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Liberon Finishing Oil


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I am finishing a maple neck with ebony board. This time (after reading about how much better true-oil is compared to my usual tung oil) I am trying out Liberon Finishing oil (apparently a true-oil) for the first time. Earlier I have used everything from linseed oil to tung oil, but no polymerized oil like Liberon. I’m a little curious about the application scheme and have some questions.

I have sanded the neck like I use to and applied some oil. As I have always sanded with the oil as a lubricant, feeling that it really works the oil into the wood, I did the same this time. I finished this first application with some liberal coating of oil that was wiped of, leaving only a *very* thin film of oil on the surface (like I always do). I then l left it hanging to dry out some. When returning, a few hours later, the surface was all sticky and not very nice at all, especially on the ebony. With other oils I am used to be able to continue oiling the wood with a few hours in between. Is this different with a true-oil? Have I left too much on the surface (probably)? Do I need to sand the sticky film away? After a few more hours the stickiness was much less and it started to feel more like a real coating finish. Should I just wait some more and the film will dry out? If so, when applying the next layer, will the new oil “melt” the old, dried out one like nitro melting the old layers? If so I think I will have to change my application scheme. What is the drying time for true-oil? The application instruction on the can doesn’t really cover the use on guitars…

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I've mostly used liberon finishing oil in the past, although I never, ever apply anything to ebony fingerboards, so I can't help with that. Fine sand to 1200, go over it with 0000 steel wool (oilless), apply stuff with a rag, let it sit for a bit, wipe off sticky excess, and then wait for it to dry s'more, repeat 2-3 times per day (3 hour interval or more) for 3-5 days, level with steel wool once in a while, then let it all dry properly for a week or so, apply some paste wax (briwax is nice) with an old T-shirt, and buff the heck out of it.

It does feel sticky, and it does take a while to dry properly, and I've never noticed any witness lines, although I do apply wet-ish over wet-ish, generally.

Works for me, anyway...

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Thanks Mattia. 3 times a day with 3 hours in between minimum is way lmore waiting than I'm used to with the other oils. That just means that I have to be patient and don't rush things.

I always give my ebony boards some oil before fretting. I don't know if it really soaks in, but as I wipe off the remains, I figured it wouldn't hurt. Anyway, the stickiness was way better on the ebony this morning and the maple was almost smooth, so I think it will work out fine.

With a true-oil, does the fresh oil (or the solvents in the oil) dissolves the old dried out film?

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