Nice work! I just finished a project involving a piece of 100 yr-old walnut.. I started with a thinned boiled linseed oil for the first few coats, and sanding in the finish to fill the pores. I then finished up with around five coats of tru oil, with a light polish with 0000 steel wool between coats. The finish and depth of the wood grain is fantastic, it just pops! I have allergies myself, so I used gloves and a mask, but once the oil had hardened, I haven't had any type of reaction to the oil finish.
I started using Tung oil in high school. Then later used it om my jewelry boxes. I was able to get a fantastic shine by wet sanding it into the wood, which kind of acts like a grain filler, if the pores aren't too big. I did 3-4 light coats this way then then eliminated the sanding and started hand buffing between them. After about 8-10 coats the project started looking really fantastic!
Based on the first video where you talked about Sutherland Welles Tung Oil, I purchased a pint to first experiment on a maple board. That went very well. Then I began the process with a new AAA flame maple neck from Warmoth. It is looking fantastic now. I am following the directions and the full cure time of ~30 days before installing the neck and playing the guitar. These videos were vital to my understanding about the right product for the finish I really wanted. (AMAZING) I have used Tru Oil on 2 other necks, but it is nothing like the S W Tung oil! A big Thank You to you and your channel!!
Master painter, been painting since 1986. If you can find a carton of "rotten stone" you can buff any rubbed finish. Use brand new high quality boiled linseed oil and a very clean very soft clothe cotton linens I think some guys used silk. Like not the shiny silk but I guess it's called "raw silk" not sure. You barely dab the cloth In the linseed oil then touch it to the rotten stone and then it's all about tiny circles, wax on, wax off Danielsohn. It goes on easy but the tiny circles take some time but buffing it off takes fooooor evvvvvverrrrr. If you have ever prayed for patience, just get a job polishing a vintage, clouded up, white, Steinway grand piano. Oh my friends, at the end of the job *cough*(2weeks later)*cough* you will have achieved a level of stillness only known to the most enlightened of Eastern mystics and Yogis. Either that or you will have closed the garage door with the car running and shuffled off these mortal coils because goin through life completely mad didn't seem fair to the people around you.😀
While I’m not a guitar builder I very much appreciate the depth that you have gone into with the Sutherland Welles product. I’ve been working with the Murdoch’s line and trying to dial it in. This was extremely helpful! Thanks.
I am using their Murdoch's Uralkyd 500 gloss finish on an acoustic build I'm working on. It's good stuff! Just a few more coats and then I'll level sand and buff it up. Can't wait to see the finished result.
thank you . yup i used a tung oil from box store on a 60 + white oak desk . i pore filled the top and put about 8 coats of the tung oil. sanding between coats . last coat i used Maguire's scratch remover and a soft cloth . i got a 1/2 mile shine . my mistake is i should of finished the top with a better protector . oh it looked great too .
I've compensated for the lack of protection (compared to poly) by rubbing a thin coat of Tung Oil every 6 months or so, especially if I'm leaving for a 3+ days (curing) , sometimes with a scotchbrite pad and very light pressure. The great thing is everything looks new all the time. After a few years a real finish builds up without compromising the appearance.
Nice thing about Tung Oil is that it's forgiving, relatively non-toxic, and when initially applied with sandpaper or scotchbrite becomes a dense grain filler... Does Polymerized Tung Oil behave similarly? I suspect it's a good topcoat after the initial saturation and curing with pure tung oil is complete.
Quick question... Would 8oz of the PTO be enough for 10-12 thin coats on a single guitar body? I can't wait to try this in my basement.. The 2k poly I've been using (not in my basement) is D.E.A.D.L.Y.
I am so stoked to try the tung oil on this 7 string Agile I found for a song at the pawn shop a while back. I experimented with sanding the neck up to 2500 with some foam automotive sanding pad and just the raw sanded wood feels like glass. I bought a bottle of pure unpolymerized tung oil before I heard about the polymerized stuff from you. Will save that for furniture. I'm completely aware that sanding the naked wood up to 2500 (or 3000?!) is wildly unnecessary but could that cause issues at all? Only thing I can think of is that after a point the surface of the wood won't have enough tooth for the finish to bond well.
In your older videos you were using Linseed oil, mineral spirits and oil based poly in equal parts. What is the differences between that and this Southerland Wells Tung oil as far as feel, finish and application?
Thank you for your tips. One question. Is it ok if I apply Tung Oil on blue stained body, rather to clear it with nitro? I there the possibility that the stain I applied in advance gets removed and mixed up with the oil causing a mess? Hope my question makes sense. Greetings from France
It depends on the stain. If it has a binder in it, then yes, you can apply oil over it. If it doesn’t have a binder, you’ll need to fix the color with a spray on sealer and if that’s the case, you might as well spray your top coats instead of wiping on oil.
