C-U CoopLiving's Profile

Do not use steel wool on something you want to really do a nice job on. As others have said, rust will appear - frequently in less than a year. If you are going to apply boiled linseed oil or tung oil, synthetic steel wool is a much better option. This is made of a plastic that won't leave stains.

As for grading - the roughness of the steel wool is graded on a number scale. 3 is the most coarse, down to 0, which is usually "fine" and then 00, 000, and 0000 - progressively finer. This fine grades are what you will want to use for finishing.

I like to listen to music pretty loud on occasion, but have never had complaints from my neighbors. I made sure to have all the speakers either on stands or on a piece of furniture so the sound doesn't transfer directly to the floor. I have a subwoofer that this on a rubber mat as well.

I have asked the guy who lives below me if he's ever heard us and he said no. Also, we made sure to have the speakers in a room not directly above his living room or bedroom - this seems to help as well. He has done the same thing and I have never heard his music either.

The stress on the neck is a force that is applied directly upwards from the body. Think of the amount of force applied to the body/neck joint from the strings. The extra few pounds of vertical force from the guitar body is likely negligible.

how about that cabinet in the background...anybody know where I could get one?

Pretty easy to find guys. Just go to their website, type in "leg" and it is the 4th thing that comes up.

http://www.acehardware.com/product/index.jsp?productId=1297665&cp=&sr=1&kw=leg&origkw=leg&parentPage=search&searchId=39584310964

4,6,8,12,16,22, and 28 inches are the different sizes if you don't feel like clicking. 2.99-8.49 and they ship to any store for free.

Any idea what color is in the first photo in the top left corner. The dark blue-green color. It is quite fantastic.

Boiled linseed oil. Just like medusa said, it is a gorgeous finish. I just finished a desk with it and it is wonderful. Keep in mind though, it is no where near as durable a finish as anything synthetic. If you drip water on it, it needs to be wiped up, and it will scuff and scratch...but it will wear with your house and in my opinion only look more beautiful over time.

If you would decide to do that, it works in best with something like 0000 super fine steel wool. Put it on real heavy, let it sit, and wipe it off. Let it dry for a day and do it again. Do three coats and buff it out, it will look fantastic.

The most important thing, as stated above, is to make sure you soak any rags in water for 24 hours as soon as you finish using them. The oil oxidizes as it dries, which causes it to heat up and can combust, thus burning up your nicely finished floor - which you of course don't want.

Since everyone is always the most concerned about what is the most green - I would think the most green, the cheapest, and probably the most effective option is just to get a snake and get rid of the problem for real. With the baking soda and vinegar you are going to have to keep buying that once a month and wasting your time over and over. With a snake you can blast it out of there and be done with it, and they aren't too expensive.