Finish on neck cracking?

[Cutty]

Got a 97 usa jazz bass 5 string and the finish on the back of the neck is cracking,it was like this when i bought the bass,i can feel it when i play,should i rub down the effected area and apply some Casey's gun oil to seal it?if i did this,what's the best method of applying the oil?should i just use a small piece of cloth?any advise would be helpful guy's,thanks.

[62bass]

Originally Posted by Cutty

Got a 97 usa jazz bass 5 string and the finish on the back of the neck is cracking,it was like this when i bought the bass,i can feel it when i play,should i rub down the effected area and apply some Casey's gun oil to seal it?if i did this,what's the best method of applying the oil?should i just use a small piece of cloth?any advise would be helpful guy's,thanks.

You can try rubbing it out with fine sandpaper, about 400 grit. But I wouldn't seal it with gun oil over the poly finish that's probably on there. The gun oil is too soft to use over that much harder finish and is meant to be applied to bare wood. Better I think would be one or two very light coats of Minwax Wipe On Polyurethane. It'll dry much harder. Use the gloss and after it's thoroughly dry (i'd give it a week at 70F or higher) rub it out with a fine synthetic abrasive cloth that you can buy in most paint departments. Steel wool (0000) works too but you have to be careful to mask off your pickups so they don't collect any steel wool dust. You will never get it off the pickup poles if you do.

Apply the Minwax with either a paper towel (a smooth surfaced one) or a lint free cotton cloth.

Any oil based finish you apply over the factory finish will tend to yellow slightly over time and exposure to light. The Minwax is no exception. So the cracks will tend to show. That's no big deal for me. Call it "relicing"

There are some water based polyurethane finishes that can be sprayed on, but I don't have much experience with them. They don't usually yellow. But I think that no matter what you use, those cracks will show up. However, you'll have them filled and leveled out so you won't feel them.

[Cutty]

Originally Posted by 62bass

You can try rubbing it out with fine sandpaper, about 400 grit. But I wouldn't seal it with gun oil over the poly finish that's probably on there. The gun oil is too soft to use over that much harder finish and is meant to be applied to bare wood. Better I think would be one or two very light coats of Minwax Wipe On Polyurethane. It'll dry much harder. Use the gloss and after it's thoroughly dry (i'd give it a week at 70F or higher) rub it out with a fine synthetic abrasive cloth that you can buy in most paint departments. Steel wool (0000) works too but you have to be careful to mask off your pickups so they don't collect any steel wool dust. You will never get it off the pickup poles if you do.

Apply the Minwax with either a paper towel (a smooth surfaced one) or a lint free cotton cloth.

Any oil based finish you apply over the factory finish will tend to yellow slightly over time and exposure to light. The Minwax is no exception. So the cracks will tend to show. That's no big deal for me. Call it "relicing"

There are some water based polyurethane finishes that can be sprayed on, but I don't have much experience with them. They don't usually yellow. But I think that no matter what you use, those cracks will show up. However, you'll have them filled and leveled out so you won't feel them.

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply to me,and how to go about this,your a Gent,as they say here in the UK.

[62bass]

Originally Posted by Cutty

Thanks so much for taking the time to reply to me,and how to go about this,your a Gent,as they say here in the UK.

Thanks for the compliment.

Minwax is pretty easy to find in the UK. I prefer that one because it dries fast and I've always had the expected results from it. Thin coats are the way to go.

Should dry to the touch in less than an hour and you can usually sand it lighlly before the next coat within 4 hours. For sanding between coats I use 600 grit wet or dry paper, used dry. Wipe off the dust with a cloth and a bit of paint thinner.

Soak the applicator cloths in water before disposing of them. They can spontaneously combust if wadded up and stuck in a garbage pail.

Let the last coat dry for about 3 days before rubbing it out to a smooth satin finish. You can safely use the bass then. These oil finishes actually take several weeks to fully harden, but 3 days at 70F or higher will be enough for use.

[Cutty]

Originally Posted by 62bass

Thanks for the compliment.

Minwax is pretty easy to find in the UK. I prefer that one because it dries fast and I've always had the expected results from it. Thin coats are the way to go.

Should dry to the touch in less than an hour and you can usually sand it lighlly before the next coat within 4 hours. For sanding between coats I use 600 grit wet or dry paper, used dry. Wipe off the dust with a cloth and a bit of paint thinner.

Soak the applicator cloths in water before disposing of them. They can spontaneously combust if wadded up and stuck in a garbage pail.

Let the last coat dry for about 3 days before rubbing it out to a smooth satin finish. You can safely use the bass then. These oil finishes actually take several weeks to fully harden, but 3 days at 70F or higher will be enough for use.

Fantastic,thankyou.

[Rocky McDougall]

Another option, sand the back of the neck with 400 and then spray severl light coats of clear acryllic lacquer, (found in automotive stores). When dry, lighly sand with 800 wet.
The acryllic lacquer works well over polyurethane if not applied too thickly

[62bass]

Originally Posted by Rocky McDougall

Another option, sand the back of the neck with 400 and then spray severl light coats of clear acryllic lacquer, (found in automotive stores). When dry, lighly sand with 800 wet.
The acryllic lacquer works well over polyurethane if not applied too thickly

Yes, that's another good option and not costly. I've had good success with Krylon acrylic clear gloss over both paint and varnish. It's about $9 a can here and that's plenty for several coats on the neck. Dries to the touch in a couple minutes and can be sanded in an hour or so. It doesn't seem to yellow with age.

[Cutty]

Originally Posted by 62bass

Yes, that's another good option and not costly. I've had good success with Krylon acrylic clear gloss over both paint and varnish. It's about $9 a can here and that's plenty for several coats on the neck. Dries to the touch in a couple minutes and can be sanded in an hour or so. It doesn't seem to yellow with age.

Well iv'e had some great reply's here,so i'm getting on the phone this morning to see what's available in my area,thanks,guys.