Micro Mesh or An Auto Polishing Compound?

[Watchie]

I am about to complete the polishing of my Jazzmaster project.  It has a million coats of Tru Oil on it, each rubbed back with either a 0000 grey pad/mineral spirits or 1500 with mineral spirits.  Needless to say the finish has quite a gloss already, but I want to take out any remaining wiping lines/other imperfections with a final polish. 

So, my question - do I use the 6000/8000/12000 Micro Mesh pads to achieve the best final high gloss finish or Turtle Wax (white) compound be the better alternative? I am looking for a really high shine.

Also, has anyone tried a top coat of the "wet shine" products out there that show cars use?  I have a test piece of Tru Oil finished wood I am going to try it on, but if others have prior experience your input would be helpful.

Thanks.

 

[jmohil]

Honestly, I wouldn't sweat it that much.  I have a tru-oiled guitar, and it's a pretty soft finish...at least mine is.  I spent a lot of time trying to get it perfectly smooth, and I did a decent job (I think), but it started scratching up almost immediately.  It wears much, much faster than a poly or laquer finish.  In hindsight, I think I probably spent a lot more time working on it than I should have.  That's just my experience though...others opinions may differ. 

 

[Cagey]

I spent a lot of time trying to get it perfectly smooth, and I did a decent job (I think), but it started scratching up almost immediately.   It wears much, much faster than a poly or laquer finish.   In hindsight, I think I probably spent a lot more time working on it than I should have. 

I like the look of a tru-oil finish, but it's been many years since I've done one for that very reason. Finishing is a big enough pain in the shorts without having to either repair it all the time or suffer a raggedly-looking instrument. If I'm not in a position to put a permanent finish on a guitar, I pay someone who can.

 

[Hbom]

Tru oil is a gun stock finish. It works great! Big advantage is that it is fairly easy to apply & much easier to repair a ding than other finishes used on rifle stocks.
Big dis-advantage is that it is a soft finish that dings & scratches easily. Easy to fix but still easy to scratch again. These are both good attributes for a gun stock finish.

Knowing that I think that Tru oil is a good finish for guitar necks for someone who likes that feel, and a good gun stock finish.

 

[Watchie]

Interesting but disappointing that it is soft even once cured.  I have been reading about a Master Gel finish that may give me the best of both worlds - easy wipe on finish and a harder cured topcoat. Anyone had any experience with this?

 

[Cagey]

I have a mahogany Strat in process that's going to get Master Gel on it, but I haven't got that far yet. Lost the woodshop moving to where I am now, so until that's rebuilt to some degree a lot of things are on hold. I may just do the gel thing in the garage, though. Lotsa space, and not much occupying it at the moment. I do have to wait for proper weather here, though. Still a bit chilly/wet to be doing finish work outdoors (I consider the garage to be "outdoors" since there's no climate control).

More to the point, I've heard nothing but good things about the Master Gel, so I'm looking forward to trying it out.

 

[Watchie]

From what I have found on the Interweb Master Gel has a lot of potential.  It purportedly goes on with high self-leveling, and can be recoated multiple times during a single day.  What isn't clear is how hard a final finish it provides in terms of resistance to scratching, etc.

Any intel on this?

 

[Cagey]

I've heard the same things, and since it's essentially polyurethane, I'm expecting it to cure at least that hard. If nothing else, it's gotta be better than oil.

 

[Steve_Karl]

Sorry for necro-posting but I'm recanting my Master-Gel endorsement and have switched to
Minwax wipe-on satin poly
for a few reasons.
1) easier to find (home Depot)
2) easier and more forgiving to apply - is seems slightly thinner and also doesn't start to set as quickly as master-gel so it's possible to go back over an area that might need a little touch up. It's not a huge difference but just enough to not get in trouble.
3) it seems more durable. Judgement made after about a year of 6 coats applied to my every day played maple neck.
It's still really nice. It had been finished with master-gel twice before, but needed redone because it was wearing through.
This last time, with Minwax, it's obviously stronger.

 

[tfarny]

I've done three necks (or more?) with minwax satin wipe-on poly and it is super easy and so far very durable. It dries to a very smooth bare-feeling finish, look preofessional, smoother than any nitro finish I've had.

 

[Steve_Karl]

I've done three necks (or more?) with minwax satin wipe-on poly and it is super easy and so far very durable. It dries to a very smooth bare-feeling finish, look preofessional, smoother than any nitro finish I've had.

This sounds great also.
Maybe I'll try this when my can of MG runs out.

 

[Watchie]

Does the MG self-level or is there the potential for wipe on streaks?  Also, is it tough in terms of resistance to scratching?  Final question, do you think it could be applied OVER Tru Oil?

 

[Steve_Karl]

removed