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Wenge neck

#24
I used Wenge on probably two dozen basses over the last two years. I use a oil varnish type finish and found that the piece of wood and the grain matters more than the finish. I used the same finish on a couple of necks a while back and one looks as you say, like Ebony from 5 feet away, but one looks much lighter and almost too light for my tastes.

Recently I have used some water based urethane finish and found that it did not darken the woods much at all. In fact I was a little put off that it made my Walnut look like the color of when it was dry without finish. Maybe try some of that on your wenge.
Also, since Wenge does not need finish to remain stable (Warmoth does not even require a finish on it for warranty purposes) maybe you could just wipe some Howards feed N' Wax on it. The wax/oil dries off somewhat in a few days and the wood will lighten as it does. I have tried this on a neck as well with good results.
 
#26
Mask, gloves and a light touch. I can be rude in many languages so we got that covered too.

As far as finish goes, I'm counting on it to darken the wood a bit. The selected Wenge is already rather dark. The center laminate is Ebony and right now the contrast is clearly visible. With oil or lacquer it will be much less so.

But leaving it unfinished is a rather tempting proposition. Micro mash should make Wenge and Ebony feel like silk. Besides, it's for a fretless with Zericote FB which is going to be lightly oil finished. It all seems to make sense.
 
#27
I left my solid wenge neck (with a "select" grade madagascar ebony fingerboard, acquired before LMI stopped selling that grade) unfinished. I "sanded" them both to 8000 grit (with stewmac's 3M polishing cloths) and they both feel amazing. The wenge is almost as dark as the ebony.

The curreny neck I'm building is wenge with maple, so it will have a finish. It's looking like tru-oil and polyurethane right now.
 
#29
Blind Dog said:
What kind of finish does not darken the light brown grain? I used a wenge fretboard last year and after I put teak oil on it, it almost looks like ebony from 5 feet away. You can still see the grain if you look closely.
Click to expand...

Ultra blonde shellac is usually the answer there. If you can find the flakes & some denatured/isopropyl alcohol or methyl hydrate, wait a couple days while the flakes dissolve & you can use it for pretty much anything you can think of. I've only done some test pieces with wenge & shellac but the problem with some oils (linseed also, IME) is that they can smear contrasting grain together, like you've found. And especially with oily woods like rosewoods. It can also rob many woods of their characteristic colours as well, like purpleheart & padauk will turn much more brown with oils. Shellac will let them shine.
You'll have to read a bit about applying shellac before starting, though. And use a paste wax or conservators wax to bring back a satin feel if that's what you want. Hope the next project ends up spot-on!
 
#30
Blind Dog said:
What kind of finish does not darken the light brown grain? I used a wenge fretboard last year and after I put teak oil on it, it almost looks like ebony from 5 feet away. You can still see the grain if you look closely.
Click to expand...

No finish is necessary for wenge to remain stable, and if it's a neck you're talking about, it will be amply supplied with palm grease (aka sweat) - and that will be more than enough.
 
#31
Wenge again. I have gone through the splinters chapter and survived ;) I like this wood.

Now it's finishing time - lacquer. How do you prepare W for finishing? Any pore filling? I have sanded it to 320grit and I can still see some open grain. Thank you.
 
#33
If finishing with lacquer, use an epoxy filler. Then lacquer. This will help to smooth the wenge and give you a better surface finish. Wenge does not close, it is very porous, and always will be. You can sand to 600 and finish in oil doing slurry fills to smooth if you decided on oil and wax.
 
#34
Doug Parent said:
Leave it unfinished and sand it with smaller and smaller grit until most of the grain is closed. My .02
Click to expand...

Thank you Doug. Indeed some prefer to leave a Wenge neck unfinished. I prefer lacquer finish in general. I just like the look and feel of it. Ebony would be the only exception...maybe ;)

Epoxy filler then. Thank you JC.
 
#36
I seen to remember a luthier telling me years ago, that wenge was certified as a carcinogenic by some international organisation, and that some guitar manufacturers had stopped using it on their instruments due to the risks. I haven't been able to get any conclusive proof of this, but I know that wenge is pretty nasty, and the dust should be avoided at all costs.

Sorry to drop a downer. I know that it does look very cool and has desirable properties.
 
#37
bakerbass said:
I seen to remember a luthier telling me years ago, that wenge was certified as a carcinogenic by some international organisation, and that some guitar manufacturers had stopped using it on their instruments due to the risks. I haven't been able to get any conclusive proof of this.

Sorry to drop a downer. I know that it does look very cool and has desirable properties.
Click to expand...

This is pure nonsense. You shouldn't spread rumors.
 
#40
RCCollins said:
This is pure nonsense. You shouldn't spread rumors.
Click to expand...

Why did you post this ^ then?

According to the National Toxicology Program's (NTP) 12th​ Report on Carcinogens: Wood dust is known to be a human carcinogen based on sufficient evidence of carcinogenicity from studies in humans.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

Proper respiratory protection is always a good idea to reduce exposure and therefore, risk. I've been doing human health risk assessments since 1997, but they have been focused on exposure to typical environmental contaminants (chlorinated solvents, petroleum constituents, pesticides, etc.). Frankly, I was a bit surprised to see that wood dust is a known human carcinogen. But NTP is a very reputable source.
 

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