Tru-oil Questions

[masterpuppets]

Hello all.I just started finishing my guitar body/neck in Tru-Oil,and it looks really good so far.But I see now that I would like it to be darker.The neck came with a sealer already on it,but I used the filler & sealer that Birchwood/Casey makes for the body(2 coats).I am 3 coats in on the body,4 on the neck with the Tru-Oil.Would it be possible at this stage to add a stain to the Tru-Oil in order to get it darker,or do I have to start over? The neck and body are both mahogany,and no grain filling was done to the body.

As another option,could I later on use some sort of "tinted" clear lacquer over it,to get it darker? Which,if either,is possible? I am thinking of picking up the B/C Walnut stain,and watering it down until I get the desired shade,and applying it.But my fear is that it will not really go on right OVER the existing Tru-Oil coats.

[al heeley]

It's certainly not the good way to get a stain in. You should stain the wood, get the pores to soak in the colour, then lacquer over the top, but I guess you know that. Tru oil will stain up if you use the right solvent-based stain, but over 3 or 4 existing coats the stain has nowhere to go, so all you will get is the weak shade of the colour in a dried film of tru-oil. It will work but it may look streaked and weak. If you only add a little stain, there should be no problems with adhesion of the coat to the existing coats.