Oil Finishes?

wixomwhat

New member
Hey I want to put an oil Finish on a Mahagony guitar I have. what would be a safe type of oil to use? or should I just clear coat it?
 
Re: Oil Finishes?

use tru-oil. that's what both Wayne and Jackson/Charvel use on their oiled bodies. i just built a Clone Guitar for a customer with an oiled 1pc mahogany body and used tru-oil on it and it came out killer!! you can either have a matte finish with a bit of wood feel left (like wayne and charvel do) or you can build it up real thick and get a gloss finish.

-Mike
 
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Re: Oil Finishes?

I tried Tru Oil on an old neck and it turned out pretty good. I didn't get it as thick as I wanted, but that's my fault. ;)

People have been using tung oil successfully for many years.
 
Re: Oil Finishes?

I'll have to check out Tru Oil. I know we have some Tung oil and that is what my mom suggested I use.

How long do you guys let the oil dry for before its good to go?
 
Re: Oil Finishes?

Mike I think you will like this one when its all done.

I've been trying to get this one finished for like a week but its been raining on and off here for a week now.
 
Re: Oil Finishes?

Thanks for the info Guys!

Kindred_Spirits said:
For tung oil, the process for me was:
Rub in 1st coat
Let dry for 12 hours
0000 steel wool
Then repeat for consecutive coats

sounds pretty easy. hopefully it stops raining and I can get this finished.
 
Re: Oil Finishes?

Does this oil get absorbed into the body wood? so solidify like a laquer? Also how is the oil applied?
 
Re: Oil Finishes?

With Tru-Oil, you can rub it on with a rag or even your fingers (though it gets messy). It soaks into the wood slightly, so you probably couldn't feel a difference after the first coat or two. Then it builds up. You can get a smooth glossy surface with it if you want. It's what is used on gun stocks.
 
Re: Oil Finishes?

Zerberus said:
tru oil, or the old classic "Tung Oil" will work fine.

Some of you may not know this, but I design and oversee the building of gorgeous Cherry, Walnut and Maple mission style furniture as what I do for my primary living. We finish everything we do in Tung Oil. We use the Hopes brand.

Lew
 
Re: Oil Finishes?

When using Tru Oil, it may help to apply a couple of coats of clear shellac first as a moisture barrier. (picked that up from a custom gunstock maker)

Especially with mahogany where you want to fill the pores of the wood, brushing on a couple of relatively thick coats of shellac, then sanding, then brushing or wiping (better) on a couple of thinner coats of shellac would make a great base for a nice thin Tru Oil finish.

Tru Oil is resistant to alcohol, but not the best vapor barrier. Shellac is waterproof, but dissolves in alcohol. Sooo, Tru Oil on top of shellac is good - especially for necks that you want to stay stable even with humidity changes.

Don't use alcohol-based dye on bare wood and then apply shellac though... (learned that the hard way)

Chip
 
Re: Oil Finishes?

Fresh_Start said:
When using Tru Oil, it may help to apply a couple of coats of clear shellac first as a moisture barrier. (picked that up from a custom gunstock maker)

Especially with mahogany where you want to fill the pores of the wood, brushing on a couple of relatively thick coats of shellac, then sanding, then brushing or wiping (better) on a couple of thinner coats of shellac would make a great base for a nice thin Tru Oil finish.

Tru Oil is resistant to alcohol, but not the best vapor barrier. Shellac is waterproof, but dissolves in alcohol. Sooo, Tru Oil on top of shellac is good - especially for necks that you want to stay stable even with humidity changes.

Don't use alcohol-based dye on bare wood and then apply shellac though... (learned that the hard way)

Chip

We use the Tung Oil and then let it dry completely. Then we spray a very light coat of shellac on the surface, let it dry and then rub that out. Most of the shellac soaks into the wood but it seals it and lets us rub it out to a super smooth finish.

Shellac would not be especially durable around alcohol though!

Lew
 
Re: Oil Finishes?

XSSIVE said:
use tru-oil. that's what both Wayne and Jackson/Charvel use on their oiled bodies. i just built a Clone Guitar for a customer with an oiled 1pc mahogany body and used tru-oil on it and it came out killer!! you can either have a matte finish with a bit of wood feel left (like wayne and charvel do) or you can build it up real thick and get a gloss finish.

-Mike
+1!!! I have great success with this also!
 
Re: Oil Finishes?

Fresh_Start said:
When using Tru Oil, it may help to apply a couple of coats of clear shellac first as a moisture barrier. (picked that up from a custom gunstock maker)

Especially with mahogany where you want to fill the pores of the wood, brushing on a couple of relatively thick coats of shellac, then sanding, then brushing or wiping (better) on a couple of thinner coats of shellac would make a great base for a nice thin Tru Oil finish.

Tru Oil is resistant to alcohol, but not the best vapor barrier. Shellac is waterproof, but dissolves in alcohol. Sooo, Tru Oil on top of shellac is good - especially for necks that you want to stay stable even with humidity changes.

Don't use alcohol-based dye on bare wood and then apply shellac though... (learned that the hard way)

Chip
I use regular grain filler to fill the grain before using tru-oil. Works great.
 
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