How much tung oil should I get?

[10maxpower01]

I'm planning on getting a Gecko 6 string and doing the finish myself. I'm putting together a price list and I want to know just how much tung oil I'll need to finish the whole guitar. It looks like they sell it by the quart, would just one be enough?

 

[ChucksGuitarShop]

Depends on the wood.
Maple won't absorb much but an Ash body can absorb 8oz.

Check this out. All natural Raw Tung Oil.

http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oil.html

Read the application guide. It will help a lot.

This is the finest Tung Oil I know of ... 8oz. thinned 50% will do the job very nicely & penetrate very well on pretty much any application.
The Citrus Solvent is extremely pleasant to work with too.

 

[10maxpower01]

Thanks, man. $8 is a good price, I was fearing it would be ~85 or something. Warmoth adds another 170 for the satin finish. I think I'll be getting the 16oz simply because it 3 bucks more for twice as much and my brother will probably end up using the left over on his drums.

Sorry for the dumb questions, but do I also need to apply the Tung Oil to the fretboard? I would assume yes, but figured I'd ask.

I guess I should give the wood specs: swamp ash core with koa top, maple neck with pau ferro fretless and lineless fingerboard.

 

[swarfrat]

Finishing is highly labor intensive. Ironically named  I know, because it seems like you will never be finished. It's a lot like moving dirt. It's one of the lowest paying jobs there is, but one of the most expensive things there is to have hired out. The materials cost of finishing is very low - it's in skill and hours. And if you're not a patient person it's probably worth every penny you pay them.

 

[10maxpower01]

Me and my brother have finished 3 floors with 4 coats of urethane. I'm sure I can handle the labor and patience part. Of course, I'll be doing a trial run on some scrap wood because i've never dealt with tung oil before.

 

[jbis]

Depends on the wood.
Maple won't absorb much but an Ash body can absorb 8oz.

Check this out. All natural Raw Tung Oil.

http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oil.html

Read the application guide. It will help a lot.

This is the finest Tung Oil I know of ... 8oz. thinned 50% will do the job very nicely & penetrate very well on pretty much any application.
The Citrus Solvent is extremely pleasant to work with too.

Pure tung oil takes a long time to fully cure so if time is a consideration, you may want to go with a polymerized tung oil like Formby's or Minwax.

 

[10maxpower01]

Is there a benefit to using pure tung oil? If pure takes longer, but ends up being the same as Minwax or Formby's, then I'd rather go with that. I'm perfectly okay with it taking long, but only if it serves a good purpose, you know?

 

[jbis]

I don't see any benefit to using pure tung oil