Barault, sticky neck?

geese_com

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/99715#Comment_99715

I made sure I used DEET free bug spray this year and I didn't have the Barault the year referenced in that post .

Bob Holo

Jesus... that's what DEET is? I just looked it up.

N-Diethyl-metatoluamide? AKA N,N-Diethyl-3-methylbenzamide

So basically it's a slow-evaporating industrial solvent / acetylcholine inhibitor? How'd that get approved for topical use?

Maybe there are studies showing that it doesn't penetrate the skin or whatever. But even so, little kids and dogs lick and chew everything in sight, so unless we can metabolize it really fast with no side effects, it seems a bit risky.

I hope I'm thoroughly and embarrassingly wrong this, but no more DEET for me until I look into it further.

therealguyfi

Bob Holo,

I’m so happy that you replied to this thread! I’ve played a handful of really good GJ guitars and the two that have most stood out to me (as in “holy shit that’s a fabulous instrument!”) are my Barault and that of the dude from Rhythm Future (sorry, forgot his name, not Olli) which you built.

I have extensive experience with solvents, stains, etc through painting and carpentry work. Should I start with just a little naphtha on a clean rag and a light touch? Any particular product you recommend? If I do this will I then definitely have to put a shellac or something over it? What do you think of the 0000 steel wool suggestion?

Thank you.

Guy

p.s. Geese I’m loving the guitar, no ill will just taking advantage of the hive mind to address this.

Bob Holo

You might want to check with Jean to see if he's OK with this. There might be some reason not to refinish even if the neck finish is completely gone.

If so, then get "VM&P Naptha" so you get naptha and not some generic degreaser that may work differently. Odd, but buying "Naptha" doesn't actually guarantee that you're buying pure naptha. VM&P is true naptha. (VM&P=varnish & paint maker's)

Use butyl gloves and ventilation. Naptha is hard on hands and lungs. Paper towels work great. Use a decent amount of naptha and you can scrub lightly. Repetitions do the trick. Depending on how dirty and embedded the grease/dirt is and how far into the wood it has penetrated, the naptha will bring up a little oil each time. You might have to leave it to dry for half an hour and repeat four or five times until the paper towel comes away clean. Naptha shouldn't harm either shellac or nitro. So if you're bringing up color - you know the finish is completely gone and then it's up to you whether you feel comfortable continuing or if it's better to take it to a restoration shop. If you start bringing up color and you're uncomfortable with that - stop and reassess.

Wax-free Shellac will seal a fair amount of contamination if it surfaces gradually later on. So, assuming you get the neck clean, tooth/de-gloss the neck with a gray or burgundy scotch pad and seal the toothed area with wax-free (dewaxed) shellac and then you're clear to overspray with nitro. You'll know if contaminants remain if you spray the first coat of shellac sealer and it exhibits fisheye. If you pad the initial coat of shellac, it's harder to tell, but you'll know later on because the initial layers of shellac won't dry consistently and padding subsequent layers will be harder than it should because your pad will glide in some places and stick in others. After letting the final coat of shellac dry for a few days, you can steel-wool the gloss off the shellac before laying down nitro, but make sure to use oil-free steel wool. I use Liberon-0000. Or just use a green or burgundy scotch pad.

Max has a couple - it might be the traditional, based on a Selmer or his Cedar Nouveau. I was happy with both of those guitars and Max has golden hands, so it's neat to hear him play. He also has the only Western guitar I've ever made. It's a bench copy of one of my prewar Martins, but the back and side are made from a Cherry tree that I had to cut down several years ago because it had gotten so big that its roots were cracking both mine and my neighbor's driveways. Max is a good guy.

Thanks for helping me procrastinate and avoid doing my 2019 tax planner... Lol. Ah well. better go finish it.

h24015

Shortly after I bought my Barault, I started having the same issue. For weeks I wiped down the neck frequently with a slightly damp old T-shirt. Eventually, the neck was fine.

Bob Holo

Yes, absolutely - to be clear - the goal is to clean the neck.

Naptha is just a good way to clean, because it is a good de-greaser and doesn't introduce water, so if the finish is damaged, it won't introduce moisture to the neck. If the cleaning process starts bringing up the stain and grain filler then the finish is gone and likely the best thing to do is stop cleaning and take it to a restoration shop. But that is not likely. It's probably fine, but just dirty.

Re-reading my post... I get too used to talking with people in a context of building and restoration and that's not what this board is. This is primarily a player board. I shouldn't have gone into that much detail about what to do in the unlikely event that the finish is compromised... which it probably isn't... Ouch. Oh well, done is done. But to be clear, the goal is to clean the neck.

But you bring up an excellent point, h24015 - it might just be that the finish is fine but a bit too off-gloss for the player's preference. If so, then a little polishing/burnishing will do the trick, particularly after the grime is cleaned away. Your hand will naturally burnish a neck over time, but wiping it with a cotton cloth will accelerate that.

therealguyfi

I wanted to post an update. I did buy Naptha but due to complications of life never ended up cleaning the neck with it, then it got cold and I didn’t want to do this inside. But after many weeks of wiping down the neck with a just barely damp tshirt it stopped getting tacky. Now I can play for hours. I don’t know what happened but whatever was coming up has ceased.

billyshakes

https://www.djangobooks.com/forum/discussion/comment/99716#Comment_99716

I finally got the "The Previous Owner was gross!" comment. ?

therealguyfi

Still happily playing this guitar, the stickiness seems to be a thing of the past. How should I clean the front, back, sides of this guitar? I believe it’s nitrocellulose. I have never cleaned it (only the back of the neck).