Tuesday 17 September 2013

Siena's Stratocaster - Grain Raising Misadventure

I got the neck sanded today in preparation for my Vintage Amber Wudtone Neck Finish. The talk around the campfire is that you should only sand to 400 grit maximum before applying this stuff so that the oil based colour can actually soak into the wood. With this in mind, i sanded the maple neck with 240, 360 and 400 grits. I raised the grain at both 360 and 400. Hmm, I hope I didnt go overboard.

Here's a tip. When you are raising the grain on a neck with a rosewood fretboard and you plan on using methylated spirits (de-natured alchohol) to do it, be very careful. If the fretboard has any black dye on it (and most of the kit rosewood fretboards do), that alchohol will take the dye straight off. If you're unlucky, the dye laden alchohol will find its way straight onto and into your cleanly sanded maple neck.

And believe me, it's a fricken bitch to clean off again.

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