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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on February 7, 2012 at 7:32am

OK, yer gonna think I'm kidding but..

I do my necks with EVOO. Extra virgin olive oil. A little goes a long way, and it buffs up beautifully. Shows the grain really nicely, and plays slick.

Or, you could sand your neck smooth, and not wash your hair for about 3 days. Then, rub that gunk all over the neck. The oils in your hair will be enough, and you won't have spent any money on soap, hot water, or expensive oils. However, you may have to buy your significant other a nice dinner and some flowers for putting up with your new-found insanity.

Look, I'm serious. If yer gonna try and experiment all these other expensive chemicals, at least give crazy a try, too.

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Permalink Reply by Grease Stains on February 8, 2012 at 7:02am

Quick question about the EVOO; have you had issuse with mildew? It is a food grade oil and will break down in the end, but ease of access and cost ca make up for that.
 however i have heard people Complain that it mildews very quickly. ( pretty damp enviroment im living in right now.)

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on February 8, 2012 at 7:28am

Ah, damp environment would indeed be a problem. It's reeellly dry most of the year where I live. We leave a jug of it essentially open on the kitchen counter year round, and it never seems to go rancid ( we do use it fairly often, but a quart jug of the stuff takes well over a month to use up, the way we cook). Yep, I use it for ease of access, and cost. And because I thought it would be interesting and different. And because it's been used for lubrication and finishing for thousands of years. There's not a big DIY tradition here, and personal firearms are discouraged, so things like True Gun oil are hard to come by.

That said, you could try using EVOO very sparingly on a test piece, and let it "go bad" to see what happens in your environment. You can always use the result as barbecue fire starter if it doesn't work out. Or you could try something like Goddard's Lemon or Orange Furniture Oil or Cream; that's what I wipe my commercial guitar necks and fretboards down with when changing strings. I change strings roughly once per month, or every two months, so my necks and fretboards get oiled at least 6 times per year. Haven't had any of them check or crack in my local hot environment, and I've been here for 9 years. I can get Goddard's locally now, but olive oil is way cheaper for the same amount.

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Permalink Reply by Grease Stains on February 9, 2012 at 4:47am

I may try it out on some srcap brich tonight to 
See what happens. I've heard good things from 
others as well. Good to know it takes the heat well.
Wish i could try the tru-oil, some anti-terror/border
Safety thing we signed with the US recently makes
It not worth the companies time to ship it up here.
I can always try linseed or tung oil tho! 
Thanks Oily!

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on February 9, 2012 at 7:02am

No worries, man. Hope it works out for you. I think on birch you might wanna try linseed oil. Again, sparingly, and maybe steel wool between coats. Are you using different woods for neck and fretboard?

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Permalink Reply by Grease Stains on February 10, 2012 at 4:54am

With the build im working right now, it'll either be
Birch with maple fret board or maple on maple with
Flamed maple fret board.

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Permalink Reply by Ron "Oily" Sprague on February 11, 2012 at 3:22am

Maple on birch or maple on maple, eh? I'd try boiled linseed oil.

Here's an article on oil finishes you might want to reference, too:

http://www.woodcentral.com/bparticles/oil_finishes.pdf

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