Official Luthiers Forum!

First use of Truoil.Two coats.
This stuff looks amazing.
Rubbed it in with fingers, light coats.
It smells lovely compared to lacquer.
Dan

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Looks great!

Oil finishes look great, and they are easy to repair if needed.

I used Formby's tung oil on a neck thru I built several years ago. I was later introduced to tru oil, and its superior results. I bought a bottle, but I haven't built anything since.

Awesome guitar! I use tru-oil on many things as well. It really brings out the curl on maple.

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Jason Moe
LaCrosse WI 54601

Not bad for the effort and time.
Had a heck of a time getting the final coats on the top to have a consistent sheen.
I did not fill the grain on the back. I taped off the ends of the neck and rubbed a satin finish with steel wool.

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That looks really nice, Dan. How many coats in total?

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

It looks very nice, Dan. You didn't state how many coats you finally built. Yes, as the successive coats become shinier, it can be difficult to get them even. I almost always have a few swirls and tracks from my application cloth, but they will usually polish very nicely and evenly with a soft cloth and some auto body swirl remover. I see that you've mounted your hardware, but if you ever decide to go back and add coats (or on your next instrument) just patiently build LOTS of thin coats so that you've got something to polish. Then give the coats a couple or three weeks to harden up. Then polish. I put more than a dozen coats on my tenor banjo. It isn't a fast-build sort of finish, but you've already discovered that with a little patience it's almost a no-brainer. The stuff is pretty durable, too. Remember that it's a gun stock finish and few instruments get subjected to the typical abuse that a shotgun stock receives. As has been mentioned, it's almost infinitely repairable, too. Nice job on your guitar. Thanks for posting!

Thanks, guys!
I ended up with about 12 coats.
After the third coat, it stopped being sucked in by the wood. I sanded pretty much back to the wood to have a sealed level surface. I did a light sand witn 600 grit before the last three or four coats.
All coats were very thin, rubbed in with fingers.
Dan
Oh yeah, I did away with the tone pot and put the jack where it should be.

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thats a really nice guitar! great idea with the pickguard inlay. i wish i could find some truoil around here. in all the times ive checked, I've found one can of spray on tru-oil, which i have yet to use, kinda doubting that it will be anywhere near as nice

Mark, the spray is fine. It's the same stuff. Spray a little on either the wood or on your application cloth, spread it with the cloth or your hand. Wipe off the excess and let it dry. Repeat as necessary. HOWEVER: Don't forget to shake the can vigorously for one minute before using, and don't forget to clear the spray nozzle after each shot.

Thanks, Mark!
I got the pickguard idea from someone here, and I appologize for not remembering who.

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I have bought a new bottle of true-Oil.......FOR EVERY PROJECT! As it always dries up since the last one.

Somebody on another thread says Bloxigen works good. Anybody else tried it? What do you think about this idea; buy a new bottle and pour it into individual 1 or 2 ounce bottles filled to the top and sealed tight?

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Pat

I remembereed I got the idea from Sandywood. Thanks, Sandywood!

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Good idea. The childproof lid is a real pain.

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Very cool Dan. I think the inlay looks great.

I buy the 3oz bottles of Tru-oil. I also use Tru-oil filler/sealer which sure helps before applying the oil- and finish with their wax. Great products IMO.

I don't tear off the foil seal either. I poke a hole with a toothpick and store the bottle upside down. Sure helps keep it good.

I've started spraying the face of the head with nitro because rubbing the oil over my name/decal can make a mess and just easier to spray without taking the chance of screwing up the "metal" type decal. Trying to sand away any small marks in the oil is just to easy to sand into the decal. Been there.

Something I've done to help preserve Truoil is to squeeze the air out of the bottle so that the product is near the top and then screw the cap on. Takes the air out of the bottle...

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Steve Sollod (pronounced sorta like "Solid")
www.swiftcreekguitars.com

Regardless of how you store Tru Oil to keep it from drying prematurely, remember that it's essentially an oil varnish. Give it a stir after it's been on the shelf a while. I can't guarantee that this is necessary, but it can't hurt and I do believe it helps.
I buy it in aerosol cans from a local hardware store. I don't much care for spraying a lot of propellant gasses into the air, but the aerosol version does seem to last until the can is empty. ...and I shake the can for a full minute before I use it. ...and, obviously, the nozzle must be cleared after each use.

Try heating the oil a bit before you apply it, holding the bottle under hot running water for a couple of minutes works great.

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A man hears what he wants to hear, and disreguards the rest. Paul Simon

beautiful work , thanks for sharing the details

Important step: wipe off the excess!
I'm working on my second guitar with truoil. Rub in on, wipe it off.
I'm using paper towels.
The sheen looks very consistent now.
Thanks Patrick,
Dan

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