How To Tung Oil On Flame Maple

[mesadualrec]

This is an addition to my last post,

after the advice given on the last post I have came to my senses and decided that staining is not gonna happen...not by me on such a lovely top!!

so I was just wondering if anyone could walk me through the tung oiling process

The guitar is brand new from monster guitar and has not had any previous staining or finishing,its a blank 3 quarter inch flame maple on alder body,All it needs is sanding(this may already be done also) and oiled

I have read several times that a black stain is required before this oiling so the flames/figuring pops more

does this have to be done if I dont stain it???

also can the alder be left with the tung oil or does this have to be laqured (sp?) for more protection??

if nobody can be bothered posting all this info. is there anywhere you guys can direct me for this info.

[Rick500]

If you don't want to stain it, you can just tung oil it. I'm sure there's more than one way to do it, but here's what I did (although I did stain mine):

Sand to 220, raise the grain (by wiping it down with a damp, not soaking wet, cloth), let it dry, sand again, raise the grain again, let it dry, repeat grain raising as desired, rub in tung oil with a lint-free cloth (I use Bounty paper towels), let it set for 5-10 minutes, wipe off the excess, let it dry at least 6 hours, repeat tung oil application as desired. Some very lightly sand or steel wool between tung oil applications, but I wait until the last application dries, then lightly rub it down with steel wool.

You can use tung oil on alder. It doesn't provide as much nick and dent protection as, say, poly.

Edited September 5, 2007 by Rick500

[mesadualrec]

thanks alot man thats really helpful

sounds like a dumb question but what ir raising the grain...is that the name given when sanding and then wetting ???

well thanks,

do you know what is meant when guys talk about black staining then sanding??

what thats for

cheers

Euan

[Mattia]

Two things: I never use straight oils, but prefer an oil varnish (like TruOil or Danish oil, or one of MiniWax's products). Second, and more importantly, oil finishes look best on very finely sanded wood. I go up to 1200, finishing with 0000 grade oilless steel wool, and only then apply oil.

Film finishes only get sanded to 220 or 320, no more.

[Rick500]

Yeah, I should have specified, I use MinWax's tung oil finish, which is not pure tung oil.

Staining and then sanding back is supposed to add more contrast and "deepen" the look of the figuring of the wood. A lot of people think it looks better that way; some think it's a waste of time.

Mattia, I'll try your method of sanding to 1200 and then #0000 steel wool when I'm ready to Tru-oil my Strat project...

[mesadualrec]

thanks a million guys

so here is what I have to do,just correct me if I get anything muddled up

Sand the body starting from say 120,then clean the freshly sanded body with a damp cloth/bounty towel then repeat the process through 180, 240, 320 grade sandpapers all the way up to 1200 and by the time you hit 1200 the flame.

Then,

use an oilless steel wool grade 0000.

after this clean with a damp cloth/bounty towel

and then apply the oil which should be an oil varnish not a straight tung oil!!!

after this clean away excess and repeat and leave for 6 hours or so

steel wool again and apply another coating of tung oil

then thats it

sorry if this is a silly post but its my first time doing it and I dont want ot destroy a $325 body but I do want to do it myself......some self satisfaction ya know

cheers for your time folks

Euan

[Rick500]

Sand the body starting from say 120,then clean the freshly sanded body with a damp cloth/bounty towel then repeat the process through 180, 240, 320 grade sandpapers all the way up to 1200 and by the time you hit 1200 the flame.

Then,

use an oilless steel wool grade 0000.

after this clean with a damp cloth/bounty towel

and then apply the oil which should be an oil varnish not a straight tung oil!!!

after this clean away excess and repeat and leave for 6 hours or so

steel wool again and apply another coating of tung oil

I think you might have a few processes crammed together there.

If you want to follow my advice for raising the grain before applying the finish:

Sand to 220, wipe with a damp cloth, let it dry, sand to 220 again,

repeat above.

Then if you want to follow Mattia's advice to sand it smoother, sand with progressively finer sandpaper to 1200, then #0000 steel wool.

Then apply the tung oil finish (not pure tung oil). For this, I use Bounty paper towels. No cleanup and they don't leave paper fibers in the oil. Rub it in, let it set for 5-10 minutes, wipe off the excess. Let it dry for at least 6 hours. Repeat until you're satisfied with the finish. When the last application is dry, I hit it with #0000 steel wool, then polish.

Edited September 5, 2007 by Rick500

[mesadualrec]

ok so sand the body using a 120 grade up to a 220...then wipe down and start again from the 120 to the 220

then perhaps repeat this again

then move on from 220 upwards to 1200.....should there be any stage in this where I should stop at a certain grade and wipe again and repeat or will I not have any wood left after this lol???

after the sanding has finished finally some 0000 steel wool then apply the tung oil with bounty paper leave for 5-10 mins then wipe away

leave to dry for 6 or so hours

repeat till Im happy then grab the 0000 steel wool again for a once over then polish and that it

phew!!!

glad its all cleared up

cant wait to get bashing on with it

I will post pic when she's done

ohh and do any of you guys mind If I PM you if I get into any trouble...its my first job at this

cheers guys

[guitar2005]

Sand the body starting from say 120,then clean the freshly sanded body with a damp cloth/bounty towel then repeat the process through 180, 240, 320 grade sandpapers all the way up to 1200 and by the time you hit 1200 the flame.

Then,

use an oilless steel wool grade 0000.

after this clean with a damp cloth/bounty towel

and then apply the oil which should be an oil varnish not a straight tung oil!!!

after this clean away excess and repeat and leave for 6 hours or so

steel wool again and apply another coating of tung oil

I think you might have a few processes crammed together there.

If you want to follow my advice for raising the grain before applying the finish:

Sand to 220, wipe with a damp cloth, let it dry, sand to 220 again,

repeat above.

Then if you want to follow Mattia's advice to sand it smoother, sand with progressively finer sandpaper to 1200, then #0000 steel wool.

Then apply the tung oil finish (not pure tung oil). For this, I use Bounty paper towels. No cleanup and they don't leave paper fibers in the oil. Rub it in, let it set for 5-10 minutes, wipe off the excess. Let it dry for at least 6 hours. Repeat until you're satisfied with the finish. When the last application is dry, I hit it with #0000 steel wool, then polish.

Don't apply the oil until you've sanded to 1200. If you apply oil then sand, you're just going to gum up your sandpaper. And there's no need to raise the grain with a natural oil finish.

Once sanded to 1200 and steel wooled, apply the oil. twice a day for a week then let it sit for a month, then polish.

[mesadualrec]

Hi and thanks for the added input!!!

I take it I will get the best result leaving it for a little longer.

Also on the whole,do you think its an easy enough job for a first time???

and finally when I was in tech class many moons ago at school,I was always told to follow the grain on the wood when sanding!!!

how would you go about this on a flamed top???

sorry for the amount of noob questions but its my first time and dont want to destroy a lovely top!!

thanks a million

Euan