DIY Natural Wood Refinish

[doc540]

fwiw, I've refinished my '69 Jbass a few of times over the last 30+ years beginning with the first refin when I was young, stoned, and clueless and stripped the sunburst from it.

20 years later I sanded and reapplied an oil finish, and just two or three years ago, I sanded it down again and applied Howard's Feed'n'Wax. Howard's is da butt.

I won't go into the gory details of what it took to strip the original 'burst, and I do NOT recommend trying to strip an old Jazz bass. The sealer they used under the color is IMPOSSIBLE to remove without a TON of effort. (Trust me, you don't want to hear how I finally got it stripped. It would give you nightmares.)

If you can get your bass body down to bare wood, Howard's is a breeze to use.

Prep using "Strypeeze" to remove existing finish
(note: this is NOT the '69 Jazz, but a later, '78 Jazz with a primer/paint finish)

WEAR GLOVES AND EYE PROTECTION!!

(fwiw: here's what was under the Oly white refin...I chose to have this body painted black rather than natural)




Sand and sand some more....then sand again using progressively finer grit, wipe with denatured alcohol


Apply Howard's according to directions



Gettin' there! But a few more applications got it dark enough to match the original '69 headstock color


Keep applying for darker tones and you'll end up here


If you ding the unprotected, natural wood, just sand it out and apply more Howard's until it matches the rest of the body.

That's my story, and I'm sticking to it!

[RandyMolson]

Thanks for posting this thread!!!

I am a wax finish fan, I use Howard Feed-N-Wax, and I came upon a Fender Pbass with a body refinish that I dislike. I was thinking about doing exactly what you did, but was apprehensive about how it would look...especially with a vintage Fender.

Yours looks great - I'm going for it.

[RandyMolson]

Okay, before taking the plunge, I was looking through other threads in TB Luthier's Forum, some folks advise applying a hard finish rather than oiled finish, in order to better protect the softer wood of the Fenders. So I am back on the fence.

I love my oil/waxed Warwick, but that wood is much harder than a Pbass.

I am wondering if anybody would chime in how their oil/waxed "soft bodied basses" are holding up, and whether in hindhight you would varnish it if you did it over again.

[Dirk Diggler]

You might also consider a few coats of Danish oil first and then Howard's.
I love Howards as well, plus it smells great too.
Dirk

[RandyMolson]

Ummm. Love the smell of the Howard's.

[Lonnybass]

Originally Posted by RandyMolson

Okay, before taking the plunge, I was looking through other threads in TB Luthier's Forum, some folks advise applying a hard finish rather than oiled finish, in order to better protect the softer wood of the Fenders. So I am back on the fence.

I love my oil/waxed Warwick, but that wood is much harder than a Pbass.

I am wondering if anybody would chime in how their oil/waxed "soft bodied basses" are holding up, and whether in hindhight you would varnish it if you did it over again.

If you want the best of both worlds, try doing a varnish/oil blend. I just completed a bass finished with this process having learned it from our very own finishing master 62Bass. After evenly applying successive coats and when left to cure for an adequate period of time (2 to 3 weeks is a good starting point), you'll have a nice hard finish that won't look plasticky and can be rubbed out to the sheen of your preference. Very warm and natural looking, and a pleasant ambering of the wood while also benefiting from the oil bringing out grain pattern. I am MUCH happier with the results than I ever was working with polyurethane or other formulations.



Lonnybass

[62bass]

Originally Posted by RandyMolson

Okay, before taking the plunge, I was looking through other threads in TB Luthier's Forum, some folks advise applying a hard finish rather than oiled finish, in order to better protect the softer wood of the Fenders. So I am back on the fence.

I love my oil/waxed Warwick, but that wood is much harder than a Pbass.

I am wondering if anybody would chime in how their oil/waxed "soft bodied basses" are holding up, and whether in hindhight you would varnish it if you did it over again.

I wouldn't call the ash body of my 78P soft but I refinished it with a home made blend of linseed oil, alkyd varnish and thinner about 10 years ago. After it was fully hardened I buffed it with 0000 steel wool and gave it a couple coats of furniture paste wax. Looked gorgeous. It still looks like that today. That was my main playing bass and has been used on many gigs in that time.

Applying the finish is a breeze but takes some time at about one coat a day. I lost track of how many coats I used-probably 12-15. Wipe it on, let it sit a couple minutes and wipe off the excess. The next day a very light scuff sanding by hand with 600 wet or dry sandpaper (I did it dry-I think Lonny wet sanded his), wipe off the dust and apply the next coat.

