# neck tint



## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

hi-
was wondering what other canadians use to tint necks to achieve the vintage fender amber. i was making a stain using water soluble fabric dye, but as im now using it on my second neck, im thinking it might be too time consuming, and more of a pain then necessary. im not finding a product for this, like a dye or tinted lacquer in canada, and i dont want to start jumping through hoops to get it. was thinking of ordering from stew-mac, but i dunno.
i know there are some guys who do replica builds etc here- anybody have any thoughts?


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Are you spraying with rattle cans?


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## martyb1 (Aug 5, 2007)

Check out this guy
Great shipping rates and customer service.I have some of the ColorFx dyes and they work great.I use them in grain filler,sealer,wipeon poly,everything

 Wood Essence

He has lots of other hard to find finishing supplies like grain filler etc


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

shoretyus, i can go any way really, i own a compressor and gun, but would have to spray in my bathroom with that, also my day job is refurbishing forklifts and things, i do a lot of body and paintwork-i have a paintbooth with blower, big compressors and guns, i could do anything with ease with that setup. have done some cars in there, so i can get good results- rattle cans would also be fine, and for the amount of stuff i want to do, would be best- ive been doing hand applied finishes, because its easy and i can do it at home without fumes and mess. but really, i can adapt to any product, so long as it works and i can get it- really, if i could get some tinted nitro, ive got a couple necks to do, but also im interested in a dye or stain i can use on raw wood, then id finish with tru-oil.

thanks marty- great link! i see they have an amber dye, will check them out, i always figured the internet would come in handy lol.
:food-smiley-004:


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Wasn't sure what your scene was. I haven't sprayed any amber tint yet but I know that you can tint the stuff. I like to tint the sanding sealer. 

I am lucky that I have my own stuff but even luckier that I have a finishing shop in town as well. He's a great source of info too. He also buys paint over runs and mismatched colours by the skid and sells stuff for $10 a gallon. I was looking on the net at grain fillers for walnut and kept coming up with 15 to 20 bux a litre. Ken sold me a litre for $5. He has tons of stain etc. The bummer is that he has gone to a 35% sheen on his lacquer and won't get any higher sheens in. Well he will but I have to buy 20 litre pale for $250. Way too much to my use. I have another source, so that works out. 

Any way I was going to offer my shop but it sounds like you aren't stuck with rattle cans.

Oh and these guys are close to you 
http://www.exotic-woods.com/misc/finishes.aspx


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

geez, i worked for a year a few blocks from the link you showed, all the time looking for finishing solutions. i quit, then you show me that lol - life is funny- thanks shoretyus, im gonna go see them, they are close!


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## RIFF WRATH (Jan 22, 2007)

not on any guitar necks....however I have had good success using Minwax wood stains, in the past, for matching wood colours when refinishing/repairing antiques.....eg: golden oak with a little special walnut, a few trial mixes then spray bomb laquer, my preference being minwax poly eurethane applied by sponge brush.
good luck with your experiments. when you master your concoction you will have to advise.
cheers
RIFF


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## peter benn (Mar 29, 2007)

*Dover rattlecan nitro (Goudey's, Toronto)*

Maybe this amber isn't right...

http://xs.to/xs.php?f=008_RT8.jpg&h=xs218&d=07343


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## Lowtones (Mar 21, 2006)

I know this sounds too easy, but I know guys that have gotten great results by applying brown shoe polish.(paste not liquid) Apply with a rag, let sit for a while and then buff off. Just like waxing a car. More than one application may be necessary to get the tint you want. The finish on the guitar actually absorbs the tint so it doesn't just wipe off.


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## Hamm Guitars (Jan 12, 2007)

Amber/Orange shellac? I've never tried it myself, but I think Bull's Eye has it in a rattle can.


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

peter benn said:


> Maybe this amber isn't right...
> 
> http://xs.to/xs.php?f=008_RT8.jpg&h=xs218&d=07343


Pardon? I have to ask you explain what you mean so I can post.


