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I am using tru-oil for finishing my EIRW OM.  I am very pleased with how it's looking, but I have a couple of questions...

I used zpoxy under the tru-oil.  I tried the credit card trick but was not real thrilled with the process... probably because I don't have much experience using it.  After sanding the zpoxy back, I applied the zpoxy but wiping it on.  That worked great to seal it but didn't fill the pores all that good.  The tru-oil is slowly filling the pores and I think it will be fine after additional coats and leveling.  Can anyone suggest a way of drop filling on tru-oil?  I do have some spots that maybe I could drop fill if I knew what to use...

Also, As suggested by Hesh, I used a 50% zpoxy wash on the carpathian top, which worked fine.  I have started using tru-oil on the top and thats fine.  ...but the spruce has ridges along the grain that I'd like to smooth out.  I understand that (I think) it's best to sand with the grain, rather than against it, but I'm concerned that the grain ridges will deepen if I sand with the grain...

Any advice is appreciated. 

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

Steve--

I've only used Tru-Oil on necks, so take this with a grain of salt.  With mahogany necks, I do not use epoxy for pore filling, I just use Tru-Oil.  This requires something on the order of 14 or more coats.  I use 0000 steel wool and naphtha to lightly level and 'sand back' between applications (about two coats a day).  You'll know that you are done when the shiney spots no longer appear after steel wooling.  Anyone who builds guitars for a living can start laughing here as this is a time comsuming process.   To me, the time is worth it for a good looking and fast neck.

I'm not sure that you can 'drop fill' Tru-Oil using Tru-Oil because a thick application would take a long time to cure to the point of being able to level it.  It seems to me that on the back and sides of a guitar, you would want to do all of your pore filling with epoxy even if it took three applications.  My temptation from the get go would be to take it back carefully to bare wood after the epoxy filler, seal with shellac and then apply Tru-Oil.  In the situation where you are mid-stream in the process, I'd just plan on a bunch of light coats of Tru-Oil with the steel wool leveling to take care of it.

As to the ridges, Frank Ford mentioned in another forum that he would lightly sand across the grain on tops with (going from a feeble memory here) 400 grit about 2/3 of the way into the finishing schedule to reduce the ridges.  I do that with my tops after they have been sealed with shellac and just prior to the first boding session for a FP finish and it seems to work well.  There are still subdued ridges there, but to tell you the truth, I kind of like them.  It reminds me that I'm still working with wood.

I hope this helps some and I know folks with more experience will chime in shortly.

 

 

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Jim Howell
Charlotte, NC

To me best way to fill with tru-oil is "slush" fill. You don't need to fill spruce. Well should say I have never felt needed to with spruce I have used, I never used the species you have here. dump it on rub it, sand it wet some and do it again. Anyway on the ones I have done with tru-oil route I went, and worked.

If you're going to do an oil finish, you've got to take care of any divots, dings, pits, holes, gaps, or sinks before you start oiling. Get that surface as perfect as possible before the first coat of oil; then there's no issue about drop filling...it's already been done.