some newbee questions about tru oil finish on koa and walnut

[klangster]

Hi new member here....I just ordered a walnut Gecko body with a flame koa top,. I am planning on applying a tru oil finish and I like the look of  some pores  but I don,t know if at least on the koa, should I do some pore filling or will the tru oil alone work?
http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=3546.0
I really like the look of the bass in the thread in the link, is that partially grain filled or just oil?
my next question : if no pore filling is done do I need to use a sealer first? I have been reading the luthiers merc instructions on tru oil but I am not clear on weather the sealer is required for finishes without pore filling.
Last I have a wenge neck coming, do I need to put at least a sealer on it or should oil it once or twice then sand it back to wood or just leave it raw?
  I know there is more than one way to go for all these questions but I would love some input from some with experience
Thank you
Klangster

 

[bagman67]

Hi, Klangster, and welcome aboard.


I have a koa-topped flat-top LP finishing project in progress now (nitro lacquer) and I can tell you for sure that koa's got some mighty big pores.  I can't tell you from experience whether tru-oil will eventually build up enough to fill the pores, but using a water-based grain filler under the lacquer took several passes of fill/sand-back, and it's still imperfect.  No matter how you slice it, I reckon you've got your work cut out for you.


Peace


Bagman

 

[crash]

First, LEAVE THE WENGE NECK RAW!  Maybe sand it with some finer grit.

If you want a gloss finish, I would suggest filling the grain.  You have options for the grain filler.  You can do the method I did and put tru oil on it and sand it wet to fill in the pores.  The Behlen grain filler may be an easier method.

 

[bassfrancesco]

Hi Klangster,

My experince says no, yes, and no.  Perhaps yes.  ???  To clarify, don't try to pore fill wenge or Koa.  They are hard enough and will last over time.  Apply your tru oil.  What you see in those pics you posted is a guitar that is not pore filled.  I went the long way and it was a waste of time, without regret!  If you want to enhance color, then stain.  But ultimately finish with a few coats of tru-oil.  Welcome to the forum

 

[klangster]

Thanks for the input guys!! I can't wait to get started and I know this forum will be  a very valuable resource the whole way through. I will post some picks when the box arrives. In the mean time I have some koa off cuts from a bass I made years back that I can get the hang of the tru oil method with
  Klangster

 

[Cagey]

Koa requires a hard finish, or it's liable to twist up or warp like unfinished Maple. Wenge you don't touch. No oil, no nothing. It's fine as it is, and the only improvement you can make to it would be progressive sanding up to a 1500 - 2000 grit paper.

 

[greywolf]

I've used Zinsser's Shellac as a base coats on the last 3 Koa builds , then Nitro on top . 

Typically 3-4 coats , sanded to 600 .  I'm very pleased with the results over  all nitro.

 

[bagman67]

I used Zinsser rattle-can shellac as a basecoat on my nitro-coated koa LP body, and it's progressing well, also.


Bagman

 

[alterbridgefan]

No finish wenge. Finish bad. Raw wenge good.

You savvy? :icon_biggrin:

Seriously, though, leave the neck raw.

 

[ZionWarmoth]

DON'T PUT ANY FINISH TO THE NECK!!!!, is going to be not very stable finishing the KOA with tru-oil, but if you want to go that route use a grain filler, I used the one from B-C http://www.amazon.com/Birchwood-Casey-Stock-Sealer-Filler/dp/B001MQNJ40 with good results on Ash but it was a lot of work and I'll never do that again, the end result is a nice finish but not as hard and protective like a lacquer finish.

 

[AutoBat]

DON'T PUT ANY FINISH TO THE NECK!!!!, is going to be not very stable finishing the KOA with tru-oil, but if you want to go that route use a grain filler, I used the one from B-C http://www.amazon.com/Birchwood-Casey-Stock-Sealer-Filler/dp/B001MQNJ40 with good results on Ash but it was a lot of work and I'll never do that again, the end result is a nice finish but not as hard and protective like a lacquer finish.

Tru-oil is a hard finish, despite its name. As long as it gets more than a few coats it'll do quite nicely.