Camphor Burl Finish
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Cagey
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Even a water clear finish is going to darken it somewhat. To see what to expect, wet a rag with denatured alcohol or naphtha and wipe the surface. It'll evaporate very quickly and not leave any residue, so it's safe to do and won't affect any decisions down the road.
For example, with naphtha on Mahogany...
In that case, that's the bare minimum change I was to expect regardless of the finish. I used lacquer, and it came out like this...
For example, with naphtha on Mahogany...
In that case, that's the bare minimum change I was to expect regardless of the finish. I used lacquer, and it came out like this...
intrusted
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Bagman67,
Agree on the tinting aspect of tru oil. I have used this on two other builds I have done. I liked the looks of them when they were done. Not for sure if I want to go this route this time. The poly idea sounds interesting. But the last time I used poly on something it turned yellow with in a year.
Cagey,
I am expecting it to darken some. That's the part I like about wood. But sometimes when you add a finish to something it just doesn't pop so to say. That's my concern with this piece of wood.
By the way Cagey, your name was mentioned in another thread of mine. I have a bubinga neck with ebony fret board coming. I would like to finish this also. But was told to try burnishing. I seen your thread on it and I really like that idea. Any tips you can give me on this?
Thank You both for your inputs.
Agree on the tinting aspect of tru oil. I have used this on two other builds I have done. I liked the looks of them when they were done. Not for sure if I want to go this route this time. The poly idea sounds interesting. But the last time I used poly on something it turned yellow with in a year.
Cagey,
I am expecting it to darken some. That's the part I like about wood. But sometimes when you add a finish to something it just doesn't pop so to say. That's my concern with this piece of wood.
By the way Cagey, your name was mentioned in another thread of mine. I have a bubinga neck with ebony fret board coming. I would like to finish this also. But was told to try burnishing. I seen your thread on it and I really like that idea. Any tips you can give me on this?
Thank You both for your inputs.
Cagey
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I have a Kingwood over Bubinga neck that I like really well. You don't need to finish Bubinga, although you certainly can. Rickenbacker used to (and probably still does on some models) use it for fretboard wood, and they generally finished that. Dunno why.
Anyway, the burnishing thing is pretty straightforward, Basically, all you're doing is sanding the neck with progressively finer grit papers until it's shiny. It's tedious and time-consuming, but the results are great. The finer the papers get, the longer it takes to see the effect, so patience is key. Expect to spend at least an hour, all told. Maybe more if you take your time so as to not wear out your arm.
Anyway, the burnishing thing is pretty straightforward, Basically, all you're doing is sanding the neck with progressively finer grit papers until it's shiny. It's tedious and time-consuming, but the results are great. The finer the papers get, the longer it takes to see the effect, so patience is key. Expect to spend at least an hour, all told. Maybe more if you take your time so as to not wear out your arm.
bagman67
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My approach to finish sanding (i.e., burnishing a neck or wet-sanding a body) is to put on a nice long movie. I did this one watching "Bridge on the River Kwai."
That's about 15 coats of Deft gloss rattle-can lacquer over koa, BTW. Another possibility, if you have someplace to spray it. Gotta be extremely well-ventilated.
That's about 15 coats of Deft gloss rattle-can lacquer over koa, BTW. Another possibility, if you have someplace to spray it. Gotta be extremely well-ventilated.
Cagey
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Shellac has its uses in guitar finishing. For instance, it's a fine barrier coat if you want to switch horses in mid-stream as it'll stick to damn near anything and damn near anything will stick to it. So, if you've got a poly finish you wanna shoot some lacquer on, or vice-versa, a coat of shellac will allow you to do that.
But, as a primary finish, I don't know that I'd wanna use it unless I didn't have any choice. It's kinda soft even when cured, it scratches/marks easily, it's sensitive to water and heat and will dissolve in the presence of alcohol, and so on. For an item that's going to take a lot of handling and exposure to various fluids and environments (like a guitar), it's not a great choice for a primary finish.
But, as a primary finish, I don't know that I'd wanna use it unless I didn't have any choice. It's kinda soft even when cured, it scratches/marks easily, it's sensitive to water and heat and will dissolve in the presence of alcohol, and so on. For an item that's going to take a lot of handling and exposure to various fluids and environments (like a guitar), it's not a great choice for a primary finish.
