped an old Yamaha RGX my nephew and I found in the trash at the side of the road and I stripped the paint off. It was recommended to try using a heat gun and I did but that sealer was not stripping at all. Had a lot of dark patches, scorch marks, etc... before I finally said forget it. Bought a random orbital sander and used 80-grit which did a much better and faster job. But yes... that wood was definitely much darker when I was done.

That said... I think it vs fire would be harder to control and keep the wood from being blotchy.

Option B I guess would be maybe stain and sand, tint the oil for the first few layers.... brown it that way, but won't bring out the grain as much as roasting.


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## THRobinson (Jun 29, 2014)

Saw this video... using TransTint Vintage Amber stain and oil... looks close to what I'm after...


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## gtrguy (Jul 6, 2006)

THRobinson said:


> @Markus 1 I was curious about the paddle ones... I was looking at eBay at a few necks that were roasted with paddle headstocks and thought, once you cut out the shape, that cut edge is going to be way lighter than the rest of the headstock. Not sure how those ones would work.


Roasted Maple necks are roasted when the wood is uncut blanks, not after the neck is made. The colour goes all the way through so shaping the headstock doesn't reveal lighter areas- there are none.


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