Tru-oil

[whoofnagle]

I have a body that is a koa top and an ash body. After reading previous posts, I think I am going to try the tru-oil and naptha method for my finish. This will be a first for me.

After much reading I still have a few questions:

1. I assume that like the ash - the koa does not need to be grain filled. (I plan to head to the MIMF forum and do some reading there next).

2. I have sanded the body to 220, wetted it- to raise the grain, and then resanded to 220. Do I need to go to 320, 400, or beyond before applying the first coats of oil?

Bill

[Mattia]

Wuh?

Ash has some of the biggest pores this side of Wenge and the Grand Canyon, and Koa is most certainly porous. If you want a natural oiled feel, however, I'd say you're fine not filling; I never do on my oil finished projects, because I like the natural organic feel you get. However, if you want it smooth, you will have to fill.

Also, test your finish of choice on scraps of both woods, to make sure they both react properly/don't want a sealer and sit there drinking finish until next tuesday if you let them.

Also, here's the fun thing with oil finishes: 220? 320? 400? All way too rough to get the perfect oil-type finish. You want to get that wood crazy smooth. You want to sand up to at the very least 800, possibly even hit it with 0000 grade steel wool (or synthetic equivalent, if you don't want to risk any slivers getting stuck in grain, rusting, doing weird stuff). You want it almost smoothly reflective. 220 is far too rough for this kind of thing. Oil doesn't need anything to 'bite' on to like lacquer does.

Oh, and that grain raising thing? Unnecessary in this case. Good if you're gonna stain directly, otherwise I don't really see the point. Oil's not gonna raise the grain.

Edited September 5, 2005 by mattia

[whoofnagle]

Cool - I am looking for a natural feel - so I will go without the filler. I thought I would need to go way on up with the sanding - that was why I asked - working on 320 now. I hope to get some done each night this week so that I can start applying the finish next weekend.

Thanks again,

Bill

[TeiscosRock]

Heres a question that sorta applies to the topic - where would I pick up some tru-oil? Are there any major stores in the U.S. that I can stop by?

[marksound]

WalMart

[Mattia]

WalMart?

It's a gunstock oil finish, should be easily found. If not, stop by Birchwood-casey's website and ask them for a local distributor.

[marksound]

I don't know about your local WalMart, but my Supercenter has it on the wood finish aisle.

[ooten2]

I got some in the sporting goods section, right next to the guns, at Wal Mart.

[Jivin]

right next to the guns, at Wal Mart.

←

Right next to the what now?

[Hunter]

Walmart sells guns. Where have you been man!?

Anyway, yeah, Walmart.

[westhemann]

yeah...most of them around here sell guns...but around here they don't stock(hehe) tru oil...i ordered mine from online

[bigdguitars]

I would not go past 320 on sanding. Its just extra effort at that point. I have finished a lot of guitars with tru-oil and I go to 320 and then apply the tru oil.

Grain filling is a pain in the ash, I personally would avoid it. just depends on how you want it to look. If you grain fill it will be smooth, if you build up a decet coat with tru-oil you will have good coverage, but not perfect... If you ding the back, with grain fill you can't just add another coat and reapply. If you just do tru-oil you can just sand a little then re-apply.

just depends on what you want to do.

[ooten2]

Yeah, guns at Wal Mart. This is Texas, man. Everybody has guns.

I kept reading on this forum about Tru Oil at Wal Mart, and looked in the wood finish and paint section, and never could find it. Then one day I was in sporting goods and walked by the rifles and BANG, there it was. A whole shelf-full of it.

I tried it for the first time this last week, and am very impressed with the results. Good stuff.

[Maiden69]

I'm still not sure why use an oil finish on a guitar, I understand for a neck, but for a body?

Any way, I have seen it done, so I guess it's OK. I have seen tru-oil at armories (guns sale places?), and I did once at a Lowes, but they didn't carried it in MD, so I guess it was a one time deal to see if it moved...

[Jivin]

Walmart sells guns.  Where have you been man!?

Anyway, yeah, Walmart.

