Your videos are the best tool on the internet for luthier tips. I’m learning so much, went from never considering building my own guitar to diving deep into it this year. Thank you. By the way, so you really think it’s that dangerous to be out in direct sunlight or was that just hyperbole? I live in Texas and I’ve gone out in the sun my entire life.
What I’ve done is wipe some Watco Danish oil on the wood. I let that dry overnight. Then I sprayed Sherwin Williams catalyzed 2-part lacquer. The Watco gave the wood that nice warm glow, and the lacquer gave a nice high gloss finish. But could also be left to look less glossy like oil.
Chase from chaseswkshop referred me to your channel. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders and I have to say thanks to him for this referral. Thank you for the tip and videos, I am just starting my ventures into guitar and amplifier building and I appreciate finding someone who has a good presentation along with accurate information that is easy to digest. I know that sounds like I am kissing ass, but I am not at all. It’s actually a chore and time consuming to find trustworthy videos on the subjects that I am interested in learning and when I do I think a big thank you is in order. Hope to see more videos in the future. Thank you very much.
You can actually do this with regular solarez as well, i contacted the company directly a few years ago to see what it could be thinned with and I don't remember their answer, but it worked great at the time.
I tried this on a wenge fingerboard and the results were…well, let’s just say I tried it twice, sanded back to bare wood, and went back to fingerboard oil. The solarez looked stunning when it cured, and really showed off the grain. But as soon as I attempted any sanding, no matter the grit or grits, it ended up with a milky finish. I tried cleaning it with a tack cloth, with water, with ethanol, with acetone, with a scotchbrite pad, but as soon as the liquid would evaporate, it went back to a milky color. Maybe on a light wood it wouldn’t be noticeable, but it was unusable on the wenge. I even experimented with putting wax on over it to see if it was just a surface texture that would go away, but it was still visible under the wax. Have you had any results like this? Have you tried it on dark wood?
Thanks Chris for this video. I notice you did not use a sealer because this is Maple of course. If I were to use the Solarez Polyester uv cured finish for this Maple neck ( or even the body) instead of icbinl would I need to use the sealer ? I ask because on another video (of a body finish) you mention that the sealer really grips the finish to the wood. Any thoughts please on this sealer issue ? Thanks.
Chris, can you put boiled linseed oil on it after the solarez?? Fret board not finished, but rest is in icbinl. Thanks, I can sand it back, if I need too!! Loving my body, but just not loving my neck.
I had never heard of this product before and I did some research. You can use a moderate amount of translucent tint with this as long as it is not enough to block UV light transmission. This could solve the "lack of color\character" issue. That is a beautiful body and neck! Nice work.
Or just apply a transparent dye stain first followed by the Solarez. The last thing I want to do is ruin my Solarez with a tint that might inhibit curing.
i like how you make your necks....stoping just before the edge(i assume with cnc) to create such a clean look that is also better resistant to moisture.i would have a cnc just for making perfect necks like that....very nice work.
Apply a very light coat and cure. There's no need to slop it on heavy. However, if you do get some in the fret slot, clean it out with the corner of a business card BEFORE you cure it.
@@HighlineGuitars makes perfect sense! Didn't think about the business card trick, so simple. I need to send you a picture of my first bass, I should call it a model M(onk) since I couldn't have done it without all your tips, cheers!
Did you prepare the fretboard before the solarez coating with your filler technique and your mixture, or do you use that only on rosewood (I think it was rosewood back then). I really like both colours, the yellowish one and the other. I think it's a advantage over the oil based finishes. You can tint the wood to the exact colour you like, do the solarez coating on top and it will stay that way. The oil finish will get darker and darker over time. What kind of tint would you recommend? You always check on ingredients and I trust your your judgment with all the testing you do. Looking forward to the other neck finishing videos. If you gone through all the neck finishes, could you do a pro/con comparison to wrap it up and rate them for durability/sheen. Would be so good to see them side by side with your great closeups.
I sand in steps and wetsand up to 2500 grit and have a beautiful natural basically gloss finish. You can shine bare wood without oils and spray sealers. Besides that, it's looks like a good product. I'll try it before I buy more gunstock sealer. Thanks, good video.
If I could feel confidant selling bare neck guitars, I would in a heartbeat. However, I prefer to seal the wood as insurance against bow, warp, and twist.
Yes you can use a uv light, but keep in mind it already cures in under a minute in partial sun, so having it cure any faster is a little pointless. I've had bodies cure in 30 seconds on a cloudy winter day outside in 10° F
Hi, i have seen the part 1. Does this product can damage paint? I mean, there was a time i painted with spray cans, i used a laquer of spray can and the paint was dripping. So i wonder if this one would do the same? I want to use tru oil but i hear it wear fast that other finishes...
