Official Luthiers Forum!

I am working with 4 products here.

Tru Oil.
Sealer & Filler.
LMI Micro-bead Acrylic Paste Filler.
Stew Mac Colortone Stain.

In which order would you apply these?

My Instincts are telling me:

1 - LMI Grain Filler.
Sand smooth to 600 grit.
2 - Stain, thinned with water.
Very mellow 600 grit sanding.
3 - Sealer & Filler.
Buff with steel wool.
4 - 10 or so coats of Tru Oil.

How do you think this would work out?

Any experiencing staining a guitar in this manner when the guitar has white binding? Any coloring issues with the binding or does it only soak into the wood and wipe right off the plastic binding?

Hi, James. I have not worked with all of these products in this combination. I recommend you finish sand some scraps of your guitar woods to experiment and see which sequence gives you the stain effect that best suits your vision for the finish. I don't think you're planning on enough coats of Tru Oil. In my experience, you will get the best results with MANY thin coats. The two operative words there are "many" and "thin". This will depend on whether you want to buff to a high gloss, of course. You must also be very careful to clean up after each session with steel wool. Sweep it, wipe it with a tack rag, go over it with a magnet in a sock, blow it with high pressure air, etc. In short, get all those little metal fibers off of there before applying more Tru Oil (or any other finish material). And...if you ARE going for a gloss, buffed finish, allow your Tru Oil to harden up for a few weeks before leveling and buffing.

One more thing: Stir your Tru Oil before each application. Or if you're using the aerosol cans, shake the heck out of it first.

It can give you a wonderful, user-friendly finish and it can be repaired almost indefinitely. But you've got to apply it with patience. If you hurry the coats too soon, or put them on too thickly, or don't keep your can stirred, you run the risk of a gloppy mess that doesn't want to dry. And if you hurry the final buff, the finish won't be hard enough to give good results.

Cphanna, how have you gone about buffing with your Tru Oil instruments? Similar to buffing a nitro guitar?

I can't say for your chosen combo of finishing supplies, that would require running out some samples to see what and how and for sure. I work mainly in French Polish, Nitro, and some pollies, so from that perspective here are a few things. If you plan to stain, it must be done first on bare wood. The bindings will need attention. You can mask them off with tape, or scrape them clean after staining with a razor. I typically seal my surfaces prior to grain filling (but after any staining) and then seal again after.The LMI stuff is listed for use with water based finishes " but with proper cure can be used under McFadden’s lacquer" They make no mention of what proper care is but I assume it must refer to dry time as trapped water in the filler will louse up a solvent finish pretty darn quick. A main reason I don't like water based grain fill. Your surface prep should be sanded to the white at 180-200 grit to provide a good anchor for the finish. Gray scothcbrite can be used in place of steel wool for in between coats of oil if you prefer, I find it a bit easier to clean up and do not need to worry about oil blooms in my finish from the steel wool.

_________________
Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

In response to the buffing question, I don't have a stationery power buffer. At different times, I've used a fleece pad with automotive buffing compound in a power drill, and I've used MicroMesh pads. I've also used the full range of grits in MicroMesh, rubbed dry, followed by hand rubbing with Meguiar's swirl remover. If you do that, don't skip any grits of MicroMesh and use the finest grits of auto polish. I've used TruOil on furniture pieces, too. For a softer, less glossy luster you can do a light 0000 steel wool buff and a vigorous buff with a flannel rag.

Thank you for the great responses.

I am particularly hoping to hear from someone who has used the Sealer & Filler that is made by Birchwood Casey. Even if you have not used it, do you think it is necessary to begin with this product before switching to Tru Oil?

James, the answer to your sealer and filler question will depend on the wood you are using. It is actually quite easy to fill most wood pores by wet sanding with TruOil. 220 grit paper will raise a slurry of fine sanding dust and oil which can be packed down into the pores easily. I've done this many times on walnut. I would probably NOT do it on wood with big open pores like some red oaks I've had. However, I am not sure how this method would affect your ability to stain. Again, I think you'll just need to do some experimentation on scraps of your wood. I normally use a method that involves mixing oil stains with an oil-based pore filler, I am careful to wipe off excess from the surface after it tacks, and I am meticulous about steel wooling any traces of residue off the surface after the filler hardens up. Then top coats of finish go on clear. I don't know if this would work using your filler and water based stain combo, but it is worth a try on scrap. In fact, I expect a lot of readers would like to hear about your results--whether good or bad.