Adding truoil

[Laits]

I want to add additional costs of truoil to my stingray maple neck for added protection from dirt/grime/moisture. From what I read about 10 thin coats would be quite good. My question is should I also do the headstock so the ambering from the truoil would match? Not sure how I would do that without hurting the silkscreen logo. Anyone done something like this?

Thanks!

 

[tbonesullivan]

The headstock is finished in Satin Polyurethane up until the nut, so putting Tru-Oil on the headstock won't work.

Also Tru-Oil is only very lightly tinted, and you probably won't get it that much darker. 10 coats should be good, but remember that the necks are also rubbed with wax. You need to remove that before you can add more oil.

 

[danny-79]

And if you are using very fine grade 0000 or 000 wire wool on the back of the neck first mind the pickups (I personally remove the neck with wire wool anywhere near)

 

[Laits]

Thanks for the advice. So after truoil the usual recommendation I’ve seen is about 2 coats of wax after waiting a week to buff the truoil. Is 10 coats good for maple fretboard as well, then wax same as back of neck?

 

[danny-79]

I’m not a maple guy so don’t know about the fretboard but the oil and wax on the back of the neck is a pretty easy wipe on wipe off job.
Clean it with fine wire wool to remove any gunk (protecting pickups as mentioned before)
Wipe true oil on with paper towel. Wipe off again.
Same with wax just a bit more buffing.
It will still be a good few natural play hours before its silky smooth again.
And Even if you are playing it 8hrs a day it will still take years for hand sweat to burn through that application to do any damage.
Less is more and all that

 

[tbonesullivan]

EBMM uses Tru-oil more of a wood sealer on the maple, which does not have much in the way of pores at all. This makes using it a lot easier because there isn't really any grain to fill, as there would be on mahogany, walnut, or other woods. They only use a single coat, and the fretboard gets the exact same treatment as the back of the neck.

Personally, I stay away from wire wool and finishes, as it can get trapped in the wood sometimes, eventually causing stains. This is fine if it is a dark wood, but with maple would be noticeable. Scotch brite pads or non metal abrasive wool can work.

With multiple coats, it will become somewhat glossy in appearance, as you are building up finish outside of the wood. I think you need to wait 24 hours between coats, and then 7 days before wax application, per the Birchwood Casey documentation. Especially with multiple coats, you want to make sure that they fully cure before putting any wax on. This is also true for any sanding you may need to do.

 

[mouth]

I did this on two Stingrays. Added several coats of Tru Oil (around 8 I think). I like the additional protection and actual finish on it now. The way EBMM put it on at the factory is basically a naked neck - tru oil takes time to cure and if you put it on and wipe it off, you're doing almost nothing to protect the neck. Their wax buffing does more than the true oil they put on.

I waited 24 hours between coats and after the last coat, finished it with 2 coats of wax. So now I have a finished neck that feels and looks fantastic. Definitely recommend it if you want your neck to have some finish on it.

EDIT: Oh and don't put that stuff on the headstock! The headstock is finished, right up to the famous line at the back of the neck. There's no need to add tru oil there, so don't do it, it won't work well anyways.