Making a glossy neck satin...

[jtacoustic]

Can anybody suggest a gentle technique that can take some of the glossy-ness
out of the back of the neck on an acoustic?

I am wondering if there is a pad that will create a more satin feel. Don't want to do anything dramatic just want to take out some of the tacky feel that I get when it is humid.

[srick]

Micromesh pads are what you want. Then, I would advised working backwards from the finest grade a couple of steps until you get the right feel. They just need a light pressure and if you are working backwards (finer to coarse) you will likely do less damage.


https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tool...hoCBdQQAvD_BwE

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by jtacoustic

Can anybody suggest a gentle technique that can take some of the glossy-ness
out of the back of the neck on an acoustic?

I am wondering if there is a pad that will create a more satin feel. Don't want to do anything dramatic just want to take out some of the tacky feel that I get when it is humid.

Hi jta…

I use 2000 grit sand paper and lightly sand the back of the neck on my Kronbauer mini-Jumbo. The guitar finish is Nitrocellulose.

Just a couple three light pressure passes on the underside of the neck. Without doing this, it will get so 'polished' up that it squeaks with minimal thumb pressure.

I first tried sanding the area on my thumb that contacts the neck, but that did not work. Then I tried a little baby powder, after that cornstarch (both messy), later a bit of Vaseline (messier still) plus it just eventually soaked into my thumb.

I probably only have to sand it once a year or so, and it's just a few light strokes. Never shows after the first 'playing'. Proceed at your own risk.

[JayBee1404]

First thing I do when I get a guitar with a satin neck is buff it out and polish it up to a gloss. Can’t stand that cheap-looking and feeling satin stuff.

[E-OM]

"0000" steel wool.... works great

[Jim Comeaux]

Several good suggestions here, and they all will work. Just remember that it is ten times harder to undue what you have just done than it is to do what you have just done. Yes, any very, very fine abrasive pad or paper or cloth will work. It’s just that some of them work a bit too well or too fast. My personal favorite is the Scotch-Brite pad. Honestly, the hardest part of the job is screwing up enough courage to actually assault you guitar with a piece is sandpaper.

[Mdinterman]

I used 0000 steel wool for a long time but I found the neck just glosses up after a while any way. Left it alone and now my neck is super glossy BUT not sticky as I find factory finish gloss necks to be. Maybe your hand oils will make your neck more playable if you give it a chance. Satin neck was a “must have” for me but now mine is super glossy but very playable.

[Sadie-f]

Originally Posted by srick

Micromesh pads are what you want. Then, I would advised working backwards from the finest grade a couple of steps until you get the right feel. They just need a light pressure and if you are working backwards (finer to coarse) you will likely do less damage.


https://www.stewmac.com/luthier-tool...hoCBdQQAvD_BwE

Agreed on the working back from fine to less fine idea, I'm also inclined to make the 'satin' working in circle or figure-8 rather than parallel to the neck.

Also agree with LJG, it takes about a year for me to polish a satin neck down to gloss which makes for more of the stick-slip problem.

[edit] I keep my electrics with nearly bare wood, a single layer of tung oil, offers what I think is enough protection, with a surface that won't become gloss / sticky. If I ever build an acoustic from scratch, I'll be considering this as a neck treatment for that also.

[maxtheaxe]

Some good options; I've found that polishing satin finishes works quite well...or if you're patient, it'll just become polished after a couple years of playing it.

I've never done it with gloss, but the micro-mesh, 2000-grit wet/dry paper and spit, or very fine scotch-brite should work well, going slow and checking work frequently.

I would under no circumstances use 'steel wool' for the simple fact that the metallic powder they leave can rust, while captured in little corners, grain, etc. If this is a preferred method, use BRONZE wool, not steel; it's available from boat chandleries.

[nikpearson]

Either of these will give you a soft satin finish without removing excessive material. You will probably have to redo this every 6 months or so.

With such fine abrasives if you decide you don’t like the satin feel it’s very easy to buff it back to gloss with a polishing compound.

[bnjp]

We use softtouch sponge sanding pads from Norton. They sell them in varying grits (500-600, 800-1000), but in my experience the 800-1000 is where you want stop or it starts to feel glossy again. Sand in straight lines with the grain and mask off where you want to stop.

[dnf777]

I like srick’s approach, as it is the least invasive method.

Only caveat is that if the finish is an improperly set poly or one of the newer water-based laquers, it may remain tacky for years, or forever, and in those (hopefully) rare cases, will need sanded to wood and refinished.

[Quickstep192]

My go-to for flattening finishes is Liberon 0000 steel wool lubricated with paste wax. The wax seems to make the steel wool cut more evenly. Liberon steel wool is a high quality and consistent steel wool.