Does anyone have some nice pictures of a french polish or True oil guitar? I am debating doing that finish over the spray on lacquer that I have been doing. I am sick of the fumes and since winter is coming my garage will be too cold for a spray finish anyway. Can you get them as glossy as lacquer or is it a little duller? Pretty durable?
French polish/True oil
- Thread starter Danuda
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I have applied French polish to sitars... I would say it's as hard and glossy as lacquer but not quite as durable. Some people's sweat (myself included) can eat into it pretty quickly, and of course, if you spill booze on it, you’ll have a sticky mess. It’s easy to repair though, you just apply more shellac and scratches disappear. Applied properly, the film thickness is very thin which is why some acoustic guitar builders still prefer shellac over other finishes. Regarding fumes, if you have access to 190 proof Everclear or other pure grain alcohol, it's totally non-toxic (shellac is used as a coating on pills and candies). The French polish process is very sensitive to the ambient temp and humidity so you might consider that. It takes some practice to get the technique down but it’s not as difficult as some might want you to believe. If you want to learn it, there’s a great DVD by Ron Fernandez that will show you how and what materials you’ll need.
bagman67
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See also: Frank Ford's photo series on French polishing at http://www.frets.com/fretspages/luthier/Technique/Finish/FrenchPolish/frenchpolish1.html
TroubledTreble
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I think the tru-oil finish holds up quite nicely. It's not as hard as some finishes but it does feel very organic and warm and that's a plus to me. It's an easy finish to do and as mentioned if there are ever any bad scratches, it's easy to sand it a little and apply more. Another plus IMO.
I applied mine in the winter. I had the benefit of being able to control the environment. I applied it in a basement then brought it elsewhere to cure. After applying all coats, it does take quite a while for it to be fully cured. I would say after 3 months it was absolutely cured but I was playing it in 2 weeks no problem. I do strongly suggest sanding filler which the same company makes, for woods that have an open grain. Doing the filler would pretty much guarantee a glossy finish.
It's a forgiving finish to do and a lot of fun and satisfaction. Tru Oil is inexpensive and it would be worthwhile to try it out on a test piece to see what you think. BTW I think I used a total of one bottle of sealer and two of Tru-Oil for one body. EDIT* Two bottles because I went back, sanded off the first finish and then started over with sealer. I learned the hard way. :tard:
I applied mine in the winter. I had the benefit of being able to control the environment. I applied it in a basement then brought it elsewhere to cure. After applying all coats, it does take quite a while for it to be fully cured. I would say after 3 months it was absolutely cured but I was playing it in 2 weeks no problem. I do strongly suggest sanding filler which the same company makes, for woods that have an open grain. Doing the filler would pretty much guarantee a glossy finish.
It's a forgiving finish to do and a lot of fun and satisfaction. Tru Oil is inexpensive and it would be worthwhile to try it out on a test piece to see what you think. BTW I think I used a total of one bottle of sealer and two of Tru-Oil for one body. EDIT* Two bottles because I went back, sanded off the first finish and then started over with sealer. I learned the hard way. :tard:
TroubledTreble
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I did it exactly the same way.
First I applied some to body, then I applied a small amount to the cloth then started the process. It built up quite well and I did not need to sand between coats. It was quite smooth after each application.
I bolted a piece of wood to the neck pocket using two screws. I placed the piece of wood across my lap near my knees in a seated position. The body was off to one side. I had to keep my applicator charged with Tru-Oil from time to time but had no difficulties dealing with putting more on while holding the body. I found that by applying a small amount to the body first I had the best results. Each application and polish process only took a few minutes to complete. I waited at least a day between applications, doing a total of 5 coats.
In the years ( Oct 2006 ) since it has sunk into the grain just a little. What wood will you be doing it or thinking of doing it to? I understand you can tint it. On BK there is no need to tint. It's amazing how that wood changes with a finish on it.
First I applied some to body, then I applied a small amount to the cloth then started the process. It built up quite well and I did not need to sand between coats. It was quite smooth after each application.
I bolted a piece of wood to the neck pocket using two screws. I placed the piece of wood across my lap near my knees in a seated position. The body was off to one side. I had to keep my applicator charged with Tru-Oil from time to time but had no difficulties dealing with putting more on while holding the body. I found that by applying a small amount to the body first I had the best results. Each application and polish process only took a few minutes to complete. I waited at least a day between applications, doing a total of 5 coats.
In the years ( Oct 2006 ) since it has sunk into the grain just a little. What wood will you be doing it or thinking of doing it to? I understand you can tint it. On BK there is no need to tint. It's amazing how that wood changes with a finish on it.
bagman67
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Warmoth site says tru-oil is adequate to satisfy the warranty requirement of a hard finish - so I suspect it will protect reasonably well against warpage.
Some folks do a sand-and-oil approach with open-grained woods and tru-oil, creating a slurry of sanding dust and oil which fills the pores. This probably fills the pores faster and more reliably than just coat after coat of tru-oil by itself. Once you're happy with the grain fill, subsequent coats can be applied in the French polish fashion.
Bagman
Some folks do a sand-and-oil approach with open-grained woods and tru-oil, creating a slurry of sanding dust and oil which fills the pores. This probably fills the pores faster and more reliably than just coat after coat of tru-oil by itself. Once you're happy with the grain fill, subsequent coats can be applied in the French polish fashion.
Bagman
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