So here is my current situation:
I have a guitar that was previously refinished and tru-oiled. I didn't like the way the finish came out. There were a few dark spots in the wood, like whole blotches of wood were much darker than the rest. It wasn't due to the tru-oil, as I have the top sanded down and those areas are still darker than the rest of the wood. In addition to that, there are some white "specs" in the wood, like a grain filler or something.
Here is my plan right now:
1. After I sand everything to 1500, I plan to bleach the wood, to eliminate the dark spots.
2. After I re-sand/prep the body, I need to grain fill with something. (or not? the grain feels kind of full thanks to the tru-oil. I've heard of people using tru-oil as a sealer before.)
3. After prepping again, I'll apply several coats of Minwax red mahogany stain. (Now, some concerns of mine. The fretboard is purpleheart. If I stain the neck too, will I need to mask off the purpleheart, or can that just be sanded out?)
4. After the stain is completely dry, I'll apply several coats of Minwax Tung Oil. I know it's not "real" tung oil, but since it's a varnish, I think it would effectively seal the guitar. I think I've heard of the stain + tung oil combination being done before.
Now, does this seem like a valid plan? Would this work in theory? lol.