troyw Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 Hey all, I just started on wet sanding a strat build that has tru-oil as the finish. I'm coming up with this weird patterned rings and since this is my first build, I wanted to check and see if this is normal or if I'm in some sort of trouble here. It started right away after sanding wet with 600. I thought maybe it could change after moving up to a higher grade paper but I did the next step and it didn't really change. it's a nice flat surface but I'm a little concerned as to what this is. This had about 20-30 coats of oil with light sanding and steel wooling between coats here and there. Can anyone shed some light on this for me? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ihocky2 Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 That looks like lamination issues. Basically each coat of Tru-Oil does not melt into the next, it just lays on top. When you are sanding, what you are seeing is the different layers. This is a problem that can happen with poly's since one the layer dries, the next layer does not melt in. I have not used Tru-Oil, but from what I remember reading you do not polish it the way you would with other clear coats. I would read through since it has been talked about extensively on here, and read how others are using Tru-Oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zeppelinchld Posted March 21, 2009 Report Share Posted March 21, 2009 that looks cool to me Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erikbojerik Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Those are called "witness lines". You have sanded through many of the layers of TO that you applied. You applied the Tru Oil correctly, but the layers go on very thin and it is not intended as a clear coat over paint. It is really more for a natural wood finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 To be clear,you should not wet sand tru oil...you just rub each coat on lightly and polish with the rag as you do it...like polishing furniture....that is all. apply more coats as I say...they will be very,very thin and it takes a LOOONG time to build up where you want it. But no,I would not have used it as a clear coat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted March 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 It's actually Dye, not paint. The front is a burst but this showed the lines better on the black back. So where should I go from here...more sanding or recoat and rub out? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
westhemann Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 recoat and rub out,for sure. I know you used dye...but I would not use tru oil for anything like that because of the rubbing application of the tru oil smearing the dye. But looks like as of now your dye is sealed in,so rub it out,baby... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
avengers63 Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 One more reason for me NOT to experiment with yet another finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
troyw Posted March 22, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Yep, dye and fill were sealed off with Bullseye. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Keegan Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 It's awesome whatever it is. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
foil1more Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 I like it . It looks like Damascus steel. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chops1983 Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 I too like it! I think it looks cool! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quarter Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 As was mentioned, those are witness lines and sanding with 600 is a bit aggressive for Tru Oil's new thin soft film. Here is a quick rundown of how I did the Tru Oil on my latest project. The the bulk of the filling is by wet sanding with Tru Oil and 400, usually 2 sessions gets me mostly there. Then I do 3 coats a day for 5 or so days until I get a good level body going. I wipe it on using some 2 1/2" x 2 1/2" cotton gun cleaning patch's, ran out of old t-shirts. I wet sand with 1000 grit and mineral spirits between the daily sessions / before the start of that days coats. Once I've got a good film started and most imperfections filled, I spray 3 or so coats, (one a day), with a little detail gun. Again, I wet sand each day before that days coat, but move to 1500, then 2000 on the last two coats. I've used the Tru Oil in the rattle cans and it works fine, but prefer mixing my own and spraying with the small gun. You can thin Tru Oil up to 50%, thats 2 parts oil to one part mineral spirits. Here are a couple pics . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Myka Guitars Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 This is similar to my approach with Tru-Oil finishes. I also level sand between each set of coats (10-15 applications = 1 set). I do not wet sand it however, I use 600-800 grit dry paper and #0000 steel wool. I apply a set of coats, level it, repeat until I like it, and then polish it with #0000 steel wool before I put on the last 2-3 coats which have to be applied perfectly. Final polish is with a soft cotton rag. ~David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
marko_slash Posted March 22, 2009 Report Share Posted March 22, 2009 Damn, it looks awesome, just put some clear on it, it looks amazingly good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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