Sobot Posted July 22, 2005 Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 I've heard that people have had problems with Pure tung oil and drying. Would anyone recommend getting the polymerized Tung oil instead of the Pure? Also. I'm gonna be finishing an entire neck (back and headstock) and an entire body (about the same surfce area as a strat body...). How much of the oil do you think I would need? They come in 250mL, 500mL, and 1L. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gemleggat Posted July 22, 2005 Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 i Have never had a prob getting normal stuff drying, i guess 500ml would be the minimum. It really depends on the type of wood the body is made out of how easy and how much oil you need to finish it . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gun Posted July 22, 2005 Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 I don't know the polymerized Tung oil but everyone here say to go for the Tru oil, I will use it for my neck. I seen 2 coats of Tru oil and then a wood wax should be fine, but I think that to check instructions isn't a bad idea. I know that Tung oil is a pure oil without any addition. Usually danish oil (used to finish necks) was a mix of tung oil and polyurethane lacquer... something so. But now a lot of people are using Tru oil instead Danish oil to finish necks and bodies too. Start with 500ml. I believe you should be able to finish your body and neck. And if you perform a search, there are a lot of posts about oil finish. Hopeing that can help you. Gian Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jay5 Posted July 22, 2005 Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 Tru Oil is polymerized tung oil, it allows for a harder, more durable finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nollock Posted July 22, 2005 Report Share Posted July 22, 2005 Tru Oil is polmerised linseed oil, at least that is its main constutient. "Its unique blend of linseed and natural oils" Danish Oil can often contain either tung or linseed oil, or both, and other things. And posibly the oils have been modified aswell. So, it is best to stick to a brand of oil that people recomend because a tin of "Tung Oil" or "Whatever Oil" could be mostly pure, cut with other oils, polymerised, added solvents, or added anything. It could even contain no "Tung Oil" at all! There is a wealth of info on this subject in the library of archived messages at MIMF. http://www.mimf.com/ You will need to register, and its not an easy site to navigate, but there's loads of great info there, around 30 archived threads just on oil finishes. chris Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sobot Posted July 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 Thanks for the replies. What kind of wax should I use for the neck (or body even?) after the oil finish is done? Do I even need the wax? AND does anyone think that Danish oil would be more suitable for the neck? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deja Posted July 23, 2005 Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 danish oil is nice to use on necks, youll have to redo it after a while though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sobot Posted July 23, 2005 Author Report Share Posted July 23, 2005 danish oil is nice to use on necks, youll have to redo it after a while though ← redoing it isn't a bad thing though, as long as I don't have to take the neck off the body... would I have to? P.S. I've been waiting to post a picture of my guitar for a long time now, here it is so far (not sanded, and the neck IS NOT attached) http://photobucket.com/albums/v215/Sobot/?...nt=P1010003.jpg tell me what you think of the design, it's gonna stay like that, no bevelled edge or anything Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
crvrotkvica Posted July 25, 2005 Report Share Posted July 25, 2005 I`m a lousy woodworker, but not so bad designer, so could You give some picture from the front, it`s pretty hard to discuss design by this picture. Bye Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javacody Posted July 31, 2005 Report Share Posted July 31, 2005 A couple of things: There is pure Tung Oil (I use Behlens), and it is fairly thick and takes anywhere from 12 hours (only in a very dry and warm environment, like Arizona in the summer) to 48 hours (in a humid, cool environment) to dry. There are Tung Oil based varnishes, my favorite being Waterlox. This dries in about 4 hours if memory serves. This is a pretty good, strong finish. It takes a pretty good beating, and you can apply additional coats years after the fact (unless you've covered the finish in wax or guitar polish). There is even a gloss version of waterlox that looks pretty good. There is polymerized Tung Oil, which is basically cooked Tung Oil that that will dry much faster and be a harder finish that pure Tung Oil. I've never used this, but have some on hand for my next project. I've had the best results with pure tung oil when I first apply a "ground" to the instrument of beaten egg white (called "glare"). These techniques are not modern by any means, but I wanted to experiment with what instrument makers might have used hundreds of years ago. Of course, I'm not about to start cooking pine sap with linseed oil, as I really don't like the prospect of inhaling large amounts of toxic gases nor do I like the idea of 3rd degree burns. Anyway, you can find stuff about this technique by searching on violin finishing techniques. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jehle Posted August 2, 2005 Report Share Posted August 2, 2005 Just posted this link in another thread. It has a lot of information about the different types of classic and new-fangled oil products... http://www.odcmp.com/Services/Rifles/wood_...ing_article.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
javacody Posted August 3, 2005 Report Share Posted August 3, 2005 That is a great thread Bill. I found something similar on using tung oil to finish walnut rifle stocks. That article advocated using sand-papper on top of the wet tung oil and use the oil/sawdust mixture as pore filler. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doc Posted August 3, 2005 Report Share Posted August 3, 2005 Just a plug for a favorite source here: Fine Woodworking this month has a cover article on wipe on finishes that comes close to being gospel. Do yourself a favor and pick it up and read it. i was shocked because they rated Minwax's tung oil poly tops for a lot of reasons that seem to make sense. In the past they have made serious fun of minwax as a top of the line finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ByronBlack Posted August 3, 2005 Report Share Posted August 3, 2005 I've just finished sanding a body back to wood, and based on this thread, it seams Tru-oil is the best oil to apply, i'll then wax over the top of that. Can anyone recommend a website that has a tutorial on how to actually apply the oil and wax? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
n8rofwyo Posted August 6, 2005 Report Share Posted August 6, 2005 I read that article as well Doc! It was a surprise to me as well, but I think it was a fair assesment of the different wipe-on finishes readily available. Sobot, you could pull some very topic specific info from the article. Good Luck. Nate Robinson Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gun Posted August 8, 2005 Report Share Posted August 8, 2005 (edited) For anyone tried a Birchwood Tru Oil. How many coats do you use? Then do you use the Birchwood wood wax too? I'm going to finish a maple Strat neck so I was thinking 2 coats of oil but I dunno if wax is needed or isn't. Edited August 8, 2005 by gun Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SoundAt11 Posted April 21, 2007 Report Share Posted April 21, 2007 I've got a small jug of Pure Tung Oil from Rockler (same size as the Mixwax or Formsby's tins at the hardware store). It does take a while to really soak up, even if you wipe it off quickly, it takes days to "sweat" out the remaining excess oil. It depends on the wood, though. Maple is done, almost instantly. More Porous woods like Mahogany or to a lesser extent, Alder, do need more time to air out. It does look quiet nice and if your an "all natural" type of person, than it gives the guitar some extra mojo. Otherwise, it provides a light sheen and a slight tint to the wood. Thinning pure tung oil can be a good idea. Some people might use Acetone or a similar harsh chemical. I'm more of a natural guy, so I use rubbing alcohol. It evaporates and isn't harmful (I work indoors). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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