Thread: How To Get A Smooth Finish on a Neck .... ?

Hey,
I'm not sure whether to post this here or in the Finishing forum, but anyway ....

I'm building a solid-body electric as a learning experience, although I bought the neck - rosewood fingerboard on a maple neck. I'm just trying to finish the neck now. I've put a light stain on it (as an experiment) and was going to spray a clear on it. However, I've decided to put a Danish Oil on it - Cabot's Danish Oil.

So I'm trying to find out how to get a smooth finish at the end of all this. I've rubbed the neck down with OOOO grade steel wool, and it was wonderfully smooth. After the first stain application (some drops of Feast Watson stain in metho) it was all rough again - that's OK. So rubbed it again with steel wool and applied a few more coats of stain, rubbing before each application of stain.

Tonight, I rubbed again with steel wool and applied the first coat of Danish Oil. I hang it on a wire hook inside the garage (which is closed) after applying the oil. Just checking now, it appears to have a very slight roughness to the touch again.

Is this just the grain standing up again, or is there dust getting onto the oil? Will I always have to rub with OOOO steel wool after each application (after it dries for 24 hrs first)? If so, what will have to the semi-gloss I hope to achieve?

Or do I need to make some sort of an enclosure (soemthing like a garbage bag or two on a frame) and place the neck inside this to prevent any dust settling on it, and so keep a smooth finish to the neck?

Any help or thoughts would be most appreciated.

Regards.