Tru-oil Sealer & Filler?

[madhattr88]

I've done several guitars in Tru-oil, but never used their filler/sealer.

Just ordered a 3oz bottle.

Anyone try it yet???

[madhattr88]

Here's a pic of the stuff.

[Helldunkel]

I've done several guitars in Tru-oil, but never used their filler/sealer.

Just ordered a 3oz bottle.

Anyone try it yet???

When I started to build guitars I was using exactly that finish but at some point they had restrictions about inflammable material shipping which was a problem and they could not ship it anymore oversea...

You can also find it at LMII

Just be carefull it's not a true pore-filler, its only a thicker solution to make it easier when building a soundboard for exemple (or any softwood) to avoid saturation to prevent the wood from absorbing crazy the finish which would be detrimental on an acoustic instrument for exemple...

BTW I could spend all day smelling that stuff, I love the smell

[madhattr88]

I've done several guitars in Tru-oil, but never used their filler/sealer.

Just ordered a 3oz bottle.

Anyone try it yet???

When I started to build guitars I was using exactly that finish but at some point they had restrictions about inflammable material shipping which was a problem and they could not ship it anymore oversea...

You can also find it at LMII

Just be carefull it's not a true pore-filler, its only a thicker solution to make it easier when building a soundboard for exemple (or any softwood) to avoid saturation to prevent the wood from absorbing crazy the finish which would be detrimental on an acoustic instrument for exemple...

BTW I could spend all day smelling that stuff, I love the smell

so what would u use for a grain filler on something like mahogany or rosewood?

[Helldunkel]

so what would u use for a grain filler on something like mahogany or rosewood?

micro-bead acrylic paste filler

[madhattr88]

so what would u use for a grain filler on something like mahogany or rosewood?

micro-bead acrylic paste filler

i didn't want to add any color filler... any luck with epoxy?

[RestorationAD]

I have used 30 min Z-Poxy with good results. The thing to worry about with epoxy is the next finish sticking to it. In the case of a oil finish like boiled Linseed you need to make sure you get all the epoxy off so it is only left in the pores.

But it is really not necessary with Tru-oil if you sand using the tru-oil as a lubricant the slurry will easily fill the holes. This has been covered extensively so a quick search should bring up enough how-tos.

[Helldunkel]

i didn't want to add any color filler... any luck with epoxy?

But it is really not necessary with Tru-oil if you sand using the tru-oil as a lubricant the slurry will easily fill the holes.

[killemall8]

I dont know about EASILY fill the holes... I tried tru oil one time a few months ago, and it was a miserable failure... but thats just me.

[Quarter]

I've used the BC Sealer / Filler and was less than impressed with the fill part of it. A plus for it is that it pops the grain like Tru Oil and I've heard of some using it for that reason under a traditional clear.

The wet sanding with Tru Oil slurry fill does work, but can take a few sessions.

I've used the Zpoxy finishing resin a few times now and have had great luck so far. I apply with a squeegee like in this YouTube demo

I just did a swamp ash body with it and it was filled and flat in 2 sessions. Id also add that I've had no trouble with using Tru Oil sticking to it.

[madhattr88]

I've used the BC Sealer / Filler and was less than impressed with the fill part of it. A plus for it is that it pops the grain like Tru Oil and I've heard of some using it for that reason under a traditional clear.

The wet sanding with Tru Oil slurry fill does work, but can take a few sessions.

I've used the Zpoxy finishing resin a few times now and have had great luck so far. I apply with a squeegee like in this YouTube demo

I just did a swamp ash body with it and it was filled and flat in 2 sessions. Id also add that I've had no trouble with using Tru Oil sticking to it.

the problem with the slurry is, i have many different woods and don't want a rosewood slurry to get into the mahogany, so i nice clear filler would be perfect.

do u use anything in between the z-poxy and tru-oil???

also, when sanding the z-poxy, am i just trying to remove the shine with 320 grit sandpaper?

i tried to sand the z-poxy with 320 grit, but it seems like some areas looks blotchy and gummy...not consistent.

do u have any pics of your process?

feel free to e-mail me directly at madhattr88@gmail.com

i absolutely LOVE your finishes!!!!

[ScottR]

I did a test project consisting of Z-poxy on one side and Tru Oil on the other and learned a couple of things. First I found that if you use a little less hardener than resin when mixing the Z-poxy you pretty much eliminate those soft or gummy patches and it give a longer pot time (the better for mixing thoroughly) and a harder more consistent cure. I teted that as a finish and polished a film layer up to a high gloss. On the other side I did a traditional Tru oil finish. In doing so I naturally got some Tru oil on the other side. It stuck to the highly plished and buffed Z-poxy like a champ. I had to sand it off and re-polish.

SR

[madhattr88]

I did a test project consisting of Z-poxy on one side and Tru Oil on the other and learned a couple of things. First I found that if you use a little less hardener than resin when mixing the Z-poxy you pretty much eliminate those soft or gummy patches and it give a longer pot time (the better for mixing thoroughly) and a harder more consistent cure. I teted that as a finish and polished a film layer up to a high gloss. On the other side I did a traditional Tru oil finish. In doing so I naturally got some Tru oil on the other side. It stuck to the highly plished and buffed Z-poxy like a champ. I had to sand it off and re-polish.

SR

interesting.... do u have any pics or a documented process for z-poxy & tru-oil?

i heard that any unreacted z-poxy will cause problems when the tru-oil hits it.

[ScottR]

This won't provide a complete answer to your question, but there are some interesting points and responses. And although I did finsih the project, I never got around to putting up any of the Tru oil pics.

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=44121

This was not intended to be a Z-poxy fill tru-oil finish test. Quarter and Resto can give you better advice on that. Quarter did state that he had no problems with the Tru-oil sticking to the Z-poxy. It certainly stuck to mine.

SR

[RestorationAD]

This won't provide a complete answer to your question, but there are some interesting points and responses. And although I did finsih the project, I never got around to putting up any of the Tru oil pics.

http://projectguitar.ibforums.com/index.php?showtopic=44121

This was not intended to be a Z-poxy fill tru-oil finish test. Quarter and Resto can give you better advice on that. Quarter did state that he had no problems with the Tru-oil sticking to the Z-poxy. It certainly stuck to mine.

SR

Quarter is the master of the Tru-Oil finish.

In your situation with many different woods close together I would use the Z-poxy slow cure with a little less hardener than resin as ScottR suggests. Basically i would squeegee as much as I could into the pores then sand down to wood leaving epoxy only in the pores. I have used this method when I am doing a traditional lacquer finish.

I have had really good success sanding the Z-poxy with 400grit wet/dry paper using Mineral spirits or Naptha -- (Not Water!!!) -- as a lubricant.

The real trick is to make sure the Z-poxy hardens properly. That is based on the amount of hardener added to the resin being slightly less than the amount of hardener. (I believe ScottR mentioned this already).