Just a heads up, but it is worth mentioning proper disposal of the poly cloth. Potential fire hazard if u just toss it in the trash wadded up. Need to spread the cloth flat, and let it dry outside somewhere, or hanging over the rim of a metal can.
Highline Guitars - for my reference next time I’m doing a video with wipe on poly, if you happen to have a video on this mix please let me know and I would be happy to refer people to it.
@@BradAngove I don't think I have a video where I specifically detail the mix, but it's basically equal parts of oil-based polyurethane, boiled linseed oil, and mineral spirits. You can play with the ratios for different results for different woods, swap out the mineral spirits for naphtha, and add Japan drier to speed up the drying process.
Would the same sandpaper/wipe on work for a guitar that has been stained? Once I get the desired color depth, I want to keep it. I Don't want the sanding to ruin the stain.
Thanks Brad, I know this is an older video but it came in handy today for my Solo 5 String banjo project. I sanded to 400 grit and now realize I need to go finer !! I have had success with this wipe on poly stuff and much prefer it to the thought of 30 coats of clear coat!
I usually like to have more than one opinion on these types of things but honestly your videos are the only solid and consistent content in this field that I find trustworthy. Your channel fits a necessary niche and you deserve all the views you have.
During lockdown, I've been making a parts guitar just using hand tools in my flat. I've been stuck on how to finish it without access to a space to use spray cans but this looks a lot more achievable given the limiting circumstances!
As a money saver- you can dilute the regular Minwax poly with Denatured alcohol or mineral spirits and use it as a wipe-on poly finish. Great video, Brad!
Brad, you are the best. You show enough of the work, so that we know what to do, and about how long it will take. You show what to use, and you show us the finished project. Your balance of these elements is almost perfect. Thanks for sharing your expertise.
Brad, I use stains and spray cans, then 400, 1500, 2500 and 4,0 steel wool between each coat, 10 thin coats, then I get a finish like a factory guitar. Surface prep,sand Polish, take your time, I wait 3 weeks after the last clear coat before using buffing compound. Norman Mozley
couldn't get wipe on poly in UK so thinned quick drying poly and wiped it on with micro cloth and was amazed at the gloss finish i got, looks like factory finish now its polished up
Brad, thank you for sharing. I just finished applying Minwax Pecan Satin - PolyShades, Stain & Polyurethane in 1 Step, using your wipe on poly method. So far your method is giving the finish that I'm looking for. Excellent process. Thanks 1,000 times. Keep up the good work.
I used it on a strat body with the same results you had, but I didn't apply it with sandpaper. I was worried that dye would bleed too much. I'm going to use poly on my first acoustic guitar build next week. No dyes or stains to bleed, just natural wood. I'll try it your way to see which works better for me.
I like that you don't put a thick layer on. I like just enough to protect it and give it a shine, but not build it up so it still feels like a wooden instrument.
im a complete beginner to guitar finishing, and this is the method i will use on the telecaster kit im getting! looks brilliant and thanks for the tips!
You can still do it like this on a dyed surface, but you need to be aware that it could pull some of the dye out. Even in you apply it by rag right from the beginning it can do that. It depends to some degree on what dye you're using.
Yes; I've used this method over stained and dyed surfaces before and haven't run into any problems. As long as it's not that stupid 2 in 1 stain and topcoat stuff.
Just a couple of questions. How does this finish hold outdoors? Will it last? If it does not works for outdoors, what can be done to make it outdoor resistant? Can you use an orbital sander with a pad for the buffing? I saw another video where the person was using one. The only thing is he has some different products but kind of the same idea.
Do you apply a coat to the other sides after applying your coat to the face or after the face is fully finished. Basically, do you do every sides for each coat or do you wait for one side to be finished
I have some pictures of what I eventually ended up doing to this one on my Instagram. This guitar got several paint jobs over the years for various tutorials.
