I took the finish off my (Mandolin) neck

[Chadly]

Hello:

I just finished taking the the finish off of my Weber neck. The matte finish was great at first but over 6-9 months of playing it turned to a high gloss. This really didn't surprise me but I just couldn't stand the sticky neck thing any longer. So I used steel wool to take the finish down to bare wood.

Should I seal the wood? If so with what? Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

--Chad

[Hans]

Hey Chad! You should definately seal the wood...I've been using tung oil, 3-5 coats, sanded in between with 1000 grit. Seems to make a slicker neck than varnish.

[dtb]

how long did it take to get to wood with steel wool? I'd like to do that with mine. But my mando is a MK with the heavy black finish. I don't think steel wool would take the finish off. any suggestions?

[Chadly]

I've been working on taking the finish off over the past few months. I've just been doing a little at a time. It probably took something like 4-6 hours. Keep in mind that this was a matte finish so there was less finish to take off in the first place.

--Chad

[krishna]

I would NOT use tung oil untill you hear from one of the big boys weighing in on this. Also steel wool will take off the finish on any neck.I f you do not plan before hand, were you want the stripped part to end and the finish to start again, it can turn out pretty ugly.I will usually tape off were I want it to start and end, and then feather it in latter with different grades of steel wool, and polish the laquer part afterwards...Kerry.

[toddjoles]

I think that most of us here would agree that Hans Brentrup is one of the big boys. Listen to him. There have been numerous threads on this over the last year or so and tung oil is only method that I remember being discussed.

I am currently building my first two arch tops and they will both have tung oil necks.

[onlyagibsonisgoodenuff]

I'm not one of the big boys, but when I took the finish off both my Smart F5 and my Bush model, I sealed it with tru-oil, or gun stock oil. I think it may be the easiest finish to work with, as you can put as much or as little as you want, be sure to steel wool between coats. Then go at it on your Gilchrist, Chad!

[Flowerpot]

Yep, Hans is one of the big boys. If he has a suggestion, you can bank on it.

Using tung oil for neck finish has a lot of acceptance in the violin world. I have heard of many upright bass players who have sanded down their neck and applied a tung oil finish for a fast bare-wood feel. It works great on mandolins too. Here's a pic of my tung-oil finished neck, which Hans completed not long ago:

[Flowerpot]

Just to add, there's nothing wrong with Tru-oil, but it is a very different animal than tung oil. Tru-oil has polymerizing agents in it, and it cures to a hard glossy finish. Tung oil penetrates the wood and thus does not sit on the surface; you can still feel the wood, but it blocks moisture and dirt from getting into the pores. If laquer/varnish feels sticky when buffed to a high gloss (as your hand will eventually do even to a matte finish over the course of time), then it would also feel sticky with Tru-oil. If you want it to feel like bare wood, even after months/years of playing, you need something which goes INTO the wood, not ONTO the wood. My $0.02, and I ain't one of the big dogs either, but I've re-finished an old beater with Tru-oil so I know how it works.

[onlyagibsonisgoodenuff]

Probably good advice. Especially since Hans Brentrup says so. I guess he's done a few mandolins!

My hands don't really sweat, so I seem to be ok with about any kind of finish on the neck.

[krishna]

This is what I get for looking at the post and not at who posted.Hans IS one of the big boys here and I also would listen to anything he has to say.So next time I'll look to see who is posting....Sorry Hans!...Kerry