So the video shows you used low sheen oil this time? I ordered high sheen from your neck video because I’m refinishing my guitars and sanding the necks to fit my hands better So I’m headed to ace to get sand paper But I just ordered the high sheen Should I order the low sheen ?
Hi! Can someone tell me if it could be a good idea to do an oil finish like this in a 100% Wengué neck with their frets already installed?. I will use True Oil like I did in the Okoume body (so beautiful results). But my doubts were because of the open and big grain I see in this Wengué neck and because the sanding process could be so difficult with all the frets there.
@@HighlineGuitars i love wenge. So far I've mostly avoided the splitters. But you're right, when you get one it hurts. So far I have only done raw wenge necks, but did one mini bass with a wenge body core sandwiched by a top and back of mahogany. I used a tung oil finish that had some poly in it. Turned out nice. A great wood to use.
@HighlineGuitars nice. I have a couple of lightweight warmoth one-piece ash Tele and Strat blanks. As well as a few necks without frets, nuts, or finishes that I am going to roll the edges, press my own frets, and make bone nuts. Was originally going to go aerosol nitro route. But all the off gasing. Multiple layers and leveling etc etc. Seems torturous and to what ends? Recently, I got an Eastman arch top with some sort of polymerized tung oil gloss finish. Love the way it sounds and feels. So I am seriously thinking about going that route instead with my super partscater builds. Thanks!! For the video. I'm inspired.
@@geraldponce8336 I wouldn’t use tung oil as a base for a transparent Olympic white finish. Tung oil has an amber tint that will shift the white tint to more if an egg shell color.
@HighlineGuitars would have to be more brown, red, black type colors. Interesting. I'm definitely going to experiment on a scrap piece of wood a little bit. That definitely throws a wrench in my plans
Amazing! Looks beautiful!! Did you sand between coats to build up the finish for adhesion purposes? Or is that step unnecessary when working with polymerized tung oil?
@@HighlineGuitars that makes sense as to how you got a gorgeous finish. It does look super smooth! Did you clean using NAPTHA/Denatured Alcohol after sanding? Or just a microfiber cloth? Thanks as always Chris 🙏🏽
@@HighlineGuitars thank you sir. I take it this will work well on top of any dye? I am looking at Colortone dye in amber and pumpkin orange, hoping to mix them and land on a honey color.
If you did want to use a grain filler and sealer to go for a high gloss shine w/ the polymerized tung oil, what product would you use? Specifically curious about the sanding sealer.
Hey, I really like your videos! My question is, can I use a hard wax oil finish over a water based dye? I’m very new to finishing but I have a nice figured maple top that I’d like to colour with dye and then use Osmo wax oil finish over top of it but I don’t know if that will work. Or would tung oil work over a water based dye?
If your tung oil finish is matte you didn't apply it right. You hear this claim because people put it on too thick. Put on a really thin coat, and after an hour wipe off as much as you can. Let it dry at least 24 hours and repeat for a few more coats. It will not be matte.
Nice work! I just finished a project involving a piece of 100 yr-old walnut.. I started with a thinned boiled linseed oil for the first few coats, and sanding in the finish to fill the pores. I then finished up with around five coats of tru oil, with a light polish with 0000 steel wool between coats. The finish and depth of the wood grain is fantastic, it just pops! I have allergies myself, so I used gloves and a mask, but once the oil had hardened, I haven't had any type of reaction to the oil finish.
I started using Tung oil in high school. Then later used it om my jewelry boxes.
I was able to get a fantastic shine by wet sanding it into the wood, which kind of acts like a grain filler, if the pores aren't too big.
I did 3-4 light coats this way then then eliminated the sanding and started hand buffing between them.
After about 8-10 coats the project started looking really fantastic!
Based on the first video where you talked about Sutherland Welles Tung Oil, I purchased a pint to first experiment on a maple board. That went very well. Then I began the process with a new AAA flame maple neck from Warmoth. It is looking fantastic now. I am following the directions and the full cure time of ~30 days before installing the neck and playing the guitar.
These videos were vital to my understanding about the right product for the finish I really wanted. (AMAZING)
I have used Tru Oil on 2 other necks, but it is nothing like the S W Tung oil! A big Thank You to you and your channel!!
