Tung oil on Flame Maple?

[dougbot]

Hi all.  I just got a beautiful Warmoth Jazzmaster body with a flame maple top.  I have previously built a bass around a Carvin neck, using Walnut for the body.  I finished the walnut as well as the  maple in the neck with tung oil, and was happy with the results and ease of application of the finish.  For the new Jazzmaster, I want the color of the maple to be close to natural, but I also want to be able to see the flame.  Do I need to apply some sort of dye to make the flame noticeable prior to applying the tung oil?  How would it look if I just went straight to the tung oil?  Does anyone know of any good pictures that show the results of tung oil on flame maple with no dye?  Thanks a bunch!!

 

[g2]

I can't answer your question....but, being that Im about to assemble/finish my first guitar, I'm not putting a drop of stain, oil or anything on the actual neck/body until I know how things will look and feel first.

So, i've bought some scrap swamp ash and birdseye maple to practice grain filling, staining and clear coating with either tung or tru oil....

There are some places on ebay that sell wood for pretty cheap.....

Photos are great and helpful...but it's nice to actually see and feel things for yourself, ya know??

Just my .02....

Good luck!!

 

[dougbot]

Good idea about picking up some scraps to practice on!  I think I'll swing by Woodcrafter's and see what they have.

Also, to clarify things, this is the look I'm after, only with less gloss -

Will a tung oil finish give such a result?

 

[dudesweet157]

Tonar finishes all of his personal necks in Linseed oil, which is sort of like tung oil.  He adds a little amber to the mix if I'm not mistaken, but the flame definitely pops.

 

[dudesweet157]

Actually, I just did some digging, and these are some oil finished necks without amber.

 

[ventolino]

Tonar finishes all of his personal necks in Linseed oil, which is sort of like tung oil.

Every time i read Linseed oil i think of Lindsay Lohan.
Now i'd like to finish my neck in LindsayLohanOil  :laughing7:

 

[nathan a]

Tonar finishes all of his personal necks in Linseed oil, which is sort of like tung oil.

Every time i read Linseed oil i think of Lindsay Lohan.
Now i'd like to finish my neck in LindsayLohanOil  :laughing7:

Every time you picked that guitar up, you'd be playing the herpes blues, my friend.

 

[stubhead]

"Guitar Player Repair Guide" by Dan Erlewine is one book everyone should just buy - it will save you thousands of dollars over the years. There's a good section on various finishing techniques, but even Erlewine recommends you read the finishing "bible": "The Wood Finishing Book" by Michael Dresdner. There are a couple of ways to make the flame grain really "pop out", but the internet really isn't the best place to learn them - a comprehensive book like Dresdner's will explain the reasons for technique. If you live in a state with a decent inter-library loan program (thanx Maryland!), you can read all the wood-finishing books for free through your library, though these two are pretty much can't-miss buys for a guitar library.

 

[dougbot]

I did a little research, and decided to go with pure tung oil.  I cut it 50/50 with turpentine and just applied a coat.  I am quite happy with the results.  The flame definitely "pops".  Here are pics of the body and headstock after the first coat:

This is going to be a sweet guitar...

 

[willyk]

It's sweet already :headbang:

 

[WarmothRules]

Yeah I was wondering about linseed oil, my job gave me a ton of it for free and I finnished some pieces of wood there and It seem to be very similar to tung oil. Main difference is it smells like sunflower seeds when it's dry. They gave me the "boiled" linseed oil. I think that is the only kind that drys. Can one do a mix of linseed and tung oil. You know mix them together. Charvel says they use an oil mix, I wonder if it's linseed and tung.

Tonar finishes all of his personal necks in Linseed oil, which is sort of like tung oil.  He adds a little amber to the mix if I'm not mistaken, but the flame definitely pops.

 

[fdesalvo]

I'm sorry to resurrect this thread, but was a stain applied to this neck before the TO?

Tonar finishes all of his personal necks in Linseed oil, which is sort of like tung oil.  He adds a little amber to the mix if I'm not mistaken, but the flame definitely pops.