FlashBandit Posted June 11, 2007 Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 Here's some walnut I'm gonna use for a carved top electric, any finishing suggestions/pics? This is one piece, front and back. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tim_ado Posted June 11, 2007 Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 nice matte?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted June 11, 2007 Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 If you don't mind having the wood pores show on the surface (i.e. not completely glossy-glassy), then Tru Oil is a finish that was literally made for walnut. And easy as dirt to apply. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted June 11, 2007 Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 If you don't mind having the wood pores show on the surface (i.e. not completely glossy-glassy), then Tru Oil is a finish that was literally made for walnut. And easy as dirt to apply. I've seen a few examples where it appears that if, after the first coat, you wet sand with the tru oil you can use it to fill the pores. I'm contemplating trying this on my walnut build. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Prostheta Posted June 11, 2007 Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 Same here for my wife's semi-hollow Les Paul copy we're in the planning stages of....the body is black walnut with a top and back cap. As long as the Tru-oil is compatible with all of the woods (zebrano, ebony, etc) then that's the way we'll be going. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlashBandit Posted June 11, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 11, 2007 Does anyone have any good pictures of the Tru-Oil? Does the Tru-Oil act as a protective coat? Would you use any other chemicals than the Tru-Oil to maybe seal it or whatever? What finish method/chemicals would give me a good high gloss finish? I'm considering giving the edge a thin black burst effect, any thoughts? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 (edited) I used it with a walnut-ebony-bocote combo, turned out nice. It doesn't quite get to "dipped in glass" gloss because it is a penetrating finish that will continue to shrink into the pores after a few months, but if you apply many many coats (like 40-50) you will get pretty close. And you can apply it indoors (and so in any weather...) without problems with fumes. It does seal the wood well, I didn't use anything else underneath or on top of it. For the "dipped in glass" look, you will have to go with nitro lacquer, polyurethane, polyester or a catalyzed varnish....and get lots of buffing practice under your belt. Edited June 12, 2007 by erikbojerik Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ooten2 Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 Tru-oil fan here, too. Great stuff. Erik that looks awesome! One trick I found with oily woods that normally don't do well with Tru-oil, (cocobolo as an example), try sealing with shellac first. Then go with the Tru-oil. No drying problems, and excellent results. But with walnut, the Tru-oil will look great all by itself. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick500 Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 How about on mahogany? With the large open pores, would shellac first, then Tru-Oil, be a good option? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattharris75 Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 How about on mahogany? With the large open pores, would shellac first, then Tru-Oil, be a good option? In this thread Quarter has a couple of pics of his art deco lap steel guitars that he finished with tru oil. They are part mahogany, and he explains his process briefly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ooten2 Posted June 12, 2007 Report Share Posted June 12, 2007 (edited) How about on mahogany? With the large open pores, would shellac first, then Tru-Oil, be a good option? I don't know much about pore filling, as I have limited experience with it. But to me shellac seems kind of thin for that. Epoxy maybe? Alot of others here know more about pore filling so I'll let someone else speak up on that. On naturally oily woods like cocobolo, the Tru-oil won't dry properly. It just gets all sticky and gummy. But if you apply a coat of shellac first, the Tru-oil dries just fine. Here's a link with alot of info about shellac and oil that I found helpful: http://www.woodworkstuff.net/KfinRude.html And another with a process that sounds similar to Quarter's: http://home.insightbb.com/~jpaquay/oil_fin.txt Edited June 12, 2007 by ooten2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick500 Posted June 13, 2007 Report Share Posted June 13, 2007 How about on mahogany? With the large open pores, would shellac first, then Tru-Oil, be a good option? I don't know much about pore filling, as I have limited experience with it. But to me shellac seems kind of thin for that. Epoxy maybe? Alot of others here know more about pore filling so I'll let someone else speak up on that. On naturally oily woods like cocobolo, the Tru-oil won't dry properly. It just gets all sticky and gummy. But if you apply a coat of shellac first, the Tru-oil dries just fine. Here's a link with alot of info about shellac and oil that I found helpful: http://www.woodworkstuff.net/KfinRude.html And another with a process that sounds similar to Quarter's: http://home.insightbb.com/~jpaquay/oil_fin.txt Thanks for that. Quarter's mahogany and maple guitars look pretty awesome with that finish. I think I'll try it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FlashBandit Posted June 13, 2007 Author Report Share Posted June 13, 2007 erikbojerik, that's a pretty sweet looking picture, good job! Where's the rest of it though? Can you apply tru-oil and then use a poly coat after to protect it? If you did that, how rugged would the finish be? Also, any ideas on how to finish cocobolo? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.