logistics of where and how to finish a body using Tru-Oil

[hickup]

Hi guys,

i saw a topic or two on this a while ago, but i must not be searching for the right vocabulary as i can't find what i'm looking for so i figured i'd ask-

The body is mahogany with walnut top and i'm planning on tru-oiling the whole thing.  Is there a common way to build (or buy) a stand that i can bolt the body to something that will allow me to have the whole body suspended in air so that i can give everything an even coat?  Is that type of stand called anything in particular?  I keep searching for things like 'finishing stand' with no luck.

Secondly, i'm debating on where to actually apply and let dry these tru-oil coats.  My choices are basically either the garage workbench, or the spare bedroom.  I have 2 long-haired pets, and even with constant vaccuming/cleaning, their hair gets everywhere (airborne) so i'm not sure if indoors is best.  Garage is unfinished and prone to 'normal' levels of misc crap in the air from opening garage door to park, etc.

I guess with either case there is some level of dust in the air, but i guess how bad is it if a random hair floats on the body while drying?  I guess from what i gather, tru-oil doesn't take forever to dry so i have that going for me at least...

any suggestions?
thanks!

 

[Cagey]

Stewart-Macdonald supplies something they call a "Freehand Holder" that'll do what you're asking for...

You simply clamp it into a vice and have a blast. There are more pictures and a video at the link above.

There's also a member here who was making them himself, which is where I got mine...

Haven't seen him around in a while, though. You might try pinging him with a PM and see if he answers.

 

[hickup]

excellent- i'll send him a message and see what he says.  Do you think i need something like this to do oil-finishes on the guitar?  Is this what everyone does or is there some other way?

 

[bagman67]

Lots of people just lay the guitar body down on newspaper or hang it on a stick or a wire.  The bracket from StewMac is very handy and makes the job much easier, as is the one our brother forumite makes - but it's not an absolute necessity.

 

[hickup]

so just put wire through the bolt holes in the cavity and hang that?  Or bolt a stick on and hang the stick (along with the body)

thanks for your input

 

[Cagey]

excellent- i'll send him a message and see what he says.  Do you think i need something like this to do oil-finishes on the guitar?  Is this what everyone does or is there some other way?

I don't do oil finishes, so I can't really say. As with any finish, you don't really want anything touching it while it sets up to cure/dry, so you need to at least hang the thing.

The stands I showed are also good for working on necks. You need to have some shorter wood or machine screws, depending on what you're using to attach the neck, but then you can suspend it the same way as the body and do finish work or fret polishing. It's pretty convenient. Although, if you're not going to be doing a lot of that kind of work, it may not be worth the cost or clutter.

 

[crash]

I built a quick one out of some square tube stock that I had laying around.  Took about 2 hours to build.  You can't rotate it like above, but you can take the inside tube out and turn it 90 degrees.  I only ever need it face up or face down.  I am finishing my zebrawood tele on it right now.  Have a friend with a welder?