Tru-oil on a maple neck

[croquet hoop]

I know the subject has already been discussed at langth, but since this is going to be the first time I use this finish, on my first Warmoth neck, I want to be sure I'm not leaving anything to chance.

From what I read, there are many ways to finish wood successfully with tru-oil, and the chances of screwing everything are low, provided a few rules are respected. The basics seem to be :

• 6 to 8 coats
• apply lightly with the finger
• generate a little heat from friction
• start to rub with 000 steel wool after the 3rd coat to knock back nibs or dust,
• wait for the oil to dry completely before adding a new coat (some say 6 hours, some 12, some 24, depending on the wheather)

I read that some let the oil soak for a few minutes, then wipe it off with a cloth. Is it really necessary?

Some also thin the tru-oil with naphta or denatured alcohol (2/3 tru-oil, 1/3 thinner) to allow it to flow better and dry faster, which might be useful to avoid buildup around the frets.

Some sand the neck down to 600-800, some say it is counter-productive to go beyond 320-400, as the wood needs to have a little bite for the finish to adhere properly. Thoughts?

I have four test boards with maple sanded down to 400, so I will try the 'basic' method on the first, and thinned tru-oil on the second. If you have any further advice, I'd be happy to hear it 

 

[bagman67]

The first neck I did with Tru-Oil, i used it full strength and applied with my bare fingers.  I scuffed with synthetic steel wool between coats. Things came out okay, but I did not get as even an application as I would have liked. 


The second one I did I applied a small squirt of Tru-Oil to a coffee filter at full strength and wiped it on that way.  The coating came out much more uniform.  I scuffed with synthetic steel wool with this second neck, and I feel it was easier to achieve a uniform semi-matte sheen.  I prefer this latter method.


 

 

[croquet hoop]

Thanks for your input! I read that some apply the tru-oil with a cloth, and I did not think it would be interesting, but I may try this way (or with a coffee filter). How many coats did you do on the second neck?

 

[Cagey]

The first neck I did with Tru-Oil, i used it full strength and applied with my bare fingers.  I scuffed with synthetic steel wool between coats. Things came out okay, but I did not get as even an application as I would have liked. 


The second one I did I applied a small squirt of Tru-Oil to a coffee filter at full strength and wiped it on that way.  The coating came out much more uniform.  I scuffed with synthetic steel wool with this second neck, and I feel it was easier to achieve a uniform semi-matte sheen.  I prefer this latter method.

Now that you have a couple oiled necks, would you prefer that to a raw, lacquer or poly finished neck?

 

[bagman67]

I prefer the feel of my raw necks (canary and wenge, with canary's tighter grain preferable - barely - to wenge) over any of my finished necks.


I prefer my Tru-oil finished Tele neck to any poly or lacquer necks I have, but it's also the only boatneck I have, and that weighs into the equation.  It's actually built up a lot, since I was worried about my first Warmoth neck not being sufficiently protected.


My more recently tru-oiled neck hasn't yet been affixed to a guitar, but it shows all signs of being very nice to play on once installed.  I built up a lot less finish on this neck than on the Tele.


The lacquer finish on the back of my Martin DM's neck is pretty thrashed because I've left it uncased for most of the 17 years I've had it, and I'm thinking of sanding it back, steaming out a couple dings, and tru-oiling lightly.  It's nobody's idea of a collector's guitar, so it's not as if I'd be devaluing it from its current Craigslist replacement price of about 500-600 bucks.  Come to think of it, I have some really nice Grover tuners I ended up not using for a project that I might install there as well... I'll keep y'all posted.

 

[Cagey]

I'm doing my first oil finish on a neck, and I'm pretty disappointed so far. But, I used Boiled Linseed Oil instead of Tru-Oil. It's been 4 or 5 days since the last coat, and it's definitely going to be the last coat. it's still sticky, and I'm not sanguine about it improving. The more research I do on the stuff, the further my heart sinks. I bought some clear shellac to put over it as a last-ditch effort, but I'm going to wait another week or so before trying that, as I suspect I'll just be turd-polishing. I may even try a wipe-on poly as opposed to the shellac, since I know that stuff dries hard and takes abuse, but I'm concerned about any oil residual underneath not being a good foundation.

It may be time to cut my losses and just start stripping the damned thing. Clean it up as much as possible, wipe on some shellac for a barrier, then shoot it with lacquer for the win.

 

[bagman67]

Interesting -  if memory serves, Tonar uses BLO for his proprietary neck magic.  Maybe he can give you some pointers before you throw in the towel.

 

[Cagey]

That's where I got the idea, back when I did that thread on polishing raw necks. Said he'd been doing it for years, and it's his go-to finish when he has a choice. Figured if it's good enough for him, it's good enough for me. Maybe he'll see this thread and pipe up.

 

[croquet hoop]

I saw that too, and these five necks on the guitar rack look incredible. I did a search on BLO after that, but since Tru-oil is basically BLO with additives that makes it cure better, I figured it would be the safer bet for a first neck. Cagey, have you tried sending him a PM?

 

[Cagey]

No, I'm not panicked yet. From what I've read, it can take a while for BLO to cure, so I'm giving it another week or so to wise up before I do anything drastic.

 

[stubhead]

But K-G., the oil is the finish. That seems like way too many stages, and steps. I could see putting a water or alcohol-based dye on the nekkid wood, but why would you put oil over a grain-filler*, or shellac over oil? It's like you're taking three different steps from five different finishing methods and doing them all at once; like hunting the elusive ring-tufted titmouse with a flamethrower and  a bazooka.

"OOOO-EEE! I'm a-gonna finish the stuffin' outta this bitch!"

I think you might be juxtaposing a thread about a mirror-finished swamp ash bod and an oil-finished neck? :icon_scratch:

*(that can be made to work if you've got six months of drying time to burn and you're specifically working towards an analog  French Polish treatment)

 

[Cagey]

There's no grain filler; this is a raw curly Maple neck. I thought the BLO would be a finish, but so far it doesn't seem to be. That's the only reason I'm considering covering it with shellac or poly, or stripping it and starting over. But, as I said, I'm not panicked yet. I'm gonna give it time to redeem itself.

 

[Maka491]

Im finishing a neck this very Sunday with Tru-oil.

6-8 coats sounds about right. I mixed it with a bit of thinner though as to stop it getting sticky. I also used coffee filters which worked very well.

After some steel wool sanding, the neck is now both protected and smooth to the thumb, so best of both worlds.

 

[TheFlyingBear]

I just received an all maple tele neck that i want to finish in Tru Oil.

Did you guys do any sanding before you finished with Tru Oil? My neck has one visible scratch on the headstock, so I'll definitely sand that, but otherwise it feels pretty darn smooth. Is sanding necessary? If so, what grits should I use?

 

[croquet hoop]

From what I read, it is useless to sand finer than 320-400. And I think unfinished Warmoth necks are sealed and sanded down to 320 (can anyone confirm?), so aside from your scratch on the headstock, you won't need to sand much.

 

[croquet hoop]

Okay, so I have just done a few tests and from what I can see the coffee filter idea was brilliant. And with thinned tru-oil (2/3 TO, 1/3 naphta), it is very easy to put on very light and even coats. So thank you Bagman for the suggestion!

I just wipe the oil as in this video, but with a filter instead of a rag: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CxRndnPEDic

After a few seconds I wipe the wood with a clean filter, wait a few hours (2) for it to dry, then start again.

If anyone is interested, I'll post pictures of the test boards when I have done enough coats to get a protective finish. Then I'll move on and finish the neck.

 

[BlueTalon]

I'm interested.

 

[croquet hoop]

No pictures yet, but here are my results : as far as application is concerned, the coffee filter technique is definitely the way to go — it is quicker than rubbing with the finger, the coats are thinner and more even, and you don't get the unpleasant smell of tru-oil on your fingers. I actually did not go beyond the third coat on the "finger" test-board since I didn't see any advantage in the technique.

The two other boards were done with un-thinned TO for the first, thinned TO fir the second. Apply with a coffe filter, leave a few seconds then wipe with a clean filter. Each board was done like this:

Day one:
• one coat, wait 2-3 hours
• one coat, wait the same
• one coat

Day two:
• rub with steel wool
• three more coats in the same way

Day three:
• rub with steel wool
• add two more coats

The finish on the second board (thinned TO) does not seem significantly thinner or less protective than the other, but it is definitely easier to apply, so I guess I'll go with this method. Thanks everyone for your advice.

Now let's get that neck finished!