←

I'm not from America There are places in the world where the general stores don't sell firearms, beleive it or not

Is Tru-Oil common outside the states? does it go by a different name elsewhere?

- Dan

[mledbetter]

i think it's just tru-oil. check out the birchwood-casey website and you can probably do a distributor search.

It's a polymerized linseed oil blend, and it's very easy to use - will actually build up to a nice gloss too if you want.

Might be best to order it if your selection is limited as there are other products, aerosol versions, sealers, etc.

About the ash, I had problems with the oil hardening and the general consensus was that i put too much on too fast.. It cures by oxidization and if you have a deep-pored wood like ash you will end up with pockets of oil with hardened "skin" on the top and the oil underneath takes forever to cure. Naptha helps there by doing ultra thin coats and having them dry incredibly fast. Might take 30 coats but you can do a coat ever 30 mins or so with a 50/50 cut.

[erikbojerik]

No guns (so no Tru-Oil) in Maryland Walmarts...maybe the Republican governor can fix that before he's voted out.

I found mine at Dick's Sporting Goods (formerly Galyans), right next to them there guns.

In my test scraps (walnut, ebony & bocote) I sanded to 1000 grit. I applied mine full-strength but still as thin as a paper towel would allow, giving it 15 minutes between coats (and one overnight, after 1000-grit scuff sanding). It was real hard after a week. Haven't tried the 50/50 cut yet, but I will once I start on the real thing.

40 coats over two days, and it filled almost all the pores. I'm pretty sure I could buff it out to a mirror.

[stiggz]

Walmart sells guns.  Where have you been man!?

Anyway, yeah, Walmart.

←

I'm not from America There are places in the world where the general stores don't sell firearms, beleive it or not

Is Tru-Oil common outside the states? does it go by a different name elsewhere?

- Dan

←

dan, im not exactly sure if this is 100% correct, but tung-oil seems to be a close alternative, its goes on really thin, so it can be brushed without any major troubles, and unlike other laquer doesnt stay sticky-ish for more than 10hours from being applied, and when enuf patience, and(....for lack of a better word) commitment , a really shiny finish can be acheived

its dirt cheap and goes a long way, bout 15 bucks for a litre and i have used bout 3 cm's of this tin on 2 guitars

luke

Edited September 10, 2005 by where's the beef???

[Mattia]

dan, im not exactly sure if this is 100% correct, but tung-oil seems to be a close alternative, its goes on really thin, so it can be brushed without any major troubles, and unlike other laquer doesnt stay sticky-ish for more than 10hours from being applied, and when enuf patience, and(....for lack of a better word) commitment , a really shiny finish can be acheived

its dirt cheap and goes a long way, bout 15 bucks for a litre and i have used bout 3 cm's of this tin on 2 guitars

luke

←

Tung oil, pure, isn't as Tru-Oil. Tru-Oil is more of a polymerizing oil-based finish. It's not simply a drying oil. It goes on faster, builds faster, you can get it to a semi-gloss type of thing. You can use pure oil, but it offers less protection. The closest I've found here (NL) is a Liberon product called 'finishing oil'. Things like Rustin's Danish Oil and the like should work well too.

[erikbojerik]

I would not brush on Tru-Oil at full strength, I think that would be too thick of a coat. I saturate a clean cloth and wipe on (replenishing the cloth as I wipe), pretty thin.

[javacody]

Again, many things say "tung oil" on the package, but unless they say "pure" tung oil, then they are probably a varnish (like the tru-oil). Pure tung oil does not dry in a few hours, more like 12 to 24! Pure Linseed oil takes even longer (and from what I understand, may never dry, luthiers would put their instruments in the sun, as apparently, this helps the Linseed oil dry).

There are some great oil based products out there though, like tru-oil. I'd also recommend Waterlox.

[whoofnagle]

Well I stopped by my local walmart today and picked up some tung-oil. For those of you have done the body with tru-oil - how much of the bottle did you use? I know I will be wiping on multiple coats (thin). I am just curious as to how much of the small bottle did you use.

Bill

[javacody]

Did you buy the Formby's product in the woodworking section? I would guess you'd want to do anywhere from 8 or more coats.