Tru OIl

[spauldingrules]

New maple back neck (rosewood fretboard).  How many coats of Tru-Oil is enough on the back (I know not to finish the rosewood)?

 

[SkuttleFunk]

I 'wet sand' with Tru Oil starting with 200 grit and working down to 600 grit, using two applications with each grit and allowing for the oil to cure at least four hours between coats. you may not need to use the 200 grit on a Warmoth neck

Once I have the neck to this point I then French Polish with Tru Oil for a minimum of six additional coats (20 is better) that are allowed to dry 1 hour between coats 1 & 2, and then one full day between 3 & 4. I keep following this alternating pattern of one coat one hour cure, second coat with full day cure until I reach my application target. once I reach my target I then buff it out with a lint free cloth

all the best,

R

 

[dudesweet157]

Dude Skuttlefunk, that is crazy.  I've not done the french polish method, I just followed the directions on the bottle and applied 4 coats.  It isn't a glossy finish, but rather a nice matte finish.  I the way it feels now, but it DID take forever to cure over the humid summer.  In the winter, I assume it wont take as long to cure, just keep it in a dry, semi-warm place

 

[SkuttleFunk]

it may indeed be crazy, but the owner of that bass has repeatedly commented that the finish job feels better than that on his Sadowsky NYC

I guess it all depends on what your goal is. mine was to finish a neck that left you longing to play it again and was superior to much of what is available on production run and semi-custom instruments today. I can definitely say I succeeded in finishing it to my level of detail.

R

 

[-CB-]

Just apply it as THIN as humanly possible.  Let it cure a LONG time between applications.

I really dont like TruOil... but if ya must ya must.

 

[dudesweet157]

it may indeed be crazy, but the owner of that bass has repeatedly commented that the finish job feels better than that on his Sadowsky NYC

I guess it all depends on what your goal is. mine was to finish a neck that left you longing to play it again and was superior to much of what is available on production run and semi-custom instruments today. I can definitely say I succeeded in finishing it to my level of detail.

R

That's cool.  I just wanted a neck that felt like I was playing it raw with the protection it needed to not void the warranty.  When you applied that many coats did it take on a glossy sheen, or did it stay sort of matte?

 

[SkuttleFunk]

it was incredibly smooth and silky with a glow right in between a dull shine and a matte finish. I know I could have shined it up a bit with some additional buffing and/or carnuba wax, but I was aiming for the early 80's MusicMan feel. I was prepared to lightly hit the neck with some 00000 steel wool if it had been too shiny, but I didn't need to as it was right to the client's liking

all the best,

R

 

[g2]

Ive yet to feel a neck or body with either Tru or Tung Oil.....

Do they feel similar??

I'm all set to use Tung Oil on my guitar, body and neck, but...I'm reading so much about TruOil here and on ReRanch that it's making me curious to check out TruOil.....

What are the main differences? Besides drying time....

Thanks!!

 

[blimpo]

Supposedly, TruOil dries faster and doesn't need much touchup later on.

I'm using it on a guitar now and like it.

 

[ByteFrenzy]

Ive yet to feel a neck or body with either Tru or Tung Oil.....

Do they feel similar??

I'm all set to use Tung Oil on my guitar, body and neck, but...I'm reading so much about TruOil here and on ReRanch that it's making me curious to check out TruOil.....

What are the main differences? Besides drying time....

Thanks!!

Besides the word 'oil' in the name, there's really no similarity at all. The bottom line really is this: on a neck that needs finishing to keep the warranty, a Tru-oil finish is OK for Warmoth, while a linseed oil, tung oil, whatever oil is NOT. Obviously, if the neck doesn't require finishing, the point is moot but then probably you'll be happier leaving it unfinished anyway.

 

[stubhead]

I think that the way a neck feels ultimately depends on your final finishing polish work. Tru-Oil, poly, or nitro will all end up hard enough that you can buff them to a high sheen, finish them to a dull matte (around 600 grit, OOO steel wool) or anywhere in between. I have my first neck with Tru Oil drying now. I used a water-based amber dye, then two coats of wax-free shellac as a sealer, then three coats of Tru-Oil, one each on the 20th, 21st and 22nd with gray plastic "steel" wool in between. It's been just over a week and it still smells, so I figure it's got at least another week to dry. If you've EVER applied buffing compound and/or steel wool to a neck that isn't cured, you know that's not really the quickest way to get it done, cause then you just have to sand everything off and start over....  :sad1:

I'm more familiar with poly, I merely wanted to try something different. Poly has a distinct catalytic process - in 10 days it's not dry, in 12 days it almost dry and in 14 days it's ALL DONE. I had a process with poly of thinning it about 20% (contrary to the floor-finishing instructions) and putting on multiple very thin coats 45 minutes apart, 4 coats then dry & sand, then 4 more. You end up with a finish about .010" to .015" thick, soaked in to the wood - when someone tells you that poly "is" thick and inhibits tone it means that they either:
A) bought a guitar with a thick poly finish
B) put thick poly on a guitar

I do kinda wonder how much time geniuses have actually spent rigorously comparing the tone of identical guitars with:
A) a thick nitro finish
B) a thick poly finish
C) a thin poly finish
D) a thin nitro finish...

oh wait, that's mean. :evil4: "Tone is in the hands, dude...." at least it is when my poly guitar bunnyhops your nitro guitar, huh? :hello2:

THE NOSE KNOWS - If any finish still smells, that means something's drying out of it, THAT MEANS IT'S NOT DRY YET. Hmmph. The reason some people build four, overlapping, Warmoth guitars is so that they're not sitting in the corner with a gob of steel wool in their hand, staring at a guitar body, yelling:

"AREN'T YOU DONE DRYING YET?!?!" arty07:

 

[ByteFrenzy]

Stubhead, I agree with you 99%... I'm totally with you as for the need to have your finish COMPLETELY cured before moving on to final finishing (and yes, I know the torment of waiting for that). Indeed, the nose knows. Trust the nose.

But my impression is that poly finish necks that are finished to a high gloss tend to keep a slightly 'sticky' feel, and Tru-oil when finished the same does not have that.

 

[blimpo]

Stubhead, I agree with you 99%... I'm totally with you as for the need to have your finish COMPLETELY cured before moving on to final finishing (and yes, I know the torment of waiting for that). Indeed, the nose knows. Trust the nose.

But my impression is that poly finish necks that are finished to a high gloss tend to keep a slightly 'sticky' feel, and Tru-oil when finished the same does not have that.

From what I've read, rubbing lemon oil on TruOil is supposed to harden the finish and eliminate any stickiness. This is done just before final buffing.
I even read somewhere where a guy uses Johnson Floor Wax to toughen it and make it shine.

 

[thumb55]

Birchwood Casey makes a gunstock wax.  I use Warwick wax.  anything would probably work though.

 

[blimpo]

Birchwood Casey makes a gunstock wax.  I use Warwick wax.  anything would probably work though.

Probably.  I've even seen discussions where Turtle Wax was used.

Appropriate I guess for a warmoth body...  :icon_jokercolor: