Tru oil gloss finish

[Mandalie]

How can I do this without feeling little bumps in the finish. I apply it with my finger but I can always feel stuff in the finish. Will buffing it smooth out the tiny bumps or does it just bring out the shine?

 

[stratamania]

What are you applying it to?

 

[Cagey]

Almost no matter what kind of finish material or application technique you use is going to do that. The only exception I've ever seen is catalyzed enamel and catalyzed poly, neither of which many DIY-types ever shoot.

If you want a good finish texture, you have to work at it. Usually that involves abrasives of some type, gradually varying in coarseness to some fine point that satisfies you.

I'm not an oil guy, but there are lotsa articles/videos out there that might help you. You might even want to look into "french polishing", which is what the high-end acoustic guys like to do. Lotta work, but a superlative finish.

 

[Mandalie]

I'm finishing a maple neck with a rosewood fretboard. I'll pri just give it a satin finish since it's easier. I'll just have to make a satin neck and body ha

 

[stratamania]

This might be of help.

http://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=22445.msg335422#msg335422

 

[guitarslinger21]

This is going to sound dumb, but shake the bottle first.  I think the solvent floats to the top of tru oil bottles.  I was finishing some poplar that I thought was never going to get glossy................ until I mixed the oil bottle.

You can also try wetsanding the tru oil with gradually smoother sandpaper.  600, 800, 1000, 1500, etc.

 

[Cagey]

I've not heard of True Oil separating, but if it does, I would think stirring would be the better solution. Other than rattle cans, I can't think of any finish you should shake and get frothy, for fear of all those little bubbles showing up on the surface.

 

[TBurst Std]

Not sure about shaking Tru-Oil. I have seen it as a best practice that after opening, to store it upside down to reduce surface filming.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

I've never seen tru oil separate, I've got a can of it that is a good 8 years old that still has plenty of life left in it.

I've got a rifle stock in 5A Birdseye Maple that is close to 30 years old with the original tru oil finish on it and it has never separated, and has remained quite durable all these years.

 

[guitarslinger21]

FWIW, I've had 4 bottles, and this is the first time I've had this happen.  It definitely improved, and became thicker/more amber after I shook it.  It wasn't frothy in any way.  It might have been a bad batch/one time thing?  They forgot the emulsifier??  Who knows?  I just know this bottle needed blending.

 

[Cagey]

I have a local old-fashioned hardware store that I like to patronize that carries all sorts of stuff that's getting harder to find in the mega-home-improvement-type stores, but you have to watch some stuff that may have a shelf life to it. They don't have the inventory turn-over that a Lowes or Menard's has, so some things like finish material, glues, etc. may have been sitting there for a while. Just because it's never been opened doesn't mean it's new.

 

[AirCap]

Any glues or finishes like Titebond, superglues, or TruOil will dry out, cure, or age until useless. That is why I buy the smallest bottles I can find, and write the dates on them when I get them home. When the stuff is one year old, I pitch it and buy another. I don't care if I've only used a quarter inch of the stuff in a 3 inch tall bottle. Fresh means GOOD. Why take a chance?

 

[BigSteve22]

Looks good to me Brother. Finish is coming along nicely, filler in headstock will hardly be seen once strung up, and the body ding would have happened sooner or later anyway. (Juts call it "lightly reliced")  :icon_thumright:

 

[stratamania]

The good thing is with Tru-Oil that body ding is repairable. Its looking good for an alder body.

 

[guitarslinger21]

Any glues or finishes like Titebond, superglues, or TruOil will dry out, cure, or age until useless. That is why I buy the smallest bottles I can find, and write the dates on them when I get them home. When the stuff is one year old, I pitch it and buy another. I don't care if I've only used a quarter inch of the stuff in a 3 inch tall bottle. Fresh means GOOD. Why take a chance?

This is great advice. I’ve had one big bottle. Never again. I had a couple of finish jobs start going gooey/gummy. Realized the tru oil was drying up.

 

[AirCap]

Store the TruOil bottle upside down.... That way, the cured part is on the bottom and the good stuff is always ready to go. I usually put all my glues in separate airtight bottles in case they leak. The superglue bottle is white inside from the fumes.

 

[stratamania]

In addition to storing it upside down, I only pierce the foil at the top of the bottle so that you don't get crud building up around the bottle top edge as you would if the foil was removed.

I happened across this video the other day and thought of this thread. Better to not get the crud on the bottle but if you do this might be a way around it.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=evk9Y7yBCSs[/youtube]

 

[AirCap]

Right. I poke a hole in mine with the tip of a toothpick. Put this stuff on thin, and it won't disappoint. Just gotta build it slowly, like most fine finishes.

 

[Mr. Neutron]

Right. I poke a hole in mine with the tip of a toothpick. Put this stuff on thin, and it won't disappoint. Just gotta build it slowly, like most fine finishes.

Same here, as far as smearing the oil on is concerned. Really light, thin coats. Don't be tempted to slather on a thick coat; it will only cause you to need to sand more later, most likely. The thin coats can make a deceptively deep appearing gloss finish, if that's what you're after. And I use a little "slit" opening in the bottle's foil also, storing the bottle upside down when not being used. Lotsa little details to finishing guitars, huh?

I hope Mandalie (the Original Poster/thread starter) is having some luck on his guitar's neck with the Tru-Oil. One super nice thing about this oil is that it's pretty forgiving of errors, and most of those are easily corrected. A gloss finish can be achieved, but will need some fussing with in the form of cautious wet-sanding, buffing, and such.

Stratamania, I went back and re-read your Purple Strat build thread. Again, what an absolutely Gorgeous Guitar! A great tutorial on building an instrument, and great instructions on the finish of that neck.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Right. I poke a hole in mine with the tip of a toothpick. Put this stuff on thin, and it won't disappoint. Just gotta build it slowly, like most fine finishes.

Same here, as far as smearing the oil on is concerned. Really light, thin coats. Don't be tempted to slather on a thick coat; it will only cause you to need to sand more later, most likely. The thin coats can make a deceptively deep appearing gloss finish, if that's what you're after. And I use a little "slit" opening in the bottle's foil also, storing the bottle upside down when not being used. Lotsa little details to finishing guitars, huh?

I hope Mandalie (the Original Poster/thread starter) is having some luck on his guitar's neck with the Tru-Oil. One super nice thing about this oil is that it's pretty forgiving of errors, and most of those are easily corrected. A gloss finish can be achieved, but will need some fussing with in the form of cautious wet-sanding, buffing, and such.

Stratamania, I went back and re-read your Purple Strat build thread. Again, what an absolutely Gorgeous Guitar! A great tutorial on building an instrument, and great instructions on the finish of that neck.

+1 on the thin coats.
I did several over the course of a week on my bari-tele neck, just barely a few thin layers above a grain fill for a more raw look & feel, and the thin coats get down into the grain much easier by several thin layers applied.