Tru-Oil Trials & Tribulations

[arealken]

:tard:
Ok, well, just venting.. I've spent well over  a month working with Tru-Oil, watching video after video,reading forum post after forum post ad nauseum. Well, ok, finally after all that time, I've managed to make sense of all the tutorials as it relates to my frustrating experience. OK, Im going for a fairly high gloss on the beautiful flamed maple Warmoth maple neck to match ye Warmoth beautiful factory gloss Strat  body I received from a esteemed member of yar Warmoth Forum..
Well Sirs, The front of the neck is now shaping up, and I think I have maybe figured out by my own F'ups, and starting over and over and now seeing what the people are saying on the tutorials and forums and finally understanding it how to achieve a decent if not nearly  pro result.
But the back of the neck? OY Vey!! ..I was doing some insane wet sanding before I learned how NOT to, and so much so I waterlogged the grain on the back of the headstock and raised it , so now there are some wavy lines.I think I could start over, sand flat, and redo? Thank ye gods the front of headstock was spared from the waterlog travesty ( the fretbaord and back of neck turned out just fine with a low gloss finish).
I'm in actually in no real need to get this done on any timetable , but that does not mean I am not impatient! After spending so much time and effort, ya want some closure, know'I'm sayin'?
No particular point to this post , It's Friday night ( well, Saturday Morn), and I'm warmly toasted on Pauliner Dopplebock, and just wish to commiserate with my guitar bretheren... can u feel my pain? lol

 

[AirCap]

You can't hurry a good finish, especially one that builds up in such thin layers. Apply several thin coats, let it dry a couple days, scuff - apply again and so on until it looks good.

 

[Rick]

It takes time.

 

[fdesalvo]

You can’t hurry love. No, you just have to wait.

TO is lovely. Just take your time and walk away from it after apply a coat. Don’t even look at it or you will touch it!  Just apply and let it dry. Then do it again. You’ll start seeing gloss
Build up on the second coat and it just goes on from there.

 

[TonyFlyingSquirrel]

Many, many, many thin coats will yield you much finer results than fewer thick coats.
I'm still on the original application on my Bari-Tele neck from nearly 10 years ago.
I did enough coats to grain fill using some 1000 grit sandpaper to rub in the tru oil, then after it was leveled off above the surface, I only did another few light coats, wet sanded with 1500 grit, lightly polished it up, and it's been that way ever since 2010.

 

[stratamania]

Did anyone mention thin and light applications. That is the way to go. In this case less is more.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I used Tru Oil on the back of my Warmoth Strat maple neck, and intend to do the same on my current and all future builds.
Originally, I applied only 5 or 6 coats, and this turned out to be not enough. After about double that, it was pretty nice. After the last coat and a light scuff with super fine steel wool, I applied gunstock wax. It's the best feeling of any other guitar neck I have ever played on. The fretboard was sprayed with a satin clear polyurethane for durability. I'm very pleased with the results.

 

[scobass]

So I'm planning on finishing a walnut body with tru oil and possibly a wenge pick guard (more on that below). I've been experimenting on scrap pieces for the past few days while i wait for the arrival of the body and neck.

What I've found so far -
- Wet sanding to fill the pores has a much more pleasant look than clear grain filler or just tru oil (no wet sanding/grain filling). The clear filler reflects in a way that looks kinda plasticy and white. Especially in wenge, which has massive open pores, clear grain filler looks really really bad. Wet sanding or maybe a black grain filler would look nice. The wenge that I wet sanded is absorbing massive amounts of oil and isn't getting the same kind of gloss that the walnut is though. I'm unsure if I'll finish the wenge at all on my final project.

The wet sanded walnut finish has a lovely flat surface and the 3d effect is starting to look pretty good after about 5 layers, but I'm going to keep adding more. Clear grain filler isn't that bad on walnut, but still isn't as nice as wet sanded. 0000 steel wool buff between every layer, by the way


Question for anyone more experienced -
What is your process for the final layer/polish? I've seen many methods and can't decide which to try

 

[Rick]

What I do is final coat of tru-oil thinned with naphtha, then let it dry a month, then buff with scratch x or something like it.  Comes out shiny.

 

[Mule Train]

Once you’ve applied multiple thin coats and let dry, get a set of micro mesh sanding pads and go to work. Amazing results

 

[scobass]

Thanks for the replies. I'm not too wild about the idea of waiting a whole month for the final layer haha. I'll try the micro mesh pads. I was also wondering if buffing compounds + buff wheel might be worth trying

 

[ByteFrenzy]

The micro mesh pads or a buffing wheel aren't going to be a substitute for waiting out the curing of the finish. Hit either of them to soon and you'll ruin things. My approach is to wait a bit longer than I would expect it to take, then smell the thing. If you can smell anything chemical, something is still evaporating out of the finish, meaning that it hasn't fully cured. Sitting there waiting is frustrating but believe me, having to redo the last coats and then having to wait all over again is a lot worse.

 

[Cagey]

There's no substitute for time. More finishes are ruined due to impatience than any other reason.

 

[scobass]

Yeah, i will definitely be patient, and have been so far. But a whole month for just the final layer (which will also be very thin)? Dunno, just seems excessive. Is there any reason why the 30-day naptha layer is better than buffing out a (fully cured) 24hr tru oil layer?

 

[Rick]

The tru-oil keeps curing for months, but 1 month after the last coat  to hit with a buffer, two weeks at the earliest.  You might be interested in this:

https://www.unofficialwarmoth.com/index.php?topic=30424.105

 

[Mule Train]

Yeah, i will definitely be patient, and have been so far. But a whole month for just the final layer (which will also be very thin)? Dunno, just seems excessive. Is there any reason why the 30-day naptha layer is better than buffing out a (fully cured) 24hr tru oil layer?

24 hour dry time is ok to start buffing with micro mesh pads. Use your judgement on which grade to start with. I’ve done around 10 necks and haven’t had any issues with this time table.
I apply similar to Ernie Ball/Musicman/Xotic, apply to lint free cloth and wipe a thin layer on, simple and effective. Not trying to add depth and shine by laying it on thick, that comes with the micro mesh and elbow grease.
I can only give advice while using these components, not wet sanding or naphtha or any other techniques. Although, you would probably get similar results burnishing with cloth. 

 

[redking]

I've done a few different guitars in Tru Oil now and will add to the chorus of "wait and let it cure."  Fortunately for me, I am not a fan of high gloss, so I'm never in a hurry to start buffing :toothy10:
My little wrinkle that I have added to finishing with Tru Oil is to start out sealing a body with many many thin coats of flake shellac first.  Once I get to the point where I can feel the flake shellac build up on the surface, that is where I stop, knock it down flat again and then start with thin coats of Tru Oil.  For bodies I do one side and let it dry, next day I flip it over and do the other side so each side has 48 hrs to dry in between coats.  Sometimes the edges get overlapped and are done every day if I forget when I did the edge last, but not a big deal to me.  0000 Steel wool in between coats as well to keep it smooth.
For necks, I always get impatient and try to do front and back in one pass with Tru Oil, but I wind up getting too much on the edges of the headstock that way, so I will usually take a step back, knock it back down smooth again and follow the every second day front, then back routine.  So front of the headstock and edges one day, back of the headstock and rest of the neck the second day.  I only do 2 or 3 coats max on the back of the neck.  If I am burying a decal on the front, then I will have to do more, although I usually spray nitro on the front instead of tru oil if I am doing a decal - With the neck I have now though, I am going to try to do it with Tru Oil.