Burnishing mahogany?

[WarmothRules]

I’m waiting on parts for a build, a mahogany neck and body. I’m planning to just use tru oil on both. Should I burnish the mahogany neck before applying the tru oil? Should this be done to the body for more gloss although I don’t want it too glossy. Also in your opinions should I stain the wood? Not that I’m the biggest fan of Gibson but for ideas when I look at their guitars they are all strained like a cherry red or walnut on mahogany. Should I stain the woods?

 

[Bob Hoover Ross]

Should I burnish the mahogany neck before applying the tru oil?

My understanding of the burnishing raw necks process is that the whole point is so you don't need to use any finish.
Burnishing your neck seems like an awful lot of unnecessary labor if you're then going to coat that lovely hand-sanded glossy wood with some kind of oil.

btw, I've burnished two Warmoth necks, and I love the results! They not only look gorgeous, they feel divine. Highly recommended
...without any other finish.

 

[stratamania]

It is not necessary to burnish a neck if applying tru-oil. going to 600 grit should be more than enough.

 

[teleme01]

I thought mahogany necks needed finish, am i wrong

 

[WarmothRules]

I thought mahogany necks needed finish, am i wrong

They do, burnish, then finish.

 

[WarmothRules]

According to AI I should only sand to 400-600 grit sand paper then use old denim to “burnish” before applying my finish.

 

[stratamania]

They do, burnish, then finish.

It is not needed to "burnish". If you went to really fine grits beyond 600, you are going to have the wood too smooth for tru-oil or other finish to adhere to well.

Once you have some truoil layers, you can go to about 1000 grit on the finish itself and then use gunstock wax if you want to buff to a gloss finish or stock sheen if you want something more matt.

From experience and actual intelligence.

 

[WarmothRules]

It is not needed to "burnish". If you went to really fine grits beyond 600, you are going to have the wood too smooth for tru-oil or other finish to adhere to well.

Once you have some truoil layers, you can go to about 1000 grit on the finish itself and then use gunstock wax if you want to buff to a gloss finish or stock sheen if you want something more matt.

From experience and actual intelligence.

Thank you sir. I’ve done some minwax tung oil finishes in the past and haven’t been 100% happy with the results. I used tru oil once and it was too tacky feeling in the end. Probably from me applying too thick of coats. Going to really take my time on this one. Get the sanding right. Apply paper thin coats of tru oil. Like you said, not go above 600 grit before applying coats. Looking online and YouTube I sees finishes that look like they are raw practically but have some sheen. That’s the look I’m going for.

 

[stratamania]

Thank you sir. I’ve done some minwax tung oil finishes in the past and haven’t been 100% happy with the results. I used tru oil once and it was too tacky feeling in the end. Probably from me applying too thick of coats. Going to really take my time on this one. Get the sanding right. Apply paper thin coats of tru oil. Like you said, not go above 600 grit before applying coats. Looking online and YouTube I sees finishes that look like they are raw practically but have some sheen. That’s the look I’m going for.

Thin coats and time between them is the way to go. The green mahogany strat in my signature has a tru-oil finish on the neck. You can see the back of the neck in this post.

Post in thread 'The Green Mahogany Strat'

Mar 28, 2022

GreenComplete (7) by stratamania, on Flickr


GreenComplete (8) by stratamania, on Flickr


GreenComplete (9) by stratamania, on Flickr

• stratamania

• 

 

[WarmothRules]

Thin coats and time between them is the way to go. The green mahogany strat in my signature has a tru-oil finish on the neck. You can see the back of the neck in this post.

Post in thread 'The Green Mahogany Strat'

Mar 28, 2022

GreenComplete (7) by stratamania, on Flickr


GreenComplete (8) by stratamania, on Flickr


GreenComplete (9) by stratamania, on Flickr

• stratamania

• 

Wow pretty high gloss! How many coats? Maybe you can explain the process briefly.

 

[stratamania]

Wow pretty high gloss! How many coats? Maybe you can explain the process briefly.

It is only the neck that is Tru-oil.

Over the years I have explained it a number of times. The Welcome to the Forum link in my signature and its linked posts and threads is worth checking out.

This "Welcome to the Forum" link provides many useful links to build guides, tips and tricks, forum etiquette, and answers to life, the universe, and everything.

One of the linked build threads, and this post has an overview. The mahogany neck and headstock are done in a similar way apart from the one in the below post has a nitro headstock and tru-oil for the neck shaft.

Post in thread 'Quilted Purple Strat Build'

Nov 3, 2013

Here are the latest shots of the tru-oil work done. I had taken some in progress shots but they have been lost I am afraid due to a technical glitch with an SD card so just a written overview this time.

For an overview of the process I used Birchwood Casey tru-oil products for this bought in 3 oz quantities which is more than enough for several necks.

Products used all from Birchwood Casey :-

• Gun Stock Sealer & Filler
• Tru-Oil Gun Stock Finish
• Gun Stock Wax

The first step was to mask the line towards the head stock side that was done with the nitro as shown in an...

• stratamania