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Post subject: Proper touch-up urethane for maple neck...
Posted: Fri Apr 09, 2010 1:14 pm
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I'm looking for information for a project I have in mind of attempting.

I have a Telecaster with a "Maple, Modern "C" Shape, (Tinted Satin Urethane Finish)". Taken right from the Fender product page.

I'll be doing some fret work which may involve the maple neck itself and rounding over the edges of the neck. But before I do this I'd like to know what I should use to touch-up the finish once done.

I don't know if I should be using a "guitar" specific urethane or a general wood type would be just as good?
Not knowing "wood/guitar finishes", would it require many lite coats with sanding in between or is it a thicker viscosity that you more or less 'paint' on and be done with it?

Other than knowing it has to be a "satin" finish to match the rest of the neck I'm not sure on what else I have to be aware of. I'll be going to my local hardware store to look at what tints are available in urethane. Hopefully I'll be able to find something that matches.

Appreciate any ideas you may have.
-t


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Post subject: Re: Proper touch-up urethane for maple neck...
Posted: Fri Apr 30, 2010 4:40 pm
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Hi tyronne: I believe the big boys probably use an industrial two-pack urethane which has the property of being cured quickly under intensive UV light.

No need for that kind of thing for us mere mortals. Ultimately, urethane is urethane. You can buy a tin of the stuff intended for finishing furniture and just apply it carefully in several coats with a brush, perhaps sanding lightly with wet-and-dry paper used dry between coats, somewhere around a P400 - P600 grade.

Then after you've left it a good long time to cure smooth it with wet-and-dry used wet, running P600, P1000, P1500 and finally P2000 if you can find it that fine. Finally, polish it up nicely with a mild, low abrasive metal polish, or automotive swirl remover.

Or even easier is to buy an aerosol of polyurethane lacquer/varnish. Plasti-Kote do a nice one - though take care because they do many other products that could easily be mistaken for what you want.

Also, where I am there are manufacturers who offer aerosol urethane in matt, satin and gloss options, and clear or tinted as well. I'm sure that will be available where you are too, so just do a bit of Googling for a mail order supplier if you can't find it locally.

If you don't want to scrape lacquer off the frets you'll need to mask them. There were a couple of pictures of masking frets with very thin strips of tape on my Burnt Strat thread. You will also need to take care about "witness lines", where the new lacquer joins the old. Very careful sanding and polishing is how you get rid of those.

Good luck! - C


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Posted: Sat May 01, 2010 4:43 am
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Thank you Ceri.

I was getting confused on what I was finding..."pre-cat" vs "post-cat" types of urethane. Seems to be + and - of using either one.

It's your pyro-strat build that's inspired me to try this.

The information is much appreciated!

-T


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