Finish OVER stain...

[spauldingrules]

I just stained my Alder S body with Minwax Red Mahog. (oil based) and the color looks great.  Now, can I put tru-oil over that?  Or should I stick to Minwax satin poly?  I was hoping to do a couple of coats of tru oil then the poly (both of which I already have).

 

[jackthehack]

You can use either the Tru-oil or the poly after the stain is completely dry, just don't mix the two.

 

[stubhead]

I think that the oil-based tru-oil might have a tendency to "lift" the the oil-based stain up into the finish. At least, that's the way it works with using a water-based stain and then a water-based poly finish. In the water case, you have to put a coat of sanding sealer in between, a wax-free shellac is what I used. You might want to check into this, Michael Dresdner's "Wood Finishing Book" or somewhere. I just looked in Erlewine's book and he doesn't address this specifically, but he does say that makers often use a sealer in between the base coat and the edge paint on a sunburst finish.

 

[jackthehack]

Nope; I used Woodcraft oil based Honey Oak on the top and Minwax Walnut on the back of my L5S build and finished with around 40 coats of Tru-oil, no issues at all. You just have to ensure the oil based stains are COMPLETELY dry before starting the Tru-oil

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=1946.0

 

[m4rk0]

Yes, there won't be any problems..
I finished 4 guitars like that and I used both Minwax and Woodburst, with a tru oil finish directly over the stain.
As Jack wrote, make sure it's completely dry!

 

[spauldingrules]

Thanks - I've used a little Satin Poly over Tru-oil many times and it's always been great, though.