Maybe instead of adding regular dye to the solarez you could add a dusted dye pigment to it and dissolve the pigment with the solarez so it doesn't impair its ability to cure.
It depends on how thick you apply it and what you do to it after curing. When applied thin and sanded with 800 or finer it has a silky smooth feel. Applied thick and buffed to a high gloss it feels more plasticky.
@@bevinmodrak4997 there was a guy who said you could as long as it didn't block the uv part of it but on the safe side it sounds like it would just be easier to tint it first a d then solarez that's what high line recommends
Thank you for presenting this wonderful technique. Can you offer an opinion about the “breathability” of this finish? How would this finish affect the aging of the wood, and it’s resultant patina? I thank you in advance for your thoughts.
Neither wood nor their finishes can "breathe." They don't have lungs. They can, however, absorb and expel moisture which is really bad. When moisture enters or leaves a piece of wood, the wood can warp, bend, twist, and crack. Most modern synthetic resins such as polyester and 2k poly are based on polyurethane which doesn't age. If you want a finish that will change in appearance by deteriorating over time, you'll have to look elsewhere.
Unfortunately Solarez are terrible at responding to people. I have emailed them and the uk distributor for months now and I have yet to receive a response. I guess I'll stick to poly and oil.
Excellent videos! My comments are to the viewers....Pay attention to the video(rewind or take notes) and Read the other comments! It’s great to get a response, even better that the man reads them and tries to keep up with everyone....But you are wasting his time by repeat answers or not paying attention to the video!? If there were 1000, 10,000, etc. comments(questions)....goodluck on getting a response! SMH....Thanks again for sharing your talents through these videos....Aloha Braddah!
Throwing in your global warming fear of the sun wasn’t necessary for this since in the last video you had no problem standing in the sun. Did something change? Or are you just using you guitar platform to express your feelings on GW? Your platform, your choice.
Here is a updted link (the link above gives a 404 can't be found message) to the Solarez product: www.solarez.com/product/i-cant-believe-its-not-lacquer-brush-on/
STILL WATCHING! AWESOME. THANK YOU
Fabo approves of I Can't Believe It's Not Lacquer.
thanks for your excellent tutorial, from Argentina. dude, I love your guitars !!!!
Thanks you so much for all those very informative videos!!
Your videos are the best tool on the internet for luthier tips. I’m learning so much, went from never considering building my own guitar to diving deep into it this year. Thank you.
By the way, so you really think it’s that dangerous to be out in direct sunlight or was that just hyperbole? I live in Texas and I’ve gone out in the sun my entire life.
That fretboard and top are so beautiful they're haunting my dreams! Thanks for another great instructional, Chris.
What I’ve done is wipe some Watco Danish oil on the wood. I let that dry overnight. Then I sprayed Sherwin Williams catalyzed 2-part lacquer. The Watco gave the wood that nice warm glow, and the lacquer gave a nice high gloss finish. But could also be left to look less glossy like oil.
you put a water based finish over an oil based finish?
Awesome video Chris & great idea about keeping out of the sunlight !!
Chase from chaseswkshop referred me to your channel. He seems to have a good head on his shoulders and I have to say thanks to him for this referral. Thank you for the tip and videos, I am just starting my ventures into guitar and amplifier building and I appreciate finding someone who has a good presentation along with accurate information that is easy to digest. I know that sounds like I am kissing ass, but I am not at all. It’s actually a chore and time consuming to find trustworthy videos on the subjects that I am interested in learning and when I do I think a big thank you is in order. Hope to see more videos in the future. Thank you very much.
If you want a 'golden hue" Apply a varnish sanding sealer first. Lightly sand back and then apply Solarez...... BOOM! Golden hue.....
Looks awesome Chris! Thank you much!! 🎸🎸👍
You can actually do this with regular solarez as well, i contacted the company directly a few years ago to see what it could be thinned with and I don't remember their answer, but it worked great at the time.
You warm it to thin it.
Thanks for all your R&D love your vids.
Just another cool technique Thanks a mill.
I'm also curious where to purchase a can of Solarez? I bought a small pint-sided bottle directly from them and it was EXPENSIVE
Which of the fake oil finishes came out closest? Can a water based stain be applied under the Solarez?
I liked the Solarez approach best. Yes, water-based can be used under Solarez ICBINL.
I tried this on a wenge fingerboard and the results were…well, let’s just say I tried it twice, sanded back to bare wood, and went back to fingerboard oil.
