I'm chuffed to my latest pinky plonk ukukele, however the mahogany neck is bare, should I varnish, polish or leave bare. I did use diesel on my last but im not sure.....any advice
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I don't know what jump started this discussion after 6 months idle, but I agree with ALL of you--including Brown Water Jerry.
Like he says, use pre-mixed shellac diluted 50/50 with denatured alcohol. "Bathe" the wood in it before the final sanding to harden it up, fill the end grain, etc. Then sand with 220 grit and/or steel wool to get a really wonderful feeling surface.
After sanding, you can use whatever finish you want (or none at all), but Tru Oil is great. Personally, I've been using Minwax Antique Oil Finish (but it's not available in Lowe's or HD). Having the shellac wash on first will probably reduce the number of coats of oil that you need.
In my experience Tru-Oil is awesome! Easy to work with and provides a beautiful, durable finish.
The link below is to a video by Luthier Dave Bagwill showing in great detail how you finish an acoustic guitar with Tru-Oil. I'm working with Dave on a project right now and think he is a terrific guitar builder.
The guitar in the photo has a Koa top with five coats of Tru-Oil on it. I used steel wool between coats and a final light steel wool rub down to give it a soft sheen.
Rooster > Primitive AcousticsJuly 2, 2015 at 12:15am
Beautiful work Tom......and thanks for the video link. I always enjoy learning how others use a product or method that I use, ..............you can always pick up a pointer or two :)
Ok, so I just finished my first Tru Oil job. I like the way it turned out. I'm going to let it cure for a little longer before giving it a buff with some old denim or something. It looks nice and feels pretty good. I will probably use it going forward.
I've been using tru oil too. It's so easy to work with and safe too. I dont have any decent places for spraying, so the wipe-on technique is perfect for me. It's also extremely easy to touch up if any wear does occur, but I've found it to be very resilient. The only drawback is it takes a lot of coats to get a super high lustre, but that's not my style anyway.
I'm using Tru Oil for my latest build. 12 hours between coats, wipe off the excess immediately, very light sanding between coats with 600grit. I've gone 6 coats and it has a good shine to it already. Will try wet sanding it today.
Have you ever used it before Rickey? I can do 3-4 coats on a good day with only a couple of hours dry time between coats. I usually knock it back a little between coats with the #0000 steel wool and wipe on another coat using the small cotton gun cleaning patches. My best results come from starting at one end and working toward the other using thin layers and letting it level out itself............believe me, a little goes a long way ;)
I've been pretty happy with Tru Oil when I thin it down a bit with mineral spirits... but I like the wood feel... so I normally go 1 thin coat, or I'll use just a coat of boiled linseed oil...
Replies
I don't know what jump started this discussion after 6 months idle, but I agree with ALL of you--including Brown Water Jerry.
Like he says, use pre-mixed shellac diluted 50/50 with denatured alcohol. "Bathe" the wood in it before the final sanding to harden it up, fill the end grain, etc. Then sand with 220 grit and/or steel wool to get a really wonderful feeling surface.
After sanding, you can use whatever finish you want (or none at all), but Tru Oil is great. Personally, I've been using Minwax Antique Oil Finish (but it's not available in Lowe's or HD). Having the shellac wash on first will probably reduce the number of coats of oil that you need.
In my experience Tru-Oil is awesome! Easy to work with and provides a beautiful, durable finish.
The link below is to a video by Luthier Dave Bagwill showing in great detail how you finish an acoustic guitar with Tru-Oil. I'm working with Dave on a project right now and think he is a terrific guitar builder.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A6zmitxywKU
The guitar in the photo has a Koa top with five coats of Tru-Oil on it. I used steel wool between coats and a final light steel wool rub down to give it a soft sheen.
Beautiful work Tom......and thanks for the video link. I always enjoy learning how others use a product or method that I use, ..............you can always pick up a pointer or two :)
Ok, so I just finished my first Tru Oil job. I like the way it turned out. I'm going to let it cure for a little longer before giving it a buff with some old denim or something. It looks nice and feels pretty good. I will probably use it going forward.
looked sweet b4 Richey,even be
Good question....I too want to know the answer to this question.....
I've been using tru oil too. It's so easy to work with and safe too. I dont have any decent places for spraying, so the wipe-on technique is perfect for me. It's also extremely easy to touch up if any wear does occur, but I've found it to be very resilient. The only drawback is it takes a lot of coats to get a super high lustre, but that's not my style anyway.
I'm using Tru Oil for my latest build. 12 hours between coats, wipe off the excess immediately, very light sanding between coats with 600grit. I've gone 6 coats and it has a good shine to it already. Will try wet sanding it today.
Have you ever used it before Rickey? I can do 3-4 coats on a good day with only a couple of hours dry time between coats. I usually knock it back a little between coats with the #0000 steel wool and wipe on another coat using the small cotton gun cleaning patches. My best results come from starting at one end and working toward the other using thin layers and letting it level out itself............believe me, a little goes a long way ;)
I've been pretty happy with Tru Oil when I thin it down a bit with mineral spirits... but I like the wood feel... so I normally go 1 thin coat, or I'll use just a coat of boiled linseed oil...
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