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Old 09-09-2020, 07:26 PM
ameridaddy ameridaddy is offline
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Originally Posted by Imissedagain View Post
Tung Oil as opposed to Tru-Oil or any other Oil.
Would appreciate your thoughts on that.

Back in the '70s thru early '80s I used Tru-Oil for about 2K sets of 1911 grips but am open to your suggestions.
For the past 4 decades, before retiring from Marine Electronics and cutting the gear into various teaks, I let the yacht owners have their varnish people do whatever they liked.
On guitars I just use a wash coat of Parks sanding sealer.

Appreciate you thoughts and time.

Thx
Robert aka: Terry the Pirate.
I'm not familiar with Parks, but Zinsser sanding sealer is a dewaxed shellac that is intended as a first coat for light sanding followed by more shellac. It's clear, fast drying, but it does build, so multiple coats without sanding can start looking plastic. I think shellac is great for furniture, but wouldn't hold up well with sweaty palms on a gunstock. I would think a solvent or water-based sanding sealer would be just fine for a guitar if sprayed on, unless you're willing to rub out each coat if you brush or pad it on.
I haven't used TruOil for decades, but IIRC, it dries glossy, which I guess you could rub out if you want a satin finish. It's also very water resistant.
I recollect it is a varnish with some linseed oil in it, just like old oil paints had linseed oil. With the driers added, it will cure very quickly.

I like the 50-50 tung oil mineral spirits because I'm familiar with it, been doing it for decades, it is very, very forgiving in application because there is no worry about brush marks, runs and sags, it doesn't need expensive brushes and sprayers, it's non-toxic, you can apply it with fingers if you like (I don't), and if you scratch it or nick it down the road, there's no stripping or matching problems, just rub in some more tung oil/mineral spirits. I never takes on a built up, plastic look like polyurethane and some varnishes and lacquers can do.
The down side is it takes patience and a bit of rubbing over the course of a week or two, but only a few minutes each application with something the size of stocks, most of the time is in the rubbing out.

I did a replica of my grandfathers reading table for a friend, and it has more coats than my gunstocks, because I wanted more gloss.
I really can't say that one is better than another; it depends on equipment, whether wood grain like oak or walnut needs the pores filled or not, and the environment it will live in.

Guitar making or luthier work is a real art, and I could not make a finish recommendation for that, as I've never done it.
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