An important note when doing this: use nitrile gloves. Polyurethane can permeate skin... and it blocks oxygen receptors in the body. If you get poly on your hands within a short time you can start feeling dizzy, have vision blurring and trouble thinking. It's not just the fumes; it's the poly infiltrating your skin. So... nitrile gloves: essential. Question: what's your favorite brand of sandpaper?
Yes very. Wish I saw before I built my first one. Sanding is so important. I like Bargin Musician kits, can you do one on aligning glue necks in case pocket isn't straight I have a 335 kit I'll be doing soon. Or one about bolting on a glue in neck for shimming.
I saw someone mixing polyurethane and sandpaper to do a bit of pore filling, so I decided to test it out this way. I have also seen it done with oil before, but I can’t recall if that was before or after I made this video.
My god, I watched this at work and it took me forever to find it again. Excellent tutorial. I'm planning on putting a purple Stewmac stain on an SG kit. My plan is to do good sanding first, then sand in the first 2 layers of stain, then another few layers rubbed on. Then doing the rest of your tutorial from there. Again, sanding in the first 2 layers of poly, then rubbing the rest of the layers, followed by the polishing. My question is: should I just skip applying the poly with the sand paper since I'll already have filled in the pores with the stain/sawdust mix? And just rub on the poly from there?
So this poly finish you are using dries resulting in non-glossy outcome by default? And if one were to use color first, specifically artist oil paint, is there any reason why this poly finish would not work after coloring with a linseed oil based artist paint? Thanks.
Great video as always. Can I ask what that routed cut-out is in between the pickup pockets? Strange place for a selector switch if that's what it is. Keep up the great vids!
Thank you for another great video. I almost always use teak or tru oil for finishes. I'm going to try this on my next build. For all the people asking if this can be done over stain or dye: this is the same concept to apply as oil. Raising the grain before sanding will prevent most of it, but some dye or stain will always come up. Always test on scrap wood first, to find out how it looks.
@@BradAngove so - to clarify - i can still use the sandpaper technique if the wood has been dyed or stained without any problems? im thinking of doing this on a bass drum!
In the comments someone mentioned a mix of poly, mineral spirits, and boiled linseed oil. So the poly in this mix is oil. In your video did you use oil or water poly? I want to put a decal on my headstock that has been finished with boiled linseed oil. I need to seal it. Would a wipe on poly work for that? I already have a can of satin poly which is probably brush on but I would think I could wipe it on, after the decals have thoroughly dried. Or should I just go ahead and spray with lacquer. The trouble is, the lacquer I have is gloss and the neck is satin.
Hi brad. Thx for the video. I have an ash strat body sanded & wood dyed that I want to do a wipe on poly with multiple layers to form a strong shield. I’ve got a thick set of 3 coats on It now. Im going to let it cure two weeks. What sanding method should I use to get a glass finish? I want to be carful to avoid sanding through this poly. I did that previously and had to start over which was EXTREMELY frustrating. Thank you sir!
Don't know if this will help but..i am always broke and never near good supplies and found that a (paper bag) yes a standard brown paper bag can buff REALLY well in place of fine sand paper🙂..other replacement are those nail buffers that have different color sides to make chicks nails buff shiney...they are not that big but work great for small spots..i had to buff part of my banjo.with the brown paper bag trick and it worked surprisingly well. Just throwing it out there for folks who need supplies they may not be able to get🙂
Thank you ,Brad. I am in the middle of two guitar builds at the moment, and have previously used lacquer. I love the look of it, but it is extremely toxic and remains fairly reactive to different materials like leather or the cheap rubber on cheap guitar stands. I want to switch to another finish that is not so noxious. I am going to give this a shot. Much appreciated. P.S. : I know this is an older video, and don't expect a response.
