Strippping Neck - Tru-oil To Tung Oil

[troyw]

Hey all,

Got a question regarding a neck refinish. I am working on a build and the neck has been completed with Tru-oil but I'm not really loving the feel of it. It's a little too glossy for what I want.

I'm going to take it down and re-do it in Tung but I wanted to know if there is any additional prep I need to do other than sanding it down. It's a Rock hard maple neck from Carvin. I know the TO will come off pretty easy but do I need to be concerned about anything that seeped int o the wood. Since Maple isn't open grained and TO doesn't soak in a lot, I'm thinking A quick sand down and I'll be ready to apply the tung but wanted to make sure.

I also have an old 12 string that I want to do the same thing to. It's probably a 60s era acoustic with a bolt on neck. (Eko - Italian made) It's an old beater but I love the neck and the action is great! I'm just wondering if anyone could take a stab at what it's got on it now. I'm not sure what they used back in the 60s but it's got a pretty slick finish like lacquer.

Thanks!

Troy

[Rick500]

Only thing I can really add is that I've found that mineral oil is a solvent for Tru-oil. I'm guessing sanding will probably do it though.

[troyw]

Only thing I can really add is that I've found that mineral oil is a solvent for Tru-oil. I'm guessing sanding will probably do it though.

Thanks Rick - Did you mean to say Mineral Spirits or does the oil actually work as a solvent. I knew the MS would cut TO but never heard about the mineral oil.

[Rick500]

My brain is not working. Must be the mineral spirits fumes.

Sorry, yeah, I meant mineral spirits. Mineral oil would be no good at all.

[SocialDistortionFan]

This is just personal preference, but I hate tung oil. I've heard good things about Tru-Oil but never tried it. From what I understand, it's a boiled linseed oil base with additives.

I DO NOT recommend any of the following for musical instruments, this is just to illustrate my experience with tung oil and boiled linseed oils: I used to buy/refinish/resell military surplus rifle stocks (M1's and M14's), and tried both tung oil and boiled linseed oil. Those were the original finishes used, and they were mainly intended to protect against rain/weather. On non-collectible ones, I'd use Easy Off oven cleaner to pull all the old oil/grease/cosmoline out of the wood, so I would be starting with bare wood. In my experience, tung oil always felt oily, gummy, or tacky, even with thin coats over that bare wood. I was never happy with how it looked either, linseed oil brought out the color and grain a lot better, and dried better. Many times I re-stripped tung oil treated stocks, to again refinish them with boiled linessed oil, before I quit using it all together. But I'd never use either for a guitar neck, *in my own personal projects*. It feels oily forever, it stinks, and unless I handled it with rubber gloves, it would irritate my skin pretty bad. Nothing I would want on a guitar neck. For guns it's not too bad, because typically people keep them with a thin layer of oil on the metal parts, in a case or safe, and typically a rifle isn't handled as frequently and as long as a guitar (so smell etc isn't as much an issue, guns stink from solvents/oils no matter what). In the field, many times they're carried on a sling, or while wearing gloves (here in IL during hunting seasons, it's usually pretty cold). So the tackiness isn't as much an issue there either.

You might be able to get a better feel out of the Tru-Oil with a light rubbing with white Scotch Brite, or a rag with denatured alcohol. My understanding is that the additives in Tru-Oil are intended to allow the finish to build up, which normal boiled linseed oil will just get gummy if put on too thick. If I got spots like that on stocks, I'd use denatured alcohol on a rag to thin the oil down a bit, and let it dry. The key was always to work in several light coats, allowing them to soak in before the next, to avoid that build up. But occasionally, it would happen. If you try the denatured alcohol, keep it away from any binding, inlays, paint, etc. Just a lightly damp rag, if you squeeze it and it drips, it's too much. Keep it off everything but that Tru-Oil surface. I accidentally spilled some the other day on a lacquered surface (back of my project Squire neck) and it had quite a negative effect on the finish.

I'm new and inexperienced to instrument refinishing, so keep that in mind. But I've put a lot of oil on other wood (mostly walnut and birch, if it makes a difference) through the years. Experiment on an old maple baseball bat (if you have one in the basement) first.

I bet the Eko neck is nitro lacquer. Aside from the pre-CBS Fender mystique, that was a pretty common finish back in those days, auto industry, musical instruments, furniture, cabinet making, etc. It was inexpensive back then, and dries fast, which are the priorities in manufacturing/production.

Edited March 8, 2009 by SocialDistortionFan

[foil1more]

If you want to get a good finish with tung oil, you have to really work it into the wood. I did my acoustic neck with tung and it is great. Tung oil does get very sticky if you don't work it in. I also didn't use pure tung oil.

[Rick500]

I did a Strat sort of thing in tung oil, maple neck and swamp ash body. "Minwax Tung Oil Finish," I should say, not pure tung oil.

Turned out beautifully. Four applications on the neck, six or so on the body. I raised the grain, let it dry, lightly sanded, repeated two or three times, applied the oil with a lint-free paper towel (Bounty brand), let it dry, applied the next coat, let it dry, etc.

The neck couldn't be smoother.

[brian d]

Troy, before you go through a lot of work for what may be a less protective finish, consider bringing down the gloss on the Tru-Oil. You've obviously got a good build of TO if it's glossy. A few minutes with 0000 steel wool should give you a nice smooth satin finish.

Let us know how it goes.

Cheers,

Brian.

[troyw]

Thanks yo guys....A few things....I have knocked it down with Steel wool but I'll give it another go round. Maybe I went too light before.

I'm look for a really matte finish. I know Rick knows what I'm talking about cause he' a carvin guy, I think. I too am not planning to ever use Pure tung for a finish. It's minwax tung finish as rick mentioned above.

I guess I'll see how the steel wool goes today and go from there.

[brian d]

What grade steel wool did you use? If 0000 wasn't enough, you could always use 00.

cheers.

[troyw]

I tried it and it's still not what I'm looking for as far as the feel of it goes. I've just about the the neck sanded back down. I'll give Rick's method a shot with the minwax and I'm sure that will do the trick.