Neck stripping, oiling and ... heating?

[NickInMesa]

My teacher has a Jazz bass with a neck whose back was stripped and burned to seal the oil.

I asked the luthier who did this and he basically told me he uses Aircraft Remover (or Jasco heavy duty) after taping, then rubs a gun (tung?) oil and wax mix which he seals with a torch.

Ok... I have a very cheap bass that I have experimented with before and... you see where this is going

Has anybody here done this, and what wax exactly is mixed with tung oil, to which proportion, and how do you go about sealing with a burner? I suppose you don't want to burn the neck, so I suppose a nice yellow flame at the right distance?

FYI the "victim" will be a $20 eBay bass.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

I haven't done that on an instrument, but on a few other wooden items back in the day.

IIRC it was a mix of linseed oil and beeswax. I didn't do the mix, so don't take my word for it. The torching was mainly done for asthetics though, not to seal the solution in.

While the bass is cheap, I'd still make the experiment on a scrap piece of similarily cut wood of the same species.

Regards
Sam

[NickInMesa]

Well, I don't have any maple laying around... Any idea of a wood that can replace it?

The thing is, I can start with the stripping part and then try the oil and wax. If my mix does not work I can always use Naphta to clean it off.

Is linseed oil available at Rockler? Hobby stores?

[Matt in TN]

Yep - old gunstock maker's trick is 1/3 linseed oil, 1/3 turpentine, and 1/3 beeswax. It buffs out to a very nice finish. I've never tried torching it though -

You can get linseed oil at any Home Depot/Lowe's etc.

[PasdaBeer]

Was he sealing it or scorching it.

Some people use light heat to get the wax to "soak in"

Ive never dont it on a instrument, but have done it to weather proof some wood naturaly.

[zenman]

Originally Posted by NickInMesa

... I have a very cheap bass that I have experimented with before and... you see where this is going

No, I don't see where you are going. What exactly are you trying to accomplish? I've read lots of stuff on finishing & refinishing wood. Never heard of anyone torching the wood to "seal the finish". I'd be inclined to try a more accepted technique to achieve whatever it is you're trying to achieve.

[SGD Lutherie]

I wouldn't do that. Just get some real gun stock oil, Tru-Oil, and apply that. You don't want to use raw linseed oil, because it wont dry. You need a drying oil. Burning the oil doesn't seal anything.

LMII - Oil Finish

[J-Razz]

sticking it in the oven for a while would seem like a safer alternative to torching it.

[SGD Lutherie]

I'm not sure how you can fit a neck in an oven.... but if you heat the neck up, the glue joints can fail.

That's how you take a fingerboard off.

[PasdaBeer]

Hell, I used to use a candle to polish my boots. helped get the wax to flow better before buffing : )

[jallenbass]

Just remember that all of that stuff is flammable.