Question about using Tru-Oil Varnish

[jhowell]

Sweet finish on the electric guitar, Matt. Z-poxy was and probably still is used quite a bit for sealing pores prior to finishing in acoustic world.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Hi Don - Many thanks - yes i got it wrong. Good ol' Google search throws up 'similar' stuff,i should have read more carefully. Fancy me thinking that it would only come up with what i was searching for !!!.

Boiled Linseed oil is a different animal than the raw stuff. It doesn't oxidise in the same way as raw LO which can turn into a unholy sticky mess. I'd expect the beeswax addition to 'keep it soft'. I think that the StewMac oil is the sort that you'd maybe treat a newly 'speeded up' neck with,
Ivan

[multidon]

Ivan- yes, very true on the raw linseed oil. The Tried and True bottle states they use polymerized linseed oil. Just a fancy term for boiled, and the same thing. In the old days they used to actually boil it, but nowadays they use chemical additives to get it to polymerize. But they still call it boiled. Tradition I guess. The attraction I suppose is the non toxic and solvent free aspect. It would be very safe. But I'm not sure how it would do over an entire instrument. Most of the comments users left on the Stew Mac's reviews of the product do extol its virtues on a maple neck.

[Duct Tape]

John or others,

Any recommendations for a replacement for the oil varnishes I and others have used in the past but can't seem to find now?

Thx

Jon

[sunburst]

The last varnish I tried was Epifanes clear high gloss spar varnish. It worked well under Truoil.

[Jim Hilburn]

This is the only instrument I ever did with Epiphanes gloss. It came out a little too dipped in plastic looking, however I really put the buff to it. They also sell satin varnishes, but I haven't been able to try every product out there, even though I gave it a shot.

[sunburst]

Looks good to me!

[Gibsonman]

Looks good to me!

Question after I am happy with the look the TO has given me and I let it cure for a week or two can I polish it with the same polish I use on my vintage guitar?? I use a Premium polish called Virtuoso.

[Gibsonman]

How long do I let the TO cure before I buff it out . Going to use the Novus 2 polish.

[sunburst]

As long as you want, but at least a day or two if your coats were very thin (rub on, rub off). Longer if your coats were heavier.
As for Virtuoso, it won't hurt anything. I'm not sure, but I think it is more of a cleaner/oil than an actual polish. (A true polish has fine abrasives to... well, polish the surface.)

[Dale Ludewig]

Jim, I've got some Epiphanes here. Never opened the bottle but now I'm tempted. That is amazing.

[Ivan Kelsall]

Jim - I totally agree with Dale - that finish is totally stunning & what a glorious piece of back wood !!,
Ivan

[Karl Hoyt]

I've always liked the looks of 'oiled' finishes... very organic and oiled necks are very fast , even in humid conditions. I'm a working bass player, and over the course of a hot, humid gig season, oil finishes don't cut it. (I've had to repair others' true oil instruments as well) The grain raises, the necks need to be steel wooled, and places in constant contact with the player get abraded..... So back in the early 90's I came up with my own 'secret sauce'. 50% minwax rubbing poly and 50% minwax 'tung' oil. Why minwax? Because if I have a client in Hawaii or Singapore or across town, they can find these finishes in most hardware stores.

My first few coats are wet sanded with 320/400 wet/dry paper, which creates a slurry that partially fills pores. After each wet sanding session, I wipe it down well. After 2-3 wet sanding sessions, I buff it with scotchbrite green pads (which I steal from under the kitchen sink , much to my wife's consternation. ) Then I start rubbing in coats, buffing after every 3 coats. I apply as many coats as I need to get the sheen I want. After the last coat, I buff with 0000 steel wool followed with a decent furniture wax.

This is a tough finish that looks like an oiled finish but it resists all manner of sweaty forearms, spilled beer, dripping sweat, etc and I can talk through the repair process with a customer wherever they are. My gigging bass is about 10 years old, entirely old Honduran mahogany, including the neck and has played hundreds of gigs. No issues with grain raising or finish abrading away except one little place where I anchor my thumb. I teach an acoustic guitar building course at a local high school and we've used the secret sauce method on these instruments because it cannot be screwed up and it looks/wears great. No need for spray equipment.

I think this would work great for mandolins as well. It's not going to raise the grain like oil will do after lots of sweaty musical sessions, the color on spruce is awesome, and if you so choose, you can french polish over it on the top for some added protection.