Looking for opinions on a walnut tele finish

bob7point7

Senior Member
Messages
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OK, time to start the second Warmoth project. I bought an all rosewood neck and a walnut body (pics attached). I want to finish the body so it matches the neck wood as well as it can. I'm thinking of staining it with Minwax dark walnut stain like tfarny's tele: http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=1865.0 and then applying 3-4 coats of Wipe-On Poly. I'm not really looking for a thick glossy finish, just something that will look natural, bring out the grain, and offer some protection. It seems like the wipe-on poly would be the easiest way to accomplish this. Does this seem like the best way to go or is there another process that would give better results?

Thanks,
-Bobbie
 
Not great pics, but on this figured walnut Strat: http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=234.0 I used the regular, rather than the dark walnut Minwax stain and finished it WATCO Danish Oil, would look great on your's with the rosewood neck....
 
Your plan sounds good to me, and nice parts! I did two with tung oil but I think that's the hardest way now - wipe-on poly would be a lot easier but satin spray can nitro from home depot would be my personal choice. I did one with the wipe-on and it wasn't even enough or smooth enough for my personal taste. Maybe I didn't apply it well, and the guy who bought it was happy enough.
 
http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=5621.0  Look at the last page.  Done in Tung Oil.

Same thing though, 1 piece walnut body and my neck will be a all rosewood neck.
 
Thanks for all the input, guys. Those are some beautiful finishes you've shown. I have a few more questions though...

Jack,
I'm having a hard time seeing what the finish really looks like from your pictures. How would you say the danish oil compares to the finish you got with the Tru Oil on your korina L5S? I love the finish on that guitar, but I'm not sure I have the patience to apply 40 coats.

tfarny,
I don't have a good place to spray anything in the wintertime. That's part of the reason I wanted a wipe-on finish. Do you think the wipe-on could be made consistent if more coats were built up and then the final coat was sanded and buffed?

Wana,
That tung oil finish is looking good. How many coats did you apply?

Thanks again for the input. I can see that deciding on the final direction isn't going to be easy. (That's OK though, I need this project to keep me busy for a while.)

-Bobbie
 
Yeah, some people have been happy with the wipe-on, just my one experience wasn't that great. Maybe I put on too thick or didn't wipe evenly or well. Give it a try, you can always sand off if it doesn't work.
 
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