Help me oil a neck.

[sully]

Sully needs to chime in on this one. I held in my hand a mahogany neck he used gunstock oil on, and it was freakin killer. I'm going to buy some of the stuff myself.

hey, thanks man!

truth be told, i've used a few different oils on necks, and i don't know that i have a particular favorite. i've used watco danish oil (in natural or golden oak on a birdseye neck), boiled linseed oil, tung oil, and gunstock oil (found it by accident as i was walkin thru a sporting goods store). they've all been fine and none of them have made me say "that's the one!" although i don't know if i'd use tung oil again, as it took awhile to dry. that said, i don't get why anyone would use lemon oil on a neck, but that's a different argument and i don't wanna get sidetracked!

anyway, clean it up with some naptha, sand it a little (if the cleaner raised the grain), and oil the bitch up. you can apply the oil with a steel wool pad, an old shirt, paper towels, etc. when it's time to take the excess off, i use a terry towel (auto parts store) and work it over like the old school shoe polisher dudes. or i'll use a terry bonnet on my hand buffer. gotta love the hand buffer. once that's done, i'll hit it with the paste wax and buff it again. i started using minwax' paste wax after an oiling on chuckracer's recommendation, and i like that feel.

if you wanna use the gunstock oil (which feels nice, and is what jackson uses on their oiled necks), just follow the directions on the bottle. wicked simple. i didn't use the wax with the gunstock oil, as it seems pretty sealed as it is.

oh, if the neck still smells like oil after a few days, or you notice that your hand smells like oil after you play it, you've still got some excess on there. that's one of the many reasons why i love the hand buffer; it works really nicely with the excess.


anyway, i don't think that's anything that anyone else hasn't said, but that's what i do. your mileage may vary.

sully

[sully]

Gunstock Oil (Birchwood Casey) is an oil with a varnish as a modifier. I don't like it because it leaves a varnish feel to it. Everyone has a preference and one needs to try different types of oil. I know I did and was able to decide which one was best for me

yeah, gunstock oil left unbuffed will have a gloss to it. you can take it down with some steel wool pretty nicely.

[sully]

I talked to Lee at GMW and he told me that he uses boiled linseed oil. I just want to know if after you oil it, do you need to do anything else? I figure you just rub some on with a rag and wipe off the excess and let it soak in for a day or so.

don't let it soak in that long; it may be really gummy when you try to wipe the excess. an hour or so between coats (if that long with boiled linseed) should work for ya.

okay, now i'm TOTALLY done with my chiming in!