Official Luthiers Forum!

Has anyone tried this,ive got a sample coming.

Never heard of it. Looks pretty expensive.

Please share your findings.

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I'm not a luthier.
I'm just a guy who builds guitars in his basement.
It's better than playing golf.

I've used it on one guitar so far, and I know some people who have used it on a few acoustics. Is your sample the two-part kind? That's the one that I think is more useful.
It's more or less like a tru-oil type finish, but it cures completely in one day, even on rosewoods and other oily exotics, which is pretty amazing. I like to scuff with a fine scotchbrite pad and do an extra coat to make sure I've achieved complete coverage.
It is pretty expensive, but you only need to mix up a tablespoon or so for a whole guitar so it goes a long way. It's quite viscous, so it doesn't sink it too fast, but you have to work more to spread it around. On flattish surfaces it makes sense to use a credit card or plastic scraper.
So far it seems to be very tough and water/beer resistant. It also seems to keep its colour well, unlike Livos which tends to turn yellow on light-coloured woods.
So it's promising. But of course, test on some scraps, and then on some non-guitar things to make sure you've got the hang of it.

Just got the sample, its the one part type they allso sent an applicator which is like a rough sponge type thing, how did you apply yours Mike and what grit did you sand to before application.Thanks Rob.

I too would love to see some pics and hear what you think about it.

I've used something similar on some electric guitars I've done, (at least it seems like a similar product). A product called Osmo. The guitars look and feel amazing, really alive.

I sanded up to 1000, and then the first coat of oil I applied with a cloth wrapped around a paper towel, really tried pushing it into the grain and let it set up, then took a white scotch brite pad and applying pressure rubbed the whole thing down to burnish that first coat, then wiped off excess.

It hasn't proved to be the most durable of finishes, but I love worn in guitars and this finish has left the guitar feeling really resonant.

I think your Osmo might be a different thing Conor, rubio is really tough. They even suggest using it on floors...
The one-part finish is supposed to have the same characteristics as the two-part, but takes much longer (i.e. several days or more) to cure. That's why I wouldn't bother with it.
I believe there are detailed application instructions on the website, and that it would be best to follow them. I was told how to use it by a friend, and they said not to go beyond 400 grit (I use 3M gold), since if you go higher it might absorb more unevenly. I just used a rag to apply, but by all means use their plastic gizmo. The trick is to cover the whole piece quickly and thoroughly so you get even absorbtion; uneven application could result in uneven colour and depth. I didn't have any problems though, so maybe my concerns are overblown. Then you wait a couple of minutes and soak up all the excess with a clean rag.
Hope this helps.

Osmo is for floors too. I just looked them both up online and they're compared to each other with a couple other products. It's called Poly X. I get mine from a furniture maker, and followed the instructions he uses for doing tables. When I say it's not as durable I'm talking about fingernail scratches, pen marks (I use my guitars as tables when I teach lessons ) and shirt buttons. Having said that my lacquered strat has suffered terribly from shirt buttons too.