Official Luthiers Forum!

Anybody ever use poly on maple neck?

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"After forty-nine years of violin building, I have decided that the search for a varnish is similar to the fox hunt. The fun is in the hunt."
Jack Batts Maker and Repairer of Fine Violins

Not on the back but as a sealer for maple fretboards...Minwax Wipe-on Poly...you bet.

I don't see any reason It wouldn't be a very good finish to use overall on a neck. It's durable for sure. I used gloss for the fretboards but I think the satin would be better for a neck...and easier to get a good result.

Follow the prep instructions on the can....220 sanding between coats. DON'T go too fine with the grit or you will see it fail to lay down smooth as a result.

DO THIS.....use little 4" x 4" folded cotton T-shirt cloth squares to apply it. Apply it in long wet stripes as wet as possible...and DON"T touch previously applied areas. I can't remember the dry time but follow what's on the can.

See what you think after 6-10 coats.

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

I've used minwax wipe-on poly and have never had any problems with it except for the last time I used it a few months ago. It never hardened, just got gummy.
Smelled different too. Maybe the wrong product got put into the can.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

I have used wipe-on poly a few times and I'm sure it would work very well for a maple neck. The only thing I disliked about it was that I needed to apply quite a few coats before I got a decent film thickness. Zlurgh talks about 6 to 10 coats, but I didn't get what I wanted before at least 20 coats. That said, I build acoustics and I like a mirror like finish. A finish like I am used to see on Strat necks, for example, would take considerably less coats.


Just want to add a small precaution to what Zlurgh points out. As a sealer for fretbaords, it will work provided that you don't want to apply any other finish on top of it. Not much sticks to polyurethane other than itself (and shellac).


That is most certainly because you used it on a wood that is not compatible with polyurethane. Most rosewoods, for example, will prevent poly from curing. Seal with a couple of coats of dewaxed shellac and you'll be fine.

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

It was on mahogany, a wood I've previously not had any problems with.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Indeed, polyurethane on mahogany should cure just fine. Unless it was contaminated with rosewood dust (which happened to me once), then it should have been fine. Maybe you are right and the stuff in the can was wrong...

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Alain Moisan
Former full time builder of Acoustics, Classicals and Flamencos.
(Now building just for fun!)

Fresh can, well shaken, never used before. Straight from Home Depot in fact.

It sure smelled funny.

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Old growth, shmold growth!

Tried it, sanded it all off after two weeks of daily applications.
Had cloudy areas.
I applied it indoors in an always closed room.
Three things that will ruin the finish: dust, dust, dust.
Shame, the first few coats looked great.

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Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

Can the poly be tented to acheive the vintage amber on Fender's?

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I wanted something very dense, something that would sustain long and more pieces of wood that would be soft, sweet, for more of a mellow sound.

~ Les Paul