The solarez looked stunning when it cured, and really showed off the grain. But as soon as I attempted any sanding, no matter the grit or grits, it ended up with a milky finish. I tried cleaning it with a tack cloth, with water, with ethanol, with acetone, with a scotchbrite pad, but as soon as the liquid would evaporate, it went back to a milky color. Maybe on a light wood it wouldn’t be noticeable, but it was unusable on the wenge. I even experimented with putting wax on over it to see if it was just a surface texture that would go away, but it was still visible under the wax. Have you had any results like this? Have you tried it on dark wood?
I've used it on dark wood including Wenge but didn't have the issues you described.
Greta video! How is the feeling of the neck with this finish? Oil? Satinlike? Is IT a bit sticky or smooth?
Thanks Chris for this video.
I notice you did not use a sealer
because this is Maple of course.
If I were to use the Solarez Polyester uv cured finish for this Maple neck ( or even the body) instead of icbinl would I need to use the sealer ?
I ask because on another video (of a body finish) you mention that the sealer really grips the finish to the wood. Any thoughts please on this sealer issue ?
Thanks.
Yes. Use the sealer.
Chris, can you put boiled linseed oil on it after the solarez?? Fret board not finished, but rest is in icbinl. Thanks, I can sand it back, if I need too!! Loving my body, but just not loving my neck.
No! BLO needs to soak into raw wood or you’ll have a sticky mess.
Thanks! So live with it, or sand it off? Or If I just oil fret board, would it be ok? Just not happy yet
any end product difference if I were to use the Hi Tech Yellow wax (liquid form of Carnuba wax) instead of the paste wax?
Don't know. I never tried it.
Want to tint mine, do I uv grain seal before or after tint??
You can do it either way. However, they will likely look slightly different, so you should test first on scrap to see which way you prefer.
Awesome, like always!
I had never heard of this product before and I did some research. You can use a moderate amount of translucent tint with this as long as it is not enough to block UV light transmission. This could solve the "lack of color\character" issue. That is a beautiful body and neck! Nice work.
Or just apply a transparent dye stain first followed by the Solarez. The last thing I want to do is ruin my Solarez with a tint that might inhibit curing.
i like how you make your necks....stoping just before the edge(i assume with cnc) to create such a clean look that is also better resistant to moisture.i would have a cnc just for making perfect necks like that....very nice work.
Excellent
When you spread the Solarez on the fretboard how did you keep it from going in the fret slots? Looks amazing!
Apply a very light coat and cure. There's no need to slop it on heavy. However, if you do get some in the fret slot, clean it out with the corner of a business card BEFORE you cure it.
@@HighlineGuitars makes perfect sense! Didn't think about the business card trick, so simple. I need to send you a picture of my first bass, I should call it a model M(onk) since I couldn't have done it without all your tips, cheers!
Did you prepare the fretboard before the solarez coating with your filler technique and your mixture, or do you use that only on rosewood (I think it was rosewood back then).
I really like both colours, the yellowish one and the other. I think it's a advantage over the oil based finishes. You can tint the wood to the exact colour you like, do the solarez coating on top and it will stay that way. The oil finish will get darker and darker over time.
What kind of tint would you recommend? You always check on ingredients and I trust your your judgment with all the testing you do. Looking forward to the other neck finishing videos.
If you gone through all the neck finishes, could you do a pro/con comparison to wrap it up and rate them for durability/sheen. Would be so good to see them side by side with your great closeups.
I don't do anything to prep the fretboard except to sand it smooth up to 800 grit. As for a tint, I'd use amber aniline dye.
Is there a problem with putting a couple coats of solarez over a tung oil finish?
No. However, the tung oil needs to be fully cured before you apply the Solarez.
Did you do any kind of grain fill on the body or neck before applying the solarez?
I sand in steps and wetsand up to 2500 grit and have a beautiful natural basically gloss finish. You can shine bare wood without oils and spray sealers. Besides that, it's looks like a good product. I'll try it before I buy more gunstock sealer. Thanks, good video.
If I could feel confidant selling bare neck guitars, I would in a heartbeat. However, I prefer to seal the wood as insurance against bow, warp, and twist.
THIS VIDEO IS AWESOME WHAT KINDA FINISH DOES SOLAR RES LEAVE, feel wise? could u use a UV light as the reactant
Yes you can use a uv light, but keep in mind it already cures in under a minute in partial sun, so having it cure any faster is a little pointless. I've had bodies cure in 30 seconds on a cloudy winter day outside in 10° F
@@elijahmaurer9039 that is rather badass :)
Hi, i have seen the part 1. Does this product can damage paint? I mean, there was a time i painted with spray cans, i used a laquer of spray can and the paint was dripping. So i wonder if this one would do the same? I want to use tru oil but i hear it wear fast that other finishes...
