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Howard's Feed N Wax or Tru Oil?

M

Maxpayneatlarge

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Sep 18, 2012
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Hi all, I recently got myself a second hand Sterling (pictures to follow at the bottom). It has the unfinished maple neck. I know what Ernie Ball recommends, but wanted to know if there could be some substitution here or experience that anyone has with Howard's Feed N Wax. I've had trouble locating the Birchwood Casey Gun Stock Wax locally.

I've used this on my Warwick Thumb with beautiful results, but didn't know about the unstained maple.

Would I need to use the Tru oil, THEN the Howard's, or could I possibly only use the Howard's? I'd hate to mess up the natural coloring of the neck, so i'm trying to be extra careful here.

Thanks,
Chris



 
Golem

Golem

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I use both, variously, according to each job
and according to availability or lack there-of.

Main point:
Feed & Wax is an oily waxy polish while Tru
Oil is more like a linseed oil finish [similar to
a shellac finish]. So ..... you don't use them
on the same surface.

Cuz ..... if you apply F&W first, the oily polish
sinks in and the wood resists the Tru Oil cuz
it's no longer a clean dry surface. OTOH if you
apply Tru Oil first, once thaz dry you have a
closed finish which no longer absorbs an oily
waxy polish like F&W. Kuh-peash ?

You can actually apply multiple coats of Tru
Oil and develop a thick somewhat hard finish
that will chip or crack a bit if struck. OTOOH
you can apply F&W time after time and there
will be no build up. Once the surface layer of
the wood had drunk its fill of the stuff, any
further applications don't sink in [wipes off].

IOW, these are two VERY different products
for very different results.
 
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Holdsg

Holdsg

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Alta Loma, CA
agree with Golem. I've used Howards on another mfg basses to get the oil+wax neck feel. works great, but I do think it colors the wood slightly (its orange, and it seems to impart just a tinge of that). If that's a concern, I also know of a oil + wax for wood called Williamsville Wax, which is lemon oil & beeswax, so its more of a neutral yellow color, more like what that maple neck is going to look like. results much the same as Howards.
 
Golem

Golem

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I found gun shops no longer stocking tru oil
altho they can order it. I guess the trend in
gunstocks is toward non-wood material.

Someone was using an Ikea oil, a specific
one whose name escapes but I recall it has
a name that reminded me of "Syria". They
also insisted all OTHER Ikea oils are quite
unsuitable for necks and FBs.
 
M

Maxpayneatlarge

Member
Joined
Sep 18, 2012
Messages
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For what it's worth, I wanted to reply here with some results:

I used the Howard's Feed N Wax at first due to my impatience in locating the Tru Oil and Wax locally. Then, I found the Tru Oil and the Gun Stock Wax at a gun shop down the street.

So, I used Murphy's oil soap, then a 0000 scotchbrite pad to clean the neck. Let that dry for a bit. Applied a thin layer of tru oil, let it sit for 5 minutes, wiped off any excess. I let it dry.

Once it wasn't so tacky, I gently rubbed it down with the 0000 scotchbrite pad again, then applied a second thin coat of tru oil. Let it sit for 5, wiped off excess, then let it dry again for a couple of hours.

After that, wiped it with the 0000 scotchbrite pad again and applied a layer of the gun stock wax. Let it sit for about 10 minutes, then buffed it out with a cotton cloth. It was slightly tacky, but the next morning, I buffed it some more and it was really nice and slick.

So, if you want a slight shine, and pretty slick neck, this is the way to go :)

Thanks for everyone's input on this.

Chris
 
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