The lacquer they use is tinted yellow to make it look old. I'd suggest you experiment with some maple blocks until you get the color right. At least you don't have to deal with poly, that would be unpleasant.

I'll be using this.

i like wipe on poly...
simple...
effective.....

quick.

and it feels almost like polished raw wood....
and it seals.
and it's cheap.
LOL

mostly, cheap.

spacey


I'll be using this.

Perfect. I thought you might roll your own, but that pre mixed stuff is really good. The nice thing is you can darken the tint by adding more coats. I use something similar when doing aged tweed on amps and it's saved me a lot of time. Good luck Spacey!.

Bat you like poly for the same reasons I like oil. :)

Thank you John. I'm going to need it because I have no experience at spraying a finish. Time to get some.

I'll be installing the frets today so thinking about Murphy while I wake up.
One thing that can be a real problem- this neck doesn't have a double-action truss-rod.
If the fret slots and tangs aren't sized "right" then the fit can cause backbow. I haven't had
to deal with that yet.
By test fitting one, it seemed to be a good fit but man I'm really green...grasshopper missing his master...I'm
use to that feeling though. Get my butt whipped alot and that's a hard way to learn.

Another issue ( I mention these things thinking it may help others) is installing the frets without any mishaps.
Now that the wood is prepped it's a real bummer to put a groove or dent in it.

Well we'll see what happens later today.

Hi Spacey,

I learned Nitro hanging around car shops when I was a youngster. 

That link is where I get mine too because I like the way they have studied the old guitar color charts.

The thing about Nitro is that it is the easiest finish to make look perfect. (With the exception of the oil finsih work you are doing)

Just keep dirt and dust away from the area and use light coats. If you do a bad spray... it is so easy to recover from it with some sanding and more spray.

You already have all the patience and polishing skills so it's going to work out ok.

You'll love it... plus it doesn't smell to bad either. ;-)




Re frets: I guess you comment about the double action truss rod may be directed towards the idea that squeezing frets in to the slots may actually cause a revers bow in the neck when they are all stuffed in their?
Yikes. Fingers crossed.


best regards,
mike

Very cool to hear Mike and appreciate the info.

That's correct about the back-bow. The slots need to be right so the barbs on the
tang bite. If the width of the tang is to wide for the slot then by the time all of the frets
are pressed in the pressure is great enough to push the neck into backbow. If the pull
strength from the strings isn't enough to counter and there is no double-action rod- one has
a major problem.
Double-action rods are all that I have used and not only for that reason but also because we
know wood can do what's it's going to do.
With a bolt-on neck and a worse case at least the neck can be replaced. All mine have been neck-thru or
set. All could be lost with a single action rod.

I will double check the slot size and tang size and hope my evaluation is right.

The worry of backbow is over. Very pleased with the fits.
Didn't leave a mark and no sign of glue.
After I trim the frets and file/dress I'll tend to the small gaps under the tang.
Now I'll let it set and let the glue dry.

Most enlightening, another fascinating thread from our resident luthier.

Also interesting to hear what others have experienced and learnt Mike, Gonzo, John, Mike.

Thank you all.

Sure glad you're enjoying it Wookiee :)

After I cut the frets off I used this to file the fret ends down or flush with the side of neck.
This was a step I mentioned that I hoped I didn't chip out the finish while doing it. I lucked out.




Then I turn it to bevel the fret ends. Being that it's riding on the radiused frets there is
a lot of focus on smooth strokes and keeping it from rocking.
One needs to keep control- easy to slide the file into the head or jump it on the frets causing
more work dressing them.



Now they're ready to level.