The only tough part was removing the original finish. Strippers won't touch it. Sandpaper takes forever, so I removed the bulk of it with a heat gun and scraper. Then lots of sandpaper to get the final bit of polyester undercoat off. You must have absolutely clean and bare wood for any clear finish to look good. I sanded to I think 320 before applying the first coat of finish, but I could have got away with 220 without sanding scratches showing.

Alder is reasonably hard too and much closer grained than ash. It'll look good but different. Much more subtle grain pattern.

I didn't use any stain or dye.

[doc540]

Pure Howard's is still workin' like a champ.

Haven't had to do a touch up yet.

[bassmasta94]

Originally Posted by Lonnybass

If you want the best of both worlds, try doing a varnish/oil blend. I just completed a bass finished with this process having learned it from our very own finishing master 62Bass. After evenly applying successive coats and when left to cure for an adequate period of time (2 to 3 weeks is a good starting point), you'll have a nice hard finish that won't look plasticky and can be rubbed out to the sheen of your preference. Very warm and natural looking, and a pleasant ambering of the wood while also benefiting from the oil bringing out grain pattern. I am MUCH happier with the results than I ever was working with polyurethane or other formulations.



Lonnybass

Hey, your bass looks so wonderful, i was thinking about doing the same sort of thing with my bass. But... I am complete Noob when it comes to natural wood finishes. So i wanted to ask you what exact varnish, and oil did you blend, and did you just mix it together in like a paint can?
I would appreciate it if you answered.
THanks

[Lonnybass]

Originally Posted by bassmasta94

Hey, your bass looks so wonderful, i was thinking about doing the same sort of thing with my bass. But... I am complete Noob when it comes to natural wood finishes. So i wanted to ask you what exact varnish, and oil did you blend, and did you just mix it together in like a paint can?
I would appreciate it if you answered.
THanks

BassMasta,

Thanks, glad you like the look. The exact formulations on this bass and process I used for applying it are as follows:

Base Coats

1 cup Benjamin Moore Clear Gloss Varnish
1 cup Naptha
1 Cup Boiled Linseed Oil

I bought the Benjamin Moore varnish at one of their retail stores not too far from my house. The naptha and boiled linseed oil should be readily available at hardware stores in the paint department (i get mine at Lowe's).

I mixed the blend together in a plastic soup container (wonton), sourced from a local Chinese takeout restaurant.

Using a carefully folded paper towel, I applied the first set of coats, and wetsanded each coat with 400 grit sandpaper to create a slurry that would fill the pores. After each coat set up for about 10 minutes, I wiped off the excess, let it dry, and recoated after about five or six hours. This process was repeated approximately 4 to 5 times.

Another 5 coats of this blend were then wiped on, but not wetsanded. I averaged two coats per day.

Top Coats
Once the grain was filled and the finish built up a hard film, I made up another blend, this time as follows:

2/3 cup Benjamin Moore clear gloss varnish
1/3 cup boiled linseed oil

This was also mixed together in a Chinese takeout soup container.

Notice that this blend eliminated the linseed oil from the mix in order to get more parts protective varnish applied over the varnish/oil coats already on the bass.

Another 5 coats of this blend were then wiped on. I averaged two coats per day.

I then left the bass to cure for about 2 and a half weeks, at which point it was ready for level, buff and polish. This was done at 400 grit, 600 grit, 800 grit, then a hand-applied rottenstone rub, then waxed.

Let me know if you have questions. The whole finishing process is tracked in this build thread if you are interested in seeing the steps through photos.

Lonnybass Builds - Myrtle Twins

Lonnybass

[bassmasta94]

wow man thanks a ton. I really appreciate it.

