How to Finish a Guitar Neck in Nitrocellulose Inexpensively

[@NapsterRulez]

I don''t understand why you don't get more views. I really like your videos. I can't help but thinker with my guitars either and you give some good insight.

[@NathanSink]

Thanks for the kind words & support! 😊

[@eddiejr540]

This video is right on point…I have an old Kramer from around ‘84 and I sanded off the logo cuz there was a time when it wasn’t cool to have a shedder guitar…so now that my Kramer is “vintage” I need to do this to get it back to original…thanks so much my man!!!

[@NathanSink]

Glad to help! All the best. 👍🏻

[@southernpride2003]

​@@NathanSinkI did this on me and my grandpa's homemade electric guitar that has my name on the fretboard I had a guy custom make my name for me instead of having regular inlays and me and him applied multiple layers of lacquer

[@NathanSink]

@@southernpride2003 nice! Hope it turned out great!

[@Thisisrance]

Dude… the ladder with the tarp. Thank you so much 😂

[@NathanSink]

No prob! Glad to help! 😎

[@TheOtherGuy-04]

This is the first video that popped up in a Google search for How to laquer a guitar neck, so it is getting views in google. Thanks for the video..Ya figure, with metal strings always rubbing up against the finish, it has to be pretty strong....

[@NathanSink]

Cool! Thanks for letting me know!

[@Jamzocd]

Dude you need to invest in a good 3M mask to protect you from the vapors!

[@NathanSink]

Probably right!

[@classicaxe1]

Love nitro ! That is all Gibson Guitars use !

[@oldasrocks9121]

The maple board Glarry bass necks only have sanding sealing at most on the back, boards are raw. They have enough meat on the peghead to reshape them like Tele's.

[@NathanSink]

Yeah I played around with the possibility of a Strat shape or Tele shaped headstock. You can see the overlayed differences here (at 1:00 mark): kzbin.info/www/bejne/jYnYqIh9Z82hj68 Tele was definitely closer.

[@jonnyf9049]

I tried something similar with my charvel. Wanted the toothpaste logo, got my dad to make a waterslide for me. Applied it after sanding and staining. But without a layer of paint under it. I used Nitro clear without softeners, it should crack faster. It cracked while drying on the waterslide. Maybe because i didnt lacquer the headstock

[@NathanSink]

Yeah, the decals can certainly be tricky. Hope it works out well for you.

[@francisvilla10]

Great video! I got a question, what about the nut? Do you remove before paint, paint it over like thw frets or do you tape it? Thanks

[@NathanSink]

@@francisvilla10 thanks! I either tape it or remove it. If you spray (especially any tint) over it, it might look odd, & it would “encase” the nut & make it really hard to remove latter.

[@francisvilla10]

@@NathanSink great thanks

[@gregghome3339]

If my neck comes with clear nitro already, can I leave that on as the base coat to apply tint to or do I need to strip it off if it's already cured? I can't find a clear answer if nitro will bind to already-cured nitro..

[@NathanSink]

@@gregghome3339 yes, new nitro will bind/melt into cured nitro. If you wanted to be cautious, you could scuff up the neck first, but I don’t think it’s necessary. Some people will tell you there might be adhesion issues with combining different brands (ie Stewmac vs Reranch). I haven’t had that issue, but it’s something to be aware of.

[@gregghome3339]

@@NathanSink solid, thanks for the help!

[@EriccsonGuitarBassMan]

cool!

[@MoshOrDie]

Did you polish the fretboard after the last layer? Or survived without sanding?

[@NathanSink]

I didn’t. I didn’t have much orange peel & it seemed fine without sanding. In the past, I’ve just gone over it with 0000 steel wool at the end, but it gives it more of a matte finish…which is nice for a vintage or relic look. Honestly even if you have some orange peel your playing over time (on the back of the neck & fretboard) will smooth it out over time.

[@MoshOrDie]

@@NathanSink up to this point, whenewer I refretted a maple fretboard, I lacquered it before fretting. That’s how my master showed me, and we always sanded it back. I think I will try this way next time

[@NathanSink]

@@MoshOrDie well, I’m definitely no master! All the best. 😊

[@tysonbrown9531]

I have been using WATCO brushing lacquer. That is also nitro

[@NathanSink]

Oh yeah, I forgot to mention Watco! Right on.

[@janinepr]

is that the same as what nathan mentioned in his video? like can i use that (same purpose) on my unfinished maple but like through brushing and not spraying?

[@tysonbrown9531]

@@janinepr yes! It’s just a different means of application.

[@janinepr]

@@tysonbrown9531 thank u so much!!

[@Rk3tSk8s-ut4yo]

What can you do if you have a rosewood fretboard?

[@NathanSink]

You don’t want to spray a rosewood (or ebony, pau ferro, etc) fretboard. Tape it up & spray the rest of the neck like normal. Here’s an example (see the 2:26 minute mark): kzbin.info/www/bejne/g5ercneZr95ohac

[@Rk3tSk8s-ut4yo]

@@NathanSink - I guess I was meaning if there was any sort of finish needed for a rosewood fretboard, I plan on doing what you're doing on the neck while taping up the fretboard to avoid getting spray on it. But, I didn't know if there was anything needed for the rosewood fretboard for finishing it.

[@NathanSink]

@@Rk3tSk8s-ut4yo gotcha. Nope, you can leave it bare. However, some fretboard conditioner will help keep it from drying out. I recommend Music Nomad’s F-One oil. I have a video for that too 🙂: kzbin.info/www/bejne/fmOWqGmEhp2bqJY

[@Rk3tSk8s-ut4yo]

@@NathanSink Awesome! Thank you! Also, thanks for the videos! They're good.

[@NathanSink]

@@Rk3tSk8s-ut4yo thanks! No problem. Glad to help. 👍🏻

[@danielhendriksen9232]

If anyone watching this tries this at home, please wear a respiratory of some kind. Nitrocellulose is extremely toxic.

[@powerhouse1981]

Does it smell good though...?

[@sam-ww1wk]

As a wood finisher, boat painter, occasional car, etc, there is zero special about nitro, or cheap one part lacquer in general like you're using which isn't nitro based. The problem with that stuff you're using is it's not thinned down for the base coats and won't sink into the wood. However, it's light years better than poly, or poly type mixes, oil, etc, for a guitar because it looks, feels, and plays good. You can buy a cheap sprayer, some nitro, thin and tint depending on coat process, all for cheaper than buying those tint cans plus the cheap HD cans, fyi. The entire reason relics are popular is because old-school nitro wore out quick, making a guitar look worn. But, it still is the best choice imho. And a 120$ thinline! Wtf

[@soyborne.bornmadeandundone1342]

OR put a closed off bag over the body, if you're too lazy to take the neck off the body. Many believe the neck is quite settled in after a while and don't want to remove the neck out of worry that putting it back just wont quite feel the same anymore. I'm personally not that picky but some are and this might bug them. Just sayin. Decent strategy to avoid getting metal splinters on ur pickups without removing the neck.

[@NathanSink]

Yep, and this is virtually the only option if you’re only working on the neck of a set-neck guitar (like a Gibson).