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Ok not done one of these before so would really welcome some help and/advice - would be very much appreciated. I have oil, shellac sealer (as well as the gun stock sealer), wet and dry to 1500, and micro mesh to 15000.

Assuming I have sanded so far to 320... what happens next

I am interested in the following

1. What grade to I sand to before applying the sealer?
2. Which is better to seal with , shellac or teh gun stock stuff?
3. Thin coats - clean cloth wipe off (lint free) -do I need to smooth between coats, if so what grade or OOOO wire wool?
4. How long should I leave a coat to dry before smoothing (if at all) and applying the next coat
5. 20 coats about right?
6. How long to leave to harden - fully dry?
7. Ok now nice and hard and want to buff to as high a sheen as possible - do I need a cutting compoind, or can you jsut use the micromesh? which grade to start with?

Sorry but not familiar with this and woudl welcome any help to get the est result

Cheers

Frank

please..... help... already tried the search function and its a bit of a mine field of contradictory advice

This is what I do, I could be wrong. Though my necks turn out ok. Admittedly, I keep a matte finish on mine.

1. 320 grit should be fine
2. I use the gun stock sealer
3. I use 00 for leveling early coats, 0000 for the later coats
4. As per the directions, dry time (if i remember correctly) is like 30 mins for sealer, 2 hrs for finish
5. 20 coats seems excessive. I only do 3-4. Again, I just steel wool it and keep a matte finish.
6. After a few days it seems pretty hard, could be a few weeks until full cure though (like nitro)
7. This I can't answer, hopefully someone else can.

I hope this helps a little bit. More importantly, I hope I'm not wrong!

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-Marcus
http://www.bailieguitars.com
Instagram | YouTube

Hi Frank

I haven't used Tru-oil for some time but this was my schedule and it worked pretty well for me:

320 grit may be good but with an oil finish you can actually go finer if you like. I used to stop at 600 but never left it at 320.
I seal with Shellac.
The tru oil must be wiped on thinly, I use a lint free cotton rag.
I wipe it on with the grain. Wipe it on then wipe it off (you don't actually wipe it all off - just the excess leaving a very thin coat).
Do not rush and lay it on too thick - you will never level out runs and will have to sand it right back.
I put on about 12-15 coats. Two coats a day, one in the morning and one at night.
If I need to I level after every two coats. I only gently rub with 0000 wire wool.
When it's done I leave it for approx 2 weeks to cure.
I buff out with Micro-Mesh grade 3000 up to 12000. I use the mesh wet with a little washing up liquid in the water.
Finally I hand polish with Meguiars swirl remover and finish up with Meguiars #7.
The Meguirs makes a real difference to the finish giving it a real nice sheen.

Hope this helps

Mat

Thanks both thats great. Dumb question but what is Meguirs and wher can I get it?

Meguiars is a car polish, or swirl remover, I think you can get it at Schucks/O'Reiley's, probably Walmart and many many other places.

_________________
-Marcus
http://www.bailieguitars.com
Instagram | YouTube

Gentlemen, I thanks you kindly

Frank

I take the wood to 320 grit, apply up to 15 very thin coats using gray ScotchBrite in between coats. I used to use some 3M polishing compounds leftover from past days but it's probably best to find out which Meguirs products are best for this.

...just another vote for the processes already explained.

I think waiting an entire two weeks at the end probably isn't necessary if you get the coats on thin enough....but then again....it can't hurt to wait either. The curing time on this stuff depends a lot on how thick it's applied...the thinnner the better. I use folded cotton cloth (from a T-shirt) applicators and have a dozen of them on hand as I apply the material. If you try to make one application pad go too far the material will eventually thicken as you continue to apply it....and therefore you'll get a thicker, more uneven film.....and therefore a longer curing time might be required.

If you can avoid having the material congeal on you, the result will be really thin coats that go on evenly and dry quickly and thoroughly.

_________________
I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

Matthew's advice seems about the same as I would give. I think you should sand to 600 grit when using TruOil. You can get away with sanding to 220 when spraying lacquer, but the oil finish is so much thinner, even with 15 coats, that you will just have much better results if you take the time up-front to perfect the bare wood surface before applying. Better results, fewer coats to get there. Work very carefully through the grits, checking after you THINK you are done with one and ready to move to the next by wetting with mineral spirits or naptha and looking closely for any deep leftover marks that still need attention. Otherwise, you will surely notice them once you start applying the oil. Good luck.

Also, dry time between coats is lessened greatly if you are working in a warm area. I work in a basement shop, and find it necessary to move the guitar to a warmer part of the house to aid the curing process.

Aaron

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Aaron Craig

There's a comprehensive tutorial on using Tru-Oil here: http://www.lmii.com/carttwo/truoil.htm

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Cheers
Pete

I use tru-oil all the time since I love the natural look and feel of an oil finish. I do a really thin wash coat, which I let dry overnight then scuff out with steel wool. After that it's a coat every two hours with a light scuffing on any high spots until I have 4-5 coats on the instrument. I judge being done by the color of the soundboard. I dont want it to be so bright that it looks unfinished, but I dont want it to yellow at all, which can happen around 8-9 coats. I was a bit overzealous with my finishing on a Bubinga guitar I made and forgot to follow the less is more philosophy...which resulted in a slightly darker top than I like. In the end tru-oil is very forgiving, so don't worry too much.

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http://www.sixgunguitars.com

My last two I finished with Tru-oil.
I wouldn't use the gun stock sealer again. (Shellac - I used the wax free Zinnser ready made.) Sand to 600 first.
I tried the gun stock sealer , and found it looked patchy under the Tru-oil. Sort of slightly cloudy in places, probably due to a thin layer of the sealer sitting on top of the wood in places rather than in the pores. I twice had to cut everything back to the wood again - it's very difficult to see until the Tru-oil is on top.
Then it's just wipe on with one cloth, wipe off excess with a clean one
And also as Zlurgh said, I would recommend the grey scotchbrite pads between layers, rather than 0000 steel wool, you can follow with the white ( non-abrasive)pads for slightly higher shine after drying. I didn't use micro-mesh.
Meguire's products are available here with a google search, from automotive suppliers.
I would say minimum 2 weeks to dry out, I left mine for a month.
Lemon oil mentioned by LMII article (well worth a read) This is not "our" lemon oil, eg Chestnut brand - I got mine from Lakeland, wax/silicon free import from US. I have heaps left if you want some. it's a bit "sticky" when first applied and then buffed off with a cloth, but this seems to go after a few days and some more elbow grease. Really shines and darkens bridges too.
Just PM me if you would like some.

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The name catgut is confusing. There are two explanations for the mix up.

Catgut is an abbreviation of the word cattle gut. Gut strings are made from sheep or goat intestines, in the past even from horse, mule or donkey intestines.

Otherwise it could be from the word kitgut or kitstring. Kit meant fiddle, not kitten.

You might check out this link from Kathy Matsushita she finished a uke with tru oil and shares the process.

http://home.comcast.net/~kathymatsushit ... /bar1.html