[bassmasta94]

hey, i have a few questions. But first off i would like to say that i went through your whole myrtle build, and man that thing is SWEET. I wish i had the skills that it takes to do that. Then again... im only 15. I guess doing that takes a lot of practice, and knowledge. Enough of my rambling. My questions were, what did you wax it at the end with, and is there any sort of process that you do it? Also my other question was, could you wipe the base, and the top coats with a like towel, or rag. (clean obviously). You suggested a "carefully folder paper towel" But ive never had such luck with a paper towel doing anything that involved liquids.
Thanks.
-dean

[Lonnybass]

Originally Posted by bassmasta94

hey, i have a few questions. But first off i would like to say that i went through your whole myrtle build, and man that thing is SWEET. I wish i had the skills that it takes to do that. Then again... im only 15. I guess doing that takes a lot of practice, and knowledge. Enough of my rambling. My questions were, what did you wax it at the end with, and is there any sort of process that you do it? Also my other question was, could you wipe the base, and the top coats with a like towel, or rag. (clean obviously). You suggested a "carefully folder paper towel" But ive never had such luck with a paper towel doing anything that involved liquids.
Thanks.
-dean

Hi Dean-

Yeah, practice and experimentation, and with each new bass things get a little easier somehow. Probably the best thing you can do is to get your hands on some fixer upper instruments and maybe do a couple parts builds just to get the feel for all the steps. As you go, you'll be adding tools to your shop over time and the next thing you know, you'll be ready to open the shop for customer orders!

Let's see, in answer to your questions, I have been using Minwax paste wax with great success for about 10 years. You should be able to find it at just about any hardware store under the sun. The process is pretty simple - use a paper towel or a rag and work a small bit of wax around a bit, then rub onto the wood in a circular motion. It will dull any shine on the finish when you first apply it. Don't worry though. Let it harden up for about 15 minutes, and then use an old t-shirt or clean cloth to buff the waxed surface back to a smooth and shiny film. It will look great, and feel amazing.

You had also asked about paper towels to apply the oil/varnish. There are a couple ways you can do it- I've bought the "box o' rags" from the hardware store for like $5 and you get like 100 chopped-up t-shirts, or you can use old ones from your closet. You can also use paper towels, they sell some stuff that makes for good wiping. Personally, I have found that the paper towels allow for more of a "lint free" finish than the rags that are sold as "lint free." (these typically require a few runs through the washing machine and dryer first). So, less fibrous cotton strands getting into the finish. (though I will continue to experiment with different cloth applicators)

Really, the best way to go is with OLD cotton t-shirts that have been washed a zillion times, but if you're like me and can't part with your college attire, rags or paper towels are the way to go.

One last thing. No matter WHAT you use, these rags can spontaneously combust if you do not soak them in water and spread them out to dry. If left in a dry wadded-up ball, the heat cannot escape and boom, there goes your basement. Make sure to follow the safety instructions on the can!!!

Lonnybass

[Lonnybass]

Oh hey, just to add to my above post, I've learned a heck of a lot about the finishing process from maintaining the family fleet of cars. Many of the products and processes are highly relevant to maintaining an auto finish as they are to the basses. Definitely worth perusing the local auto parts store and checking out the Meguiars stuff in particular.

Lonnybass

[bassmasta94]

Jeez you know a lot of stuff. Thanks for helping me out with all my questions. Ive already started my P bass refinish, im almost done with sanding the whole body down to bare wood. Its a long process with 80 grit sand paper by hand :/ But im motivated to get it done.

[Lonnybass]

Originally Posted by bassmasta94

Jeez you know a lot of stuff. Thanks for helping me out with all my questions. Ive already started my P bass refinish, im almost done with sanding the whole body down to bare wood. Its a long process with 80 grit sand paper by hand :/ But im motivated to get it done.

You got it dude. I'd say about 50 percent of what I know comes from hands-on trial and error experience, the other 50 percent from soaking up the knowledge from other builders here in the forum and similar shared knowledge. A lot to be learned by reading up from the various experts and their experiences. I learn new stuff from these dudes every day, so much great stuff to pick up!

BTW if you've got the cash and can spend around $50 or $60, you can get yourself into a decent palm sander which will save you oodles of time and elbow grease. You'll still need to do some work by hand in the contours, but man, having the right tools can really help you get the job done right.

If you are going for a natural wood look I'd suggest sanding out progressively in grits from 80 to about 220 and then, assuming all your lines are sanded out, apply the finish. If you try sanding much beyond that, all you're going to do is polish the wood unnecessarily.

Lonnybass

[bassmasta94]

yea i just finished tonight sanding the whole thing down with just 80 grit *sigh* Ive got to go to 120 then i have some other stuff, it dosent say the grit on it, but its coarser then the 120 but finer then the 220 so yea. And my dad did have a palm sander, but it was medieval haha, and i tryed to use it to sand out an outdoor wood table and something broke inside of it. So i cant use that, but i dont mind putting in a little elbow grease.