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I'm thinking about using it for my first build. How'd you like it?

I have not used Stewmac's but it is a very basic mix that you can make yourself.

It is about 50% Polyurethane and 50% Mineral Spirits.

I have been experimenting with it but have not tried it on a guitar yet but have finished a couple of pieces of furniture I have made. I thin it more than 50 50 and apply more coats but you can mix it to your own preference. (Thinner coats dry much quicker).

Here is a vid I saved that pretty much explains all you need to know.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sOSUyTbk56Q

Hope this helps,

Cheers,
Bob

I am also interested in this - I am also testing TruOil which seems pretty nice, but I would like to avoid a million coats of it. If wipe on poly works better - that may be a good option.

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It's this new idea from recent decades that everyone gets a participation award. - MUX

That was a great, short video. Glad you shared it.

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Measure Twice,

Karl Borum

The original question was about StewMac "Wipe on poly".

When I looked it up it was a waterbase finish.

Are we confusing 2 types of products here?

Just checkin'.

I don't know what would happen if you mix waterbase with a solvent for oil finishes.

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Brian R, Wood Mechanic
N8ZED

No kidding Brian thanks for trying to get the OP (original poster) answers to the actual question asked.

I used the SM wipe on poly on one instrument. It went fine and looked good by the end. Like many of these wipe on finishes you just stop when you stop.

I wiped it on with the aerospace grade wipes to avoid lint.

Don’t go below 400 grit when sanding between coats.

I didn’t buff it but wiped on a thinned last coat at the end.




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Thanks for all of the help, everybody.
bcombs510, that looks really nice. I'd be so happy with those results. I hope you don't mind a few more questions. How many coats did you apply? What grain filler did you use?

This one was open pore. Shellac wash coat under it to seal. I have no idea the number of coats. I did it over a 3-4 day period, wipe on, probably 10?


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Did you buff it out Brad? It looks good for a waterbase finish.

Is it thickness of material that makes it a wipe on as opposed to a brush on? So you just dip a folded cloth in it and wipe in one direction? Or do you swirl? Overlap?

It’s a few years back at this point but I think that pic is while it was wet still right after a coat. I wiped it on straight strokes no swirl.


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Some people thin water based poly with 25% water

I've used Stew-Mac's Wipe-on Poly for a handful of instruments. It's very easy to use, and very forgiving. I applied it after several seal coats of shellac, and applied it in the very same way as shellac, making a small triple-fold cloth pad, and wiping in straight lines, overlapping slightly. It has a forgiving level of open time, so you can go back and smooth out lines or other imperfections. I let it dry an hour or two between coats, then gently scuffed with micro mesh sheets wrapped around a small cork-lined sanding block in between coats to remove any lint, and to scuff the surface slightly. I applied somewhere between 10-20 coats, depending on the desired level of shine. I didn't buff, I just rubbed the surface out by hand - again, with micro mesh, up to 12,000) until I got a sufficient shine for the small instruments that I was making (mostly ukuleles). It seems to be quite durable. And I imagine that if you needed to, you could go back and add further coats down the road (?).

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Ken Mitchell
Durham, NC

I used Varathane water based poly on a recent repair on a (relatively) cheaper Martin guitar from the mid 2000s. The mahogany water based dye powder from LeeValley matched the color perfectly and the Varathane brushed on was close to perfect. 5 or 6 coats. My buddy was very happy. Call me a heathen!