Hey Brad! Love your work and this video is a huge victory for me - saving me from screwing up my Mike Lipe Gibson Les Paul restoration project with nitro. QUESTION: After trying to find the Behrens I eventually discovered your video on how they are now Mohawk but I still can't find Mohawk Buffer's Polish on Amazon. Is there any other product you can recommend? I'm about a heartbeat away from trying Howard RS0016 Restor-A-Shine Wood Finish Polishing Compound but I thought I'd check with you first. Keep up the fantastic work and content! Cheers
Mohawk has a buff and polish kit, but really there are lots of good options. Meguiars ultimate compound and ultimate polish tend to be quite easy to find and they work well.
Brad, your video has helped me a lot. I am about to finish a tele body. The body is basswood and the top veneer is burled ash. I understand the prepping process. The back and sides are smooth. How should I prep the top surface? I don't want to loose the burled look. Your suggestions?
@@BradAngove Thanks for the quick response. My idea is to use Danish Oil or something similar for the top of the guitar. A satin finish would finish off the top. As for the rest of the body, (basswood) I was thinking of leaving it as is. You did give me an idea about putting some artwork, like my family crest, on the back. The neck is maple with the engineered fretboard. This is a SOLO DIY guitar so I was pleased to hear to mention that company.
You can danish oil it to begin with. A fair bit of that will soak in and then you will need to decide if you want to seal it to get a smoother look or go straight to applying finish and allow some of the grain porosity to show through.
Great info Brad! I noticed that the Belhen discontinued their buffers polish. Do you know of another rub on product that would work over poly and nitro finishes? Thanks in advance!
There are many. Behlen has just been brought back under the Mohawk umbrella, so they have their buff n polish kit. But if you watch some of my other videos on polishing you will see that there are a bunch of options.
This is great. Can you do the same technique with the 1500 grit sandpaper if you have done a burst finish? Are you at risk of it running or damaging the burst finish?
Hey Brad. What if the wood has been dyed or stained (Rit Dye or Color Tone). How will this technique work if at all? I'd be a bit worried that the sanding process could ruin the dye or stain (even create a haze of fade to the color). Would you be willing to demonstrate this using those products? I believe this will give me the answer I'd need moving forward with my StewMac LP guitar kit.
Hi thank you for the help I have a guitat I have scraped the paint from it and just want your help to sand what is the grid I should start and finish before doing wipe on poly and buffing. My neck is pretty good should I do it like body or leave it as it is. Just want to know what grid I should buy start to finish. Thank you Kero😊l
I like to finish with 320. Where you start isn’t as important. Just work your way through the grits until you get to 320 at the end. I often start with 120.
Cool technique, wondering if you would recommend a wipe on poly or another wipe on product for a sparkle metal flake finish guitar project that I am working on? Or does it have to be clear coated by spraying?
If you’re putting it over metallic paint you can still use the wipe on. If you’re talking about mixing metal flake into the wipe on, that is not going to work.
Hey Brad - I've learned a lot from watching your videos! Thank You! Would this process using sandpaper and wipe on poly be a good choice for mahogany? Would this effect the finish and make it cloudy compared to traditional sealing-sanding-applying wipe on poly? Thank you for the knowledge.
Awesome, Brad - Thank You. I've learned so much from watching your numerous uploads. I feel I can dive in and finish my first guitar build with confidence! You are THE MAN. @@BradAngove
Hey Brad. Informative video! I have a couple of questions: Would this technique work over the crimson guitars stunning stains? They are water based. Or would it just lift the stain or sand it off? How much time do you leave between the first two coats? And how much time between subsequent coats? Do you sand in between coats? How long does polyurethane have to dry before you can sand and buff it to a high gloss? Thank you
+A.J. K It would work over the stains, but it would remove some. Generally when you apply crimson's guitar finishing oil over their stains it also removes a bit. Always try to test it on something else first. I waited about 30 minutes between my first two coats because a lot of the first one was absorbed. Had it sat on top more I would have waited a couple hours and then probably sanded lightly. To be safe you can leave the poly for a couple days before beginning the polishing process.
I want to keep my bass looking as natural unprocessed wood as possible, but still give it some protection. Would I get by only using one coast of that poly finish?
