Chris_P

Hey Chris!

I've never finished a guitar with it as I prefer tung oil, but when working with tru-oil on gun stocks I usually find 000 steel wool doesn't leave too much of a mess as long as you buff lightly. Once I get to the final coat I just buff with a finish conditioner on a soft cloth to keep the sheen and it's usually pretty smooth. It'd depend on what wood you're using though, the walnut gun stocks tend to be a lot more resilient than traditional hardwoods used for guitar!

Hey, thanks for the tips dude the body im finishing is mahogany, its taking me a little while to get used to using the tru-oil.. it leaves a very nice finish though. The main thing thats bugging me now is despite trying to apply very light coats I still seem to get one or two small runs! I have been warming to oil slightly before I use it to make it more workable then using a small piece of cloth to apply, I did try using my hands but its very messy and doesnt wash off!

Also how many coats do you aim for? Im thinking either 10 or 15 coats but dont wana rush it and pay later!

Cheers, Chris.

Hey all, Im currently refinishing a guitar with tru-oil.. its working really well, very pleased with the results so far.

The problem is, as I build the finish and its getting more depth & shine im finding it hard when applying coats because I just cant see where its gone onto the body! I have find myself missing small areas, being a bit of a perfectionist It really bugs me! Also, when I use steel wool or 2000grit to smooth between coats it leaves marks on the finish which go when I apply the next layer, but Im a bit concerned about finishing the final coat! I have been leaving 8-12 hours between coats so far.

Any tips by experienced users of Tru-oil would be pretty awesome, thanks!

have you got a pic? We will be able to tell you if its dyed or not

its hard to know without a pic as rougher ebony will look greyer than totally smooth ebony - it may well be that sanding really smooth and re-oiling will be enough to get it back - but we cant say for sure without a picture

also, if it is stained , the stuff from stew-mac can be found easily in the UK for a few quid so its not a major problem

http://www.google.co.uk/products?q=black+f...;hl=en&aq=f

Hey man, here's a pic on the neck.. havnt finished the job yet, doing it by hand! So just one fret a day while im refinishing my body with tru-oil, only sanded up to 320 grit atm.

Had a quick look on google myself, nice to know it wont be a problem getting the stain if I need it.. tbh Im used to having higher frets scalloped so im not too bothered about having to re-stain if thats the case, needs a must!

Thanks for the advice man! Chris.

Hi Chris,

Sounds like you have cut into an ebony board that has been dyed. Some builders do that for a consistent color. You can leave it natural. Lemon oil will darken it a little, and fine sandpaper will burnish it smooth and shiny. Or dye it to restore the black finish. Stew-Mac has the stuff. I've never used it, but they say it works.

http://www.stewmac.com/shop/Finishing_supp...oard_Stain.html

Ah thats a bit of a drag but seems pretty strait forward to sort out, guess id just sand to finish then apply the stain and polish up?

Cheers, Chris.

Hi all, this is my first post on these forums, despite visiting the main site many times over the last few years! So, hello.. my name is chris from the UK

I'll get right to it.. I have recently started to scallop an ebony fretboard (11-22nd fret), its not the first time ive scalloped a neck but it is the first ebony one done. I have noticed that where I have sanded the ebony its gone an off colour (very light) am I right in thinking that if I keep go through finer grits, 1000-2000 it will bring that nice dark ebony look back out? I also plan to polish the neck with lemon oil when done. Or is there something more involved.

Thanks for any help, just want to make sure I have the supplies to do the job right!