You'll have to ask the manufacturer or test on scrap.
Maybe instead of adding regular dye to the solarez you could add a dusted dye pigment to it and dissolve the pigment with the solarez so it doesn't impair its ability to cure.
Anything added to this product will impair its ability to cure properly.
@@HighlineGuitars Alright good to know thank you
Have you experimented with using trans tint or another tinting product with the Solarez?
No. There's no point. If I want a tint, I'll apply it as a transparent dye before clear coating with Solarez.
Curious as to how you pre-applied your headstock logo?
It’s inlaid. The logo is carved into the surface an filled with color tinted epoxy.
Thanks a lot for doing this. How is the feel of that solarez finish to the touch ? Smooth like oil or shellac, or more like poly (a bit plastic-y) ?
It depends on how thick you apply it and what you do to it after curing. When applied thin and sanded with 800 or finer it has a silky smooth feel. Applied thick and buffed to a high gloss it feels more plasticky.
@@HighlineGuitars ok, great, thanks a lot for clarifying! Another question if I may: how do you remove the cured solarez from the fret slots ?
@@martinraspaud3897 Don't get any in the slots in the first place. But if you do, clean them out with a fret saw.
Do you apply the wax to the fretboard as well? Or just on the rest of the neck? Thanks
I don't, but you can.
Do you refrigerate the Solarez before rubbing it on as Solarez recommends when using a brush?
I only refrigerate it when I brush it on thick, which does make a difference.
I am very excited to try out solar rez both laquer and resin epoxy would love to see you use the dye under the solar rez to see the outcome
Or can you tint the solar rez?
@@bevinmodrak4997 he said no earlier in a comment it will effect the curing ability of it
@@bevinmodrak4997 there was a guy who said you could as long as it didn't block the uv part of it but on the safe side it sounds like it would just be easier to tint it first a d then solarez that's what high line recommends
Have you tried adding a dye to the solarez? Would you be able to tint its colour?
Dye will impair its ability to cure, so no I haven't tinted it.
Thank you for presenting this wonderful technique. Can you offer an opinion about the “breathability” of this finish? How would this finish affect the aging of the wood, and it’s resultant patina? I thank you in advance for your thoughts.
Neither wood nor their finishes can "breathe." They don't have lungs. They can, however, absorb and expel moisture which is really bad. When moisture enters or leaves a piece of wood, the wood can warp, bend, twist, and crack. Most modern synthetic resins such as polyester and 2k poly are based on polyurethane which doesn't age. If you want a finish that will change in appearance by deteriorating over time, you'll have to look elsewhere.
I wonder if a coat of tru oil on the neck , before applying solarez would work ??
Why would you do that? If you want the color, mimic it with water or alcohol-based dye.
Use shellac as a sanding sealer?
is the solarez not able to be tinted?
Can I use this finish over a body already finished in oil?
Yes, as long as the oil is completely cured. Also, it may be advisable to put down a sealer such as a shellac.
Unfortunately Solarez are terrible at responding to people. I have emailed them and the uk distributor for months now and I have yet to receive a response. I guess I'll stick to poly and oil.
My contact at Solarez is Gary Fisher. solartech@solarez.com
What brand allen wrench is that ?
www.amazon.com/Bondhus-10760-Screwdriver-ProGuard-2-Piece/dp/B0042XWOTG
The intensity of sun hasn't increased. In fact due to the increase in concentration of CO2, sunlight is a bit attenuated.
I never said the sun's intensity has increased.
@@HighlineGuitars Then what do your rather strange remarks mean, pray tell?
@@johnnylance They mean don't stand in the sun for too long or you'll get burned and increase your risk of getting skin cancer.
@@HighlineGuitars You said a bit more than that. I found it curious. I enjoyed your video. Cheers!
johnnylance ... What a Load of Bull Shit LMAO
Excellent videos! My comments are to the viewers....Pay attention to the video(rewind or take notes) and Read the other comments! It’s great to get a response, even better that the man reads them and tries to keep up with everyone....But you are wasting his time by repeat answers or not paying attention to the video!? If there were 1000, 10,000, etc. comments(questions)....goodluck on getting a response! SMH....Thanks again for sharing your talents through these videos....Aloha Braddah!
Throwing in your global warming fear of the sun wasn’t necessary for this since in the last video you had no problem standing in the sun. Did something change? Or are you just using you guitar platform to express your feelings on GW? Your platform, your choice.
Oh brother... 🙄
Hahaha.. global warming.. bwahaha
Here is a updted link (the link above gives a 404 can't be found message) to the Solarez product: www.solarez.com/product/i-cant-believe-its-not-lacquer-brush-on/