Hi there.
I am refretting a mid 80's japanese Fender stratocaster maple neck with maple fingerboard.
I have sanded the fingerboard to make it clean and smooth.
And now i am planning on giving the whole neck a new layer of lackeur,
but havent found out what kind if clear lackeur i should use on it and i am afraid that if i use the wrong kind it may react with the existing lackeur.
Does anybody know what clearcoat i should use on this, and how it should be done to get the best result.
Thanks..

Hi hkurt: it'll be polyurethane (not to be confused with polyester), easily available in an aerosol if you don't have spray equipment handy.

Spray a few thin coats covering everything - watch out for runs. You can gently scrape the lacquer off the frets between each coat or just at the end.

Leave it to harden for a minimum of a week (regardless what it says on the tin) or better still three or four weeks. Then gently sand it with P1000 grit wet-and-dry paper used soaking wet (avoiding the frets), then move on to P1500 and finally P2000. Or go higher if you wish. Finally, buff it to a nice gloss with automotive polishing cream, or even metal polish.

Good luck - C

Thank you for a very good answer.
Can i please ask you if this one would do the job?:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Polyurethane_W0QQit ... 240%3A1318

Hi kurt: some folks'll get picky about exact formulas, but I've had success in the past with exactly that kind of product.

The only point to note is that one has a satin finish, which may or may not be what you want. Of course, satin can be polished to a high gloss, it just takes more work. If you want a shiny finish just look around for a gloss version of the same thing.

'Nother thing I thought of: you want to take the lacquer off the tops of the frets, like I mentioned before. But it is positively desirable to leave it joining the base of each fret to the wood of the fingerboard. Prevents moisture getting in under the fret.

Also, little tubes of paper inside your tuner holes helps stop them getting lacquer inside and spoiling the fit of your tuners.

Cheers - C

Rustoleum should be fine.
Also ceri is right, on the tuner holes. Poly is tough as nails, and you don't want to have to try sand it out of those little holes.

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