# Neck finishing, amber dye and Tru-Oil



## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

I decided I would have a go at finishing a couple of my own project builds, just the necks in this case. I ordered two, one mahogany and one maple with a bit of birdseye figuring in it. 

I'm going with Tru-Oil and the mahogany is taking it very well, I'm six coats in and I may stop to let it cure for a few days. I'll polish and call it done, before and after pictures to follow in a week or two. The second is proving slightly more challenging, decisions and application wise. I'd like to tint it and I have some amber dye. I did a little testing and I'm leaning towards the darker finishes. Left to right bottom picture, Tru-Oil with dye directly mixed, dye mixed with methyl hydrate and then Tru-Oil, six drops of amber tint in methyl hydrate (applied way too wet and hastily, my bad) and three drops of amber in methyl hydrate. I'm liking the chocolaty finishes but mixing the dye with oil isn't ideal as it never fully blends and had it settle and clump when left sitting for anything beyond the first application. Just the dye with alcohol is way too yellow and seems a bit riskier plus having the grain possibly rise during application is just another pain, the Tru-Oil goes on so nice and easy.

Thoughts?


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## nnieman (Jun 19, 2013)

I would dye/ stain and then tru oil over top.

Easier to get consistent results.

My go-to amber tint is orange shellac.
I buy flakes from Lee valley, dissolved into 99% isopropanol from rexal.

Nathan


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

I picked my two favourites from the last test run and did another test piece, hastily in between mothers day stuff going on yesterday. Tru-Oil mixed with dye and methyl hydrate and Tru-Oil directly with dye. The alcohol mixture started off looking a little too yellowish at first but turned darker as more coats were applied. I was digging the oil and dye at first but I don't think its dark enough. I'm going to do another test piece and up the dye per millilitres of oil.

What do you guys think?

















I think the sun is hitting the one side of the test piece a little hard in the above picture.


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## nnieman (Jun 19, 2013)

They both look pretty great.

Love the Birdseye on the neck too!

Nathan


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## John Reilly (Apr 7, 2018)

The top one really shows off the birds eye , i like that one !


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

On my neck I used Honeytone Amber water based aniline dye (Lee Valley) and then tru oil. It is a bit more on the brown side and came out really nice. On the pic with the neck where you went with your 2 favourites, I don't think you can go wrong either way. Both look nice and will richen up with the oil.


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

it’s been busy last few days so I haven’t had a chance to do another test run and after sleeping on it I really like the two version I’ve arrived at, as long as the yellows in the neck don’t clash with the yellows in the body


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

I think I got it figured out, ..here is a test run with 10 millilitres of oil, 6 drops of dye and one millilitre of methyl hydrate to help everything mix nicely. This is six quick coats with a quick pass of steel wool in the middle. I like the darker brown, wondering if I should darken it up even more, the fretboard is rosewood and the body is butterscotch and I don't want it to clash, mostly with the body.


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## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

looks great!


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## EchoWD40 (Mar 16, 2007)

you should try tung oil.


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## RBlakeney (Mar 12, 2017)

Tongue oil


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

TDeneka said:


> you should try tung oil.


not opposed to it, it’s been suggested to me elsewhere. maybe on the next build


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## vadsy (Dec 2, 2010)

just an update, these are not done yet. the mahogany is curing with a final polishing to go and the maple still needs two applications of oil/dye and then probably a couple of light coats of oil before curing and polishing. I'm very happy with how these have turned out so far


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## jdto (Sep 30, 2015)

Holy Birdseye!


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## Guest (May 29, 2018)

I'm really liking that mahogany.
Can't wait to see what body you're putting it on.


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## Jim DaddyO (Mar 20, 2009)

Yeah, That works!


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