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Client wants sharp edges on a headstock, which I know is dodgy with EV which likes rounded edges.
So what oils, if any, can I build to a reasonable gloss with over Z-poxy

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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.

I didn't apply it, but this Tele was finished with TruOil....

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

I've done a lot of full gloss banjos using Tru Oil. It's a lot of work, but you can get there.

Dave

How? Do you buff true oil? I’ve never gotten anything that even hints at gloss from TruOil.


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I've buffed it by hand using the same liquid polishes I use on other finishes.

Dave

Dave

Could you be specific on the polishes you use - I never get quite as glossy by hand as you do with my choices

Ed M

To rub down Tru Oil, first of all I take the micromeshes all the way through 12,000 and follow that rubbing with burlap. They I use Meguiars #7 and finally the Novus ultrafine (number 5 maybe?). But the key to getting a good gloss on Tru Oil, in my experience, is that you have to sand the bare wood through all of the micromesh grits before putting on any oil at all. With hard woods like maple or rosewood, the wood will darned near have a gloss with no finish applied at all. I then use a gazzillion coats of Tru Oil, leaving very little additional on the surface after each application.

I have a banjo building buddy who gets nice glossy finishes who sprays Tru Oil and treats it more like a conventional varnish than a wiping varnish. I think he buffs out about the same way I do.

Just to be clear though--the gloss I get with Tru Oil is like the gloss I get with a good varnish or shellac. Looks pretty much like the picture that Chris posted.

I actually prefer a more semi gloss finish on banjos, but every once in a while a customer would want the high gloss look. I'd alternately use Tru Oil or FP.

The attached picture is a banjo I built with some of that sunken timber from Lake Superior (birch in this case) finished in Tru Oil.



Dave

Many thanks Dave

Ed M

I did the Tele in the picture.
After 4-5 coats I used 600 wet dry paper using the oil as a lubricant.
I did a section, and then wiped it off. This gave a very smooth surface.
I ended up putting on around 10 coats or so of the oil.
The last few coats I thinned a lot with mineral spirits, wiped it on, and did not wipe it off.
I did not buff or polish it.

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wah
Wah-wah-wah-wah
Wah

It came out looking great!

Dave

Awesome! I’m going to do exactly that on a little tele for my daughter that I just put about 5 coats of TruOil on and I’m not happy.




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Colin, Ken Parker has a whole new series of videos and one is about finishing. He use epoxy and then tru oil. I intend to do some samples

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Mike McNerney

Thanks, I've seen them, excellent.
I was just wondering if there were alternatives

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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.

I’ve used Truoil over West System on neck shafts. It can be buffed to a very high gloss — typically deeper in colour than lacquer used elsewhere. Even buffed, the feel is much different than lacquer. Truoil really doesn’t like even a memory of amine blush — it creates a fuzzy feel that keeps coming back — ask how I know. I haven’t gone near Zpoxy for years for that reason. Early coats need to be very thin to cure properly. Later coats can be applied more heavily and cure faster.


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Another fuzzy neck victim from Tru-Oil over Z-Poxy. Comes on a few months after application and you can’t get rid of it without refinishing the neck, at least I couldn’t.

I had to refinish a couple of client guitars.

My best luck with Tru-Oil for necks has been sanding to almost a polish, at least 600G, and wiping on a tinted oil based pore filler to fill and color the wood followed by Tru-Oil. Addam Stark told me about the technique years ago.

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It's not what you don't know that hurts you, it's what you do know that's wrong.