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

riff, ill bet the minwax stains will produce a good colour, but i wonder how tru-oil will adhere to it- nitro will tho, so an excellently good option if i go with a nitro clear coat, thanks

peter, no your amber is perfect, thats the colour im looking for- which product did you use, and how did you apply it? will check goudys out, thanks, and your guitar pic is still one of my favourites!

Lowtones, ive heard of this, and seen some pics of the results, and although im pretty ghetto, that seems a bit too ghetto for me- it will work and look good, but the wax in it wont allow for proper bonding, eventually it will come off, thanks tho- im looking for a simple yet permanent solution to use on multiple instruments over time- im a one guy one method kinda feller

hamm- i just had a terribly frustrating experience french polishing a neck with the bullseye amber shellac, id get 80% done, then be unable to get the last 20% of the colour to match. so strip and retry. many wasted hours.
i contemplated mixing it in a gun and spraying it, but was so frustrated that i had essentally forbidden myself to work with it again.
it would be a perfect solution tho, as i can use tru-oil over the amber shellac, would sure be a nice feeling neck, and the amber shellac is the perfect colour....other than the colour issue, shellac is the perfect finish, easy to apply, easy to level and polish. i love bieng able to sit and watch a hockey game and at the same time finish a neck.

thanks you guys for your ideas and info, much pondering and phone calling to do- heres a link to the method i last devised with pics-
http://guitarscanada.com/Board/showthread.php?t=7378


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

So, from the replies on here I'm guessing the G&L "gun oil" isn't really? 
I like the look of those yellowed/aged maple necks.
How do you get all these stains through the thick finish that's usually on the wood?

(I know nothing about his stuff, so forgive if that's a stupid question).
You know what marketdroids are like:
"Hand-rubbed gun oil tint -- Hey, that _sounds_ like a good thing"
"But it isn't, and it isn't true"
"So?"


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

devnulljp said:


> So, from the replies on here I'm guessing the G&L "gun oil" isn't really?
> I like the look of those yellowed/aged maple necks.
> How do you get all these stains through the thick finish that's usually on the wood?


You don't. You either stain the wood directly or apply a coloured finish or wait a few years.


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

im not sure what g&l gun oil is- if thats whats on g&l guitars, then likely its a similar product.
but i use tru-oil, an oil finish used for gun stocks- you just rub it in with your fingers, then use steel wool to level it.
it doesnt give much of a tint to the neck. not anywhere close to the old fender amber.
like shoretyus said, you tint the raw wood. so either you start with an unfinished neck, or remove the heavy finish thats on there.


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

What if you layer it? Like I know from my limited experience with Tung Oil, you can apply a coat, dry, sand, coat. dry, sand etc. It gradually darkens. Is a fair amount of work, but the one neck I did looks nice. I hear Tru-oil is quicker drying and easier to work withy.


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## fraser (Feb 24, 2007)

tdu- i didnt know that tung oil darkens the wood- even with 7 or 8 coats of tru-oil, it does darken it to a point, but not much. ill have to get some tung oil and try it- as an oil finish itll likely have a similar feel to the tru-oil (awesome)


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## shoretyus (Jan 6, 2007)

Another thing I have used is what we use to call the "Sauce" 

There are variants of the mix but 

3 parts Turpentine ( not paint thinners)
2 parts Spar varnish 
1 part Boiled Linseed oil 

The other is to reverse the spar for Linseed oil

Mix and let set for 24 hrs. 

Saturate the wood with rag/ brush
Let it sit for a few minutes and wipe off excess

Dry for 24 hrs. 

wetsand with 400 grit or so 
then recoat like above.

A few days of that and you have a nice finish that doesn't need a sprayer and doesn't matter about dust because your are wet sanding in between. 
The linseed and the spar help give a rich colour. 

You can't use lacquer or such over top because of the oils in it.


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