Finishing Schedule (Dye & Tru Oil): Comments?

[2ManyShoes]

Getting ready to start a new build (a flying V) on Saturday.  This is my third build, but my first Warmoth. 

The body is mahogany with a flamed maple cap.  The neck is maple with a Pau Ferro fingerboard.  I'm going to dye the flamed maple cap with TransTint.  The idea will be for the top of the cap to be Cordovan, and for the sides of the cap to be a natural masked binding that will match the back of the neck and the headstock.  (Those parts will be plain maple, somewhat darkened by the Tru Oil.)

The color will be Cordovan (you can see it here: http://www.joewoodworker.com/images/transtints/cordovan.jpg), but first I'll do one coat of black dye to bring out the figure.  I'll sand that back to clear wood and then proceed to the color.

The basic dye technique I picked up here:  http://www.finewoodworking.com/SkillsAndTechniques/SkillsAndTechniquesArticle.aspx?id=30182

Pickups will be Lindy Fralin PAFs (9k in the bridge, 8k in the neck, though I might switch those to a Grosh Blown '59 and a Lindy Fralin Unbucker).  All hardware is black.  I'll put pics up in the WIP section when I get rolling.

Anyway, here's my schedule for the body.  I'd be happy to hear any comments or suggestions.  Thanks.

1. Sand as necessary
2. Mask sides (including the “binding” created by the maple cap) with painter’s tape
3. Very light prep coat of Cordovan TransTint (so as not to shock the wood with black)
4. Let dry
5. One coat Black TransTint
6. Let dry
7. Sand down to clear wood
8. Cordovan TransTint
9. Let dry
10. Repeat as necessary until color is right
11. Light sand (if necessary)
12. Remove masking
13. Tru Oil (probably at least 10 coats, 24 hours apart, light sand with 0000 steel wool between coats)
14. Cure for 3-4 weeks
15. Carnauba wax

Thanks for any comments.

 

[crash]

I am not really qualified to comment on most of that process.  I would say skip the wax after the tru-oil.  If you need to do a touch up with Tru-oil later, you wont want any wax on there.

 

[fdesalvo]

I can only comment on the Tru-oil - I wouldn't use steel wool because it will leave fibers in your finish.  You can use scotchbrite pads. 

How do you intend on applying the TO and what kind of sheen are you going for?

 

[2ManyShoes]

I can only comment on the Tru-oil - I wouldn't use steel wool because it will leave fibers in your finish.  You can use scotchbrite pads. 

How do you intend on applying the TO and what kind of sheen are you going for?

I'm going to apply it with my fingers.  Ordinarily, I just leave an oil finish satin, but this time I want some gloss.  I'm not set up to spray a clear coat, so I was going to compromise with some wax.

Scotchbrite--really?  The "teflon safe" ones from the grocery store?

 

[Cagey]

Scotchbrite--really?  The "teflon safe" ones from the grocery store?

Similar, but not quite the same thing. They make them specifically for finishing work. Some descriptions here...

They beat the snot out of steel wool, which produces the Devil's dandruff. Gets on your floors and in your carpet and then into your feet and in the webs of your fingers where it itches like hell, gets into your finish, gets into your electronics, sticks to your pickups. Bad stuff. BAD stuff. I used to use it and it does do what you want done, but the consequences are no fun at all.

You can find it at most woodworking and finishing stores. And, of course, Google is your friend. Even Amazon carries some grades. They cost more than shredded steel hell, but they make your life so much easier it's a small price to pay.

 

[fdesalvo]

What Cagey said ^^

I went contrary to the application methods I found online to build up my TO finish.  I used a lint-free papertowel folded over several times to apply the finish after the initial first few hand-rubbed layers.  If you don't have dust or lint nibs in the finish, then you don' thave to worry about sanding between coats, either.  Just make sure you aren't handling it with your bare hands, as oils from your skin will ruin your finish. 

If you insist on sanding, I'd wait until you have a few coats built up and I'd lightly scuff the surface with that pad, as it's quite easy to burn through.  I used the 3M Micromesh kit and polished it from 400 grit on thoough 1000+ grit and it came out like glass, only needing a little polishing compound to finish it off.  The fretboard below is left satin.

