Oil Finish with the least amount of "tinting"

[benbreard]

Heya,

On my last build I finished it w/ 2 coats of tung oil applied with sandpaper, steel wool in between, and a little wax after it cured. I was going for an N4 kind of thing and honestly, it's shocking how good this guitar is and how it resonates. Long story short, it's so good I'm going to redo the neck & body on my tele and I ordered the parts last night.

Here's my question, the tung oil really darkened up the alder on my last guitar. http://mrguitar.net/blog/wp-content/uploads/2017/11/20171007_155047-768x576.jpg
I love the almost "white" look the new body has when it's raw. Is there an oil similar to tung that won't darken and discolor the wood? A tiny bit is OK, but the less the better IMO. Thoughts?

Cheers,

 

[stratamania]

You are going to get a certain amount of it I think whatever oil type product you use. How much the change will be to the raw wood is also going to depend to a degree on the wood itself. Alder that I have put tru-oil on I found darkened up like in your photo whilst maple will not show to the same degree.

The best bet is to test on some scrap or in an inconspicuous area before committing yourself.

 

[benbreard]

Outside of oil is it possible to provide some level of moisture protection for the wood and not change the appearance?

 

[ragamuffin]

Outside of oil is it possible to provide some level of moisture protection for the wood and not change the appearance?

Water-based polyurethanes are an option that won't yellow/darken the wood: if you get one in satin or matte and apply it thinly it might give you the minimally finished look that your'e looking for. General Finishes "High Performance Topcoat" is a good one. They also make one called "Flat Out Flat" that may be good for what you want, but I haven't tried it.

 

[PhilHill]

Outside of oil is it possible to provide some level of moisture protection for the wood and not change the appearance?

Unfortunately raw wood only looks like raw wood when it is raw wood. Any thing you put on it to seal it is going to change the appearance some. Probably the least change would result from using clear lacquer. However the wood, depending on what species, would soak up a lot of clear before it sealed off. That's why sanding sealer is often used. You can use clear alone, but unless the wood is maple or something else with that tight of a grain, it will take a lot of coats to close the pores in the wood. Hope that helps.

 

[Strat Avenger]

Tru-Oil doesn't tint at all.

 

[stratamania]

Tru-Oil doesn't tint at all.

Semantics perhaps, but it certainly does not leave the wood looking as it did in its raw state, so whilst it has no colour tint in it the result will be that the wood will look somewhat darker.

 

[Michaelga]

I have a maple neck finished in Tru Oil and one finished by Warmoth in clear satin. The Tru Oil neck is definitely darker.

Michael

 

[PhilHill]

Tru-Oil doesn't tint at all.

Semantics perhaps, but it certainly does not leave the wood looking as it did in its raw state, so whilst it has no colour tint in it the result will be that the wood will look somewhat darker.

Your quite right, Stratmania. The old example of this is when you take a piece of sanded wood and wipe it with water, there's a change in appearance. You will get somewhat that same change no matter what substance is used to seal the wood. your changing the way the light reflects off the wood, and changing from a textured surface to a more flat 2 dimensional surface.

 

[stratamania]

Tru-Oil doesn't tint at all.

Semantics perhaps, but it certainly does not leave the wood looking as it did in its raw state, so whilst it has no colour tint in it the result will be that the wood will look somewhat darker.

Your quite right, Stratmania. The old example of this is when you take a piece of sanded wood and wipe it with water, there's a change in appearance. You will get somewhat that same change no matter what substance is used to seal the wood. your changing the way the light reflects off the wood, and changing from a textured surface to a more flat 2 dimensional surface.

Indeed and if you take some tru-oil and put it in a clear container it certainly is not transparent and neither is Linseed oil which it contains a fair amount of.

 

[bagman67]

Before and after application of several coats of Tru-oil.  To my eye there is a very slight yellowing or ambering effect on maple immediately upon application.  The effect becomes more pronounced with additional coats, age, and exposure to light.

 

[BroccoliRob]

Dang, bronanasaurs recks, is that thing a tiger? Cuz it got stripes, boi!

 

[Strat Avenger]

All I can tell you is that after about 10 or 12 coats of Tru Oil on my regular maple neck, it looks like an unfinished neck. The amount of tint is negligible. YMMV.