RAdkins Posted February 27, 2008 Report Share Posted February 27, 2008 I bought this Zebrawood/Maple Body for a project and I want to do a natural finish on it. I have been reading about using Tru-Oil for the finish and will probably use it for the finish. The question I am asking is do I need to grain fill the Zebrawood before I apply the Tru-Oil? I want a high gloss finish but I don't want any low spots on the finish from unfilled grain. Also is there a way to make the figure of the maple more pronounced? I have added a few pics of the body. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 it is possible to do it without grain filling, but it takes a really long time. if you wet sand with the tru oil, it will make a gooey mixture of sawdust and oil and fill the pores, but you have to wait for it to dry and do it for days. have you ever seen those gibsons with a zebrawood top? they arnt grainfilled and they still look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAdkins Posted February 28, 2008 Author Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 I just went on the net to check out those Gibson's they look good, never seen one in person. I guess i wont worry too much about grain filling the zebrawood top. I will just make sure that it is sanded real good before I start with the finish. I live in a pretty small town in Alaska so I dont think that I will be able to get the Tru-Oil. So I might end up using Fromby's Tung-Oil. I noticed that the Gibsons also only have a satin finish so i will probably use a low gloss Tung Oil as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rick500 Posted February 28, 2008 Report Share Posted February 28, 2008 You can also get Tru-Oil through amazon.com . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peterbrown Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 You can also get Tru-Oil through amazon.com . I definitely would not use grainfiller. The oil needs to penetrate the wood and oxidise. Using a grainfiller just creates a barrier. An oil finish is not the best choice for a high gloss. the best you can get good is a satin and at best semi-gloss. But if you want the grain to pop and have depth, then oil finish is definitely in my opinion the best. Look forward to seeing the finished body, Peter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
killemall8 Posted March 4, 2008 Report Share Posted March 4, 2008 You can also get Tru-Oil through amazon.com . I definitely would not use grainfiller. The oil needs to penetrate the wood and oxidise. Using a grainfiller just creates a barrier. An oil finish is not the best choice for a high gloss. the best you can get good is a satin and at best semi-gloss. But if you want the grain to pop and have depth, then oil finish is definitely in my opinion the best. Look forward to seeing the finished body, Peter not really true. you can get a high gloss finish with tru oil. look at this pic from another thread: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.