That would offer some protection with a very thin finish. Less protection than using more coats of course. You may also want to consider using an oil instead.
Brad, can you do that to a surface you used tung oil on? I have a sparred maple les Paul I want to finish with tung oil, but I would like to seal it with poly. Can I use this product. If not, can I stain the wood before I use this type of poly? I think this process is awesome and would love to try it.
Great video. When I did mine, I was hoping the poly would give the body a bit of an amber tint, but the body color is still too light. If I sand off the poly, will the body take a stain ? Or will the pores be too full of poly ?
Thank you for the vid. If I use wipe on poly over Rustoleum paint, wouldn't the poly eventually turn yellow and then change the Rustoleum paint color, especially if the paint is a light color?
Hey Brad, I’ve been following your feeds a while now. I’ve worked with all sorts of Polyurethanes my whole life and I’ve honestly never seen this method! This looks like a great time saver eliminating some steps sanding and re-applying, I’ve done woodwork but I’m not a guitar’builder’ although I’m going to give this a try soon for sure on a Strat body. Thank you! 🤙
I’m not sure if there would be any substantial difference with the water based version except that it doesn’t have that same ambering quality, and generally doesn’t build as quickly.
Brad Angove of course brother! So I’m working on my latest build, telecaster body with a book matched spalted maple cap. This will help so much! Quick question, do you think I should apply some sort of oil at first to accent the figure or will the wipe on poly make the grain pop
It depends on what type of oil you have in mind. The wipe on poly will have a similar accenting effect to some oils, but if you were to use for example a tinted danish oil base you would probably notice a difference.
@@BradAngove Quick update, body arrived early, dry sanded back to 320 grit and it it with some mineral spirits to get an idea of the figure. A ton of natural brown and reddish hues (burled & spalted maple) so I decided against any sort of light dye, tint or oil altogether and will be going straight with this method. I recently discovered this supposed clear pore filler called Aqua Coat-I'm going to give it a shot after the preliminary poly-slurry coat (ensuring that it's sealed) to preserve the little insect holes and Knicks and keep it 3D, then follow up with additional poly. I'll keep you updated on how it goes, it might be a decent grain filler. Thanks again Brad! Big fan of your videos. Sharing information and educating is everything. Looking forward to future releases.
Hi Brad, I am using a brush on poly. You say that I can follow the same steps and then follow up with brushing instead of wiping. Do you mean I can apply the initial layer of my brush-on poly with some fine sandpaper?
Just found your channel because I just bought my first guitar kit and wanted to learn some stuff before I get into it. But I need advice. I wanna do wood dyes, and I was thinking of using poly as my finish. Should I use a sanding sealer under the poly, or would that screw up the dye color?
Hey Brad this looks great, have you even done any work the Squire Affinity Telecasters necks to get them to look a bit darker like the body of this guitar ? I have one of these squire telecasters and it has a satin finish that feels and plays great, however the whitish maple is not very appealing to me. I don't mind spending some time to work on it, just want to find the right materials to darken the neck and fretboard and maintain satin finish, thanks and keep up the good work !!
Would you apply the same process to the neck? Also I noticed the back (and side?) is dark how was that done? Was that covered in another video? Nice work by the way
I like to use this process on necks as well, yes. The back and sides were painted as part of another paint job I did. This guitar body was my test body for a while.
If you do the 1st coat by hand, can you then spray it with minwax poly to save elbow grease or would that cause a problem with the rub on stuff? Did 3 tele's (paint) but am working on a natural finish with my DIY kit and want it perfect.
@@BradAngove Hmm okay. Been trying to understand how the opacity of finished works because if you scratch it, it’s a mark of damage, but if you fine sand and polish, it’s clear. Have a black poly guitar that I need to fix.
@andrewjm124 that’s not a product of finish opacity. It’s just a matter of how fine the scratches are. You have to sand very fine to sand and polish. And then the compound and polish are also abrasive. At a certain point, it is abraded so finely that it becomes clear again.
