What kind of oil? pros and cons? or no finish at all after sanding?
Thanks!
Evan
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What kind of oil? pros and cons? or no finish at all after sanding?
Thanks!
Evan
Some use nothing at all. I have always used my concoction of equal parts pure tung oil, polyurethane varnish, and mineral spirits; applied several times over a week or so. First rubbed in with 400 wet/dry sandpaper and scrubbed off, eventually applied with a rag and likewise scrubbed off.
I do it the same way violin makers have been doing it for a couple of centuries.
Super thin shellac, rubbed in. Dampen your rag, don't saturate it. Mask off surrounding surfaces.
I make my own with shellac flakes and grain alcohol, but for this particular job, you could probably get away with Bullseye shellac and denatured alcohol.
For those who make their own, I mix up a 1 lb. cut and thin it further.
Tru-oil, 4 or 5 coats then buff with 0000 steel wool.
I've done speed necks, down to bare maple, on my Eastman MD315 and Silverangel A. On the first I tried tung oil but it felt too sticky (I probably didn't wait long enough) so I sanded back down to bare wood.
I put several coats of Tru-Oil on the ones I've done. Let it dry good then polish with 1000 grit sandpaper and then 1500 grit sandpaper. You can also sand after putting several coats on, then put several more coats on and sand again. After you play it awhile, you might need to hit it again with 1500 grit sandpaper if it gets rough in any areas. Slick and more attractive than the bare wood IMHO.
Attachment 185869 I did the speedneck on my Stanley with Tru-Oil.
Light coat of mineral oil rubbed in and buffed out is all you need. If you don't want the neck to appear so "white" after removing the original finish and fine sanding, you can mix the mineral oil with some dry pigments like dry umber, burnt sienna and yellow ocher combined to taste.
To me a speed neck means no finish at all other than maybe a stain for coloring. I apply a thin coat of tung or boiled linseed oil with a soft, lint-free rag. Leave it on up to an hour, then wipe clean. The next day hand buff with a clean lint-free rag.
I may reapply the oil once a year or so.
I appreciate the expertise folks
I usually use Tru-oil as described by mikeyb2 above,
but just for interest I'll describe a method that Mr Dudenbostel showed me several years ago that has done quite well for me, especially if you're in a hurry for some reason.
After scraping or sanding off the old finish and proper sanding, apply whatever stains you like (or none) to match and let dry. Then for the final finish:
mix up a small batch of 5-minute clear epoxy (maybe a 1 inch diameter puddle) and smear it on the speednecked portion of the neck with a paper towel, slightly blending into the regular finish.
Rub it in thoroughly with the same epoxy-wet paper towel.
Then immediately take a clean paper towel and gently wipe off all of the epoxy that you can. There should be no lumps of glue anywhere.
Let this dry at least 30 minutes, but several hours to overnight is better. Then smooth the surface gently with 0000 steel wool. You can also then use micromesh, 6000 or 8000 if you want it glossier.
Sounds a little weird, but it actually works great and there's very little loss of time waiting for things to dry and cure. YMMV.
I've had it on one of my instruments for 3-4 years now and have seen no changes or problems thus far. Feels smooth as silk with NO stickiness.:)
(You might want to try it on scrap first, just to make sure you will like it and to practice the technique.)
Tru-oil question.
I"ve never used this, but have thought about it a couple times.
1)Approx how long do you wait between coats?
2)Is Tru-oil touchy about working with it if humidity is up or down?
3)I assume it blends in fine with a nitro finish?
4)is there a particular brand you've found that works really well?
5)Is it particular with any color pigments or has worked well for you with whatever you used?
thank you
d
I know that if you pad on thin shellac, you can do a rubbing session on one day, and a second on the next, let it dry for a couple of days, and sand or steel wool it if you wish.
It won't hurt nitro as long as you don't let the nitro get very wet.
Any alcohol base stain will mix with it.
Somebody else will have give you an answer on Tru-oil.
thanks rcc, I am learning about all these finishes, lots to learnQuote:
Originally Posted by rcc56
d
1. I usually wait about an hour between coats. When it's a tiny bit tacky, but not much. I do NOT sand between these THIN coats. Wait overnight to sand or steel wool.Quote:
Originally Posted by darylcrisp
2. I've never noticed any problem with humidity with these THIN coats.
3. Seems to blend easily with nitro or varnish in my experience, using THIN coats.
4. Tru-oil IS the brand.
5. Only color bleeding I've seen is the time I tried to stain the wood with water soluble food coloring. (not a good idea :redface:). I've used it with brown leather stains with no problems.
A bare-wood speed-neck just looks a bit too naked for me. I use LMI water soluble powdered wood dye to match the color of the back. I apply thin coats of Tru-oil and wipe off the excess with a cotton rag immediately after applying it. I let it dry for about 4 hours, then smooth with 0000 steel wool or Scotchbrite. 3 or 4 coats is usually enough, then let the last coat dry for 3 days and polish it with burlap
Attachment 185977
Thanks Geno, those look excellent, and your info was exactly what I wanted to know.
Thanks Phil, excellent info and answers.all very helpful for me
I’ve done 4 instruments with Tru Oil, and read a lot on the Cafe (I’m not a pro builder but have had good results). Read all you find here before you try. But here’s my experience-
1. I used Transtint dyes and sealed with a coat of shellac before using any tru oil. Worked well.
2. You can get tru oil at sporting goods stores as it is primarily used to finish gun stocks.
3. Tru oil dries microscopically thin so you need to have your surface flat with no cracks or irregularities around binding as they will never fill and you will go in circles applying, sanding, reapplying, etc.
4. I start with a good number of coats full strength, let dry for at least 4 hours before recoating
5. Then wet sand as fine as you can go
6. Thin the tru oil with turpentine (not the green voc stuff)- I’ve also heard mineral spirits works. I thin up to 50%. Put on thin coats- it will take 2 or more before it starts to lay perfectly flat so don’t worry when the first coat or two look smeary or frosty.
7. Hang to dry for at least 2 weeks before handling.
That works for me- there’s probably and easier method but I couldn’t get it right without doing this. Good luck!