In this video I show my progress in finishing the guitar I have been building. Tru Oil - amzn.to/2fBqpD0 Here are the instructions I'm using: www.ericschaef...
I am an amateur luthier like yourself and never ever thought of Tru-Oil as a simple guitar finish. I am a veteran gunsmith though and have used that product extensively in that trade. I can understand that if it has no, or minimal effect on acoustics, it would have many benefits, if not for visual, at least for durability as well as ease of repairs.
Tru-oil is a gunstock finish that gives fantastic protection. It is easily repaired if a scratch or ding is found. You don't have to refinish the whole area again as it will blend easily. I allow a day between coats and polish it out to the finish I want (glossy to flat and anywhere in between).
I used spray on nitrocellulose lacquer on my first and Tru oil on my next two. I liked Tru oil way beer all the way, the finish, ease of applicator, cost, nontoxic. ... That guitar is looking good.
I am refinishing a 1960's guitar, sanding the gloss to a matte, which I like better... There are some places on the head stock that are bare wood now...and the neck seems to have a thicker varnish. My plan is to fill the pits and digs with a matte varnish? Shellac? or Lacquer? Anyway I thought of doing an oil after all this is completed or I also have a car wax.... What do you think?
Hey i know i'm 8 months late but you did it right. that shellack shit, they don't need it with the oil-based paints, its over--kill so dont listen to these 50 year old wishing they had the courage to "show people how it's done" yet they don't. They just sit back, have another beer and think " oh man back in my day" yeah, yeah, pops, we get it. go have another. and put your dusty dentures in
Thats ok , you can like beer too! :) so i did what you did and used nitro-lacquer and not loving the look, i'm asssuming i would have to resand at th every least the Lacquer-if not the whole guitar? That is if i was to apply tru-oil instead?
That's looking really good. I would like to see the wax finish if you decide to go with it :) I've mostly used Tung Oil as a finish in the past without wax. I recently started to use Danish Oil but I am thinking of experimenting with an abrasive paste wax finish for a semi gloss look. Thanks for sharing.
The Wood Yogi cool yeah there’s so many options I get overwhelmed sometimes. I’ll post the final thing here in a couple weeks w my thoughts on how it ended up
Oil on an acoustic?? Please don't do that. It seeps into the wood and dulls the vibrations of the woods. You should only use oils for furniture pieces! Use shellac for instruments as it coats the wood.
Your theory is correct. The first consideration for an acoustic guitar finish is that it should not contribute to tonewood damping (inhibition of soundwave transmission). But Tru-Oil, despite the name, is a surface varnish that dries to a hard resin. Shellac is a great-looking finish (which also soaks into the wood) but requires a significant learning curve to do well and isn't all that protective even after many coats. Tru-oil is a very forgiving finish and produces acceptable-to-outstanding results for almost everyone on their very first try with it.
Sorry about i think i was just trying to imply wood in general, If you don't mind me asking i just finished a spruce top (which was more of a pine color ) and stained it into a mohagoney, it's my first big job and didn't use an expensive acoustic, i'm just wondering will true oil be a good finishing product? i've heard mixed things about shellac and lacquer. I heard def not poly. i'm just doing the top, not the sides, which are mohagoney. Any advice or reccoemendation would be appreciated. Thank you