By fdesalvo at 2011-05-23
By fdesalvo at 2011-05-23

I can only comment on the Tru-oil - I wouldn't use steel wool because it will leave fibers in your finish.  You can use scotchbrite pads. 

How do you intend on applying the TO and what kind of sheen are you going for?

I'm going to apply it with my fingers.  Ordinarily, I just leave an oil finish satin, but this time I want some gloss.  I'm not set up to spray a clear coat, so I was going to compromise with some wax.

Scotchbrite--really?  The "teflon safe" ones from the grocery store?

 

[Cagey]

That neck looks excellent! Tempts me to do an oil finish, too.

Speaking of "lint-free", if you really want a clean wipe, it's hard to beat coffee filters.  I used to use them back in the bad old days when you had to take heroic measures to polish the face of heat sinks for CPUs so you could get a super-fine contact with the die. Couldn't have any lint on there or you'd defeat the purpose of all the work you did to polish the thing to a mirror finish in the first place.

 

[fdesalvo]

^^ I forgot to mention that I wrapped a coffee filter around the folded paper towel!  But I used cheap ones that left lint haha.  I appreciate your kind words.

To the OP, when you open your bottle of TO, don't remove the film, but poke a small hole in it; as soon as O2 hits the solution, it will start to "spoil".  When putting the bottle away for the night, I like to store the bottle upside down.

As an aside, I loveeeee TO - on a fretboard.  I was concerned it would be a grabby or tacky finish, but it's quite powdery in feel compared to Fender's typical maple finish.

 

[2ManyShoes]

Agreed--that neck looks awesome.

 

[fdesalvo]

It's a 1-3/4 Wolfgang - kind of a bear, but the added string spacing is great for leads.  I wish I would've went 1-11/16, but nothing ventured, nothing gained! 

 

[2ManyShoes]

I've started this build, so I moved the discussion to a new thread in WIP:

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=19080.0

 

[moobox]

Yip that neck looks great. So, I've got a neck and thinking of Tru-oiling. Just a question re the fretboard: I've read that Tru-oil builds up at the frets. Did you have that experience at all? Also, when you say that you left the fretboard satin, do you mean that you didnt take any polishing compound to it?

And another question: what polishing compound would one use for Tru-oil?

Cheers - Ed

 

[fdesalvo]

Thanks, Ed.

I only applied 3 or 4 thin layers on the board and I didn't buff it with sand paper or steel wool. What I did was rub it into the wood, then buffed off the excess with a clean cotton cloth.  I buffed until the tackiness was gone. I did this for each coat.  Once I was satisfied with the fretboard, I just buffed it out with another cloth. I passed over the frets with some micromesh from 800 grit through 2000 grit I believe. I just kept going finer and finer until the frets were polished. Honestly there wasn't much residue on the frets since I was buffing the board almost immediately after each coat.

The back was a diff story. I let each coat dry on its own and scuffed it every 3 coats. The final coat was buffed from 600 - 2000 + using the micromesh. I honestly didn't even need to use the sandpaper though.  I just did it because I thought I should. U could follow up with polishing compound as well. 

 

[2ManyShoes]

I used a lint-free papertowel folded over several times to apply the finish after the initial first few hand-rubbed layers.  If you don't have dust or lint nibs in the finish, then you don' thave to worry about sanding between coats, either.  Just make sure you aren't handling it with your bare hands, as oils from your skin will ruin your finish. 

So do you wear gloves when you lay down the initial hand-rubbed layers?

 

[fdesalvo]

No, I probably should have; hehe it's tough to remove from your hands.  I washed my hands with dawn dish soap prior to applying.  Whenever it's car detail day, I use dawn to strip the wax from my vehicle, so it works well with temporarily removing oils from the fingers. 

 

[moobox]

Hey fellas I'm back and hope I'm not hijacking too much. Do you need to wipe the maple neck down with naphtha or anything before starting the Tru-oil?

 

[bagman67]

It's never a bad idea to make sure the surface you're about to apply finish to is clean.  So:  Yep, a quick blast of naptha can only help.