StuntDouble wrote:Dang, I just applied my first coat of Teak oil.
Will I screw it up by using the tung oil later on; if it darkens the wood slightly, is it gonna look splotchy? Just reading a little about the teak oil, I thought it would absorb into the wood a little more than the tung. My thinking was to lay down a few base coats that would be absorbed more deeply into the wood, and then use tung on top, cause I like the way it feels. I also thought the wax would help seal the wood from moisture; I live in a pretty damp climate, so I thought that might help; if not, I'll just skip it.
I've read that Ernie Ball/MM uses wax on their necks. I'm basically trying to recreate the feel of my old stingray bass on this neck; I loved the way that thing felt...wish I had kept it too.
I think the teak oil will work just fine... after all, teak itself is used in fine woodwork on boats, and on its own is pretty moisture resistant. The teak oil will be very adequate in its moisture resistance, IMO.
As far as absorbing into the maple, maple is a closed grain wood, so absorption is really minimal.
Any finish application on a maple neck is real easy for that reason, and the exact opposite is true of woods like mahogany, or swamp ash. That open grain sucks in tons of finish.
I would definitely stick with "jcmjmp's" advice: dont mix finishes. Bad shit can happen that way.
(One exception to that is when using lacquer: I almost always use a base coat of shellac before lacquer, to seal in any stain, different wood types, etc that
might react with the lacquer.)
The teak oil itself will seal out most any moisture, and in itself, usually requires periodic reapplication, almost the same way a rosewood fingerboard requires a periodic coat of lemon (or red) oil to keep it from drying out. This would be another reason I wouldnt use wax. IF the neck ever starts looking dull or dry, you can always just lightly steel wool it, and reapply a coat of teak oil. You really almost cant apply too much oil, cause excess is absorbed by the application rag. The neck will only absorb so much, and oil finishes are not prone to excessive build-up like lacquer or poly.
(BTW, I've posted this before, but one poly that works super well in these kind of situations is MinWax Rubbing Poly. It applies just like an oil, and isnt really prone to over-building up, or runs and sags. Works great, IMO)
IMHO, I dont think waxing the neck (after oiling it) would be such a great idea. Waxing it after oiling would force you to
always use wax after that point, cause you cant oil over wax... the oil will never cure, (unless you want to sand the neck down to remove the wax completely), which would really defeat the purpose of the teak oil in the first place!!
Any type of oil is a way different finish than a hard finish like poly or lacquer. You can (and should) wax a lacquered finish, but if necessary, the wax is easily removed off lacquer with any kind of light compounding agent. You cant do that with an oil finish, as the wood is still kinda raw even though there is oil on it (which is the feel that players really like about oil).
I'd stick with the oil only, no wax. If you REALLY got a jones to apply wax afterward, you could always do that, but I think you'll probably end up liking the feel of it as it is after a few teak oil applications.
Hard maple always makes a wood finishers life a little easier!! Its a
very easy wood to work with finish wise, cause it has that clams-ass tight, closed grain.