Master painter, been painting since 1986. If you can find a carton of "rotten stone" you can buff any rubbed finish. Use brand new high quality boiled linseed oil and a very clean very soft clothe cotton linens I think some guys used silk. Like not the shiny silk but I guess it's called "raw silk" not sure. You barely dab the cloth In the linseed oil then touch it to the rotten stone and then it's all about tiny circles, wax on, wax off Danielsohn. It goes on easy but the tiny circles take some time but buffing it off takes fooooor evvvvvverrrrr. If you have ever prayed for patience, just get a job polishing a vintage, clouded up, white, Steinway grand piano. Oh my friends, at the end of the job *cough*(2weeks later)*cough* you will have achieved a level of stillness only known to the most enlightened of Eastern mystics and Yogis. Either that or you will have closed the garage door with the car running and shuffled off these mortal coils because goin through life completely mad didn't seem fair to the people around you.😀
When I started building guitars, I polished with 4F pumice and rottenstone. Then I wised up and bought a buffing machine.
Master painter?? 😅😅
Lol
While I’m not a guitar builder I very much appreciate the depth that you have gone into with the Sutherland Welles product. I’ve been working with the Murdoch’s line and trying to dial it in. This was extremely helpful! Thanks.
Awesome, thank you!
I am using their Murdoch's Uralkyd 500 gloss finish on an acoustic build I'm working on. It's good stuff! Just a few more coats and then I'll level sand and buff it up. Can't wait to see the finished result.
This satin sheen is beautiful!
The polished finish turned out great, and suits that beautiful guitar.
I think adding Dye to tung oil can be interesting. I think it is good idea for maple fingerboards. Do you try it ?
thank you . yup i used a tung oil from box store on a 60 + white oak desk . i pore filled the top and put about 8 coats of the tung oil. sanding between coats . last coat i used Maguire's scratch remover and a soft cloth . i got a 1/2 mile shine . my mistake is i should of finished the top with a better protector . oh it looked great too .
I've compensated for the lack of protection (compared to poly) by rubbing a thin coat of Tung Oil every 6 months or so, especially if I'm leaving for a 3+ days (curing) , sometimes with a scotchbrite pad and very light pressure. The great thing is everything looks new all the time. After a few years a real finish builds up without compromising the appearance.
Nice thing about Tung Oil is that it's forgiving, relatively non-toxic, and when initially applied with sandpaper or scotchbrite becomes a dense grain filler... Does Polymerized Tung Oil behave similarly?
I suspect it's a good topcoat after the initial saturation and curing with pure tung oil is complete.
I wouldn't waste time with pure tung oil.
Quick question... Would 8oz of the PTO be enough for 10-12 thin coats on a single guitar body? I can't wait to try this in my basement.. The 2k poly I've been using (not in my basement) is D.E.A.D.L.Y.
Beautiful work , that guutar is amazing !!!! Working on mine right now and thank you for the video very helpful .
What a beautiful guitar! my respects for the fantastic finish 👏
I am so stoked to try the tung oil on this 7 string Agile I found for a song at the pawn shop a while back. I experimented with sanding the neck up to 2500 with some foam automotive sanding pad and just the raw sanded wood feels like glass. I bought a bottle of pure unpolymerized tung oil before I heard about the polymerized stuff from you. Will save that for furniture.
I'm completely aware that sanding the naked wood up to 2500 (or 3000?!) is wildly unnecessary but could that cause issues at all? Only thing I can think of is that after a point the surface of the wood won't have enough tooth for the finish to bond well.
No issues.
Hi ,great video, thank you for the tutorial, my question is can you clear coat over this tung oil ,or is it not necessary? Thank you ,awesome guitar!
It depends on the look you're after, but yes you can clear coat over tung oil as long as it is fully cure first.
In your older videos you were using Linseed oil, mineral spirits and oil based poly in equal parts. What is the differences between that and this Southerland Wells Tung oil as far as feel, finish and application?
It feels about the same.
Yes!!! I buffed a waterlox finish and it worked great! 😊
Great job 👍
Thank you for your tips. One question. Is it ok if I apply Tung Oil on blue stained body, rather to clear it with nitro? I there the possibility that the stain I applied in advance gets removed and mixed up with the oil causing a mess? Hope my question makes sense. Greetings from France
It depends on the stain. If it has a binder in it, then yes, you can apply oil over it. If it doesn’t have a binder, you’ll need to fix the color with a spray on sealer and if that’s the case, you might as well spray your top coats instead of wiping on oil.
So the video shows you used low sheen oil this time? I ordered high sheen from your neck video because I’m refinishing my guitars and sanding the necks to fit my hands better
So I’m headed to ace to get sand paper
But I just ordered the high sheen
Should I order the low sheen ?
Depends on what sheen you want.
Do you like the botanical brand and mix better ? I checked prices and it starts at 55
@@davidballew4 I prefer the original formula. It seems to dry faster.
Hi! Can someone tell me if it could be a good idea to do an oil finish like this in a 100% Wengué neck with their frets already installed?. I will use True Oil like I did in the Okoume body (so beautiful results). But my doubts were because of the open and big grain I see in this Wengué neck and because the sanding process could be so difficult with all the frets there.
Every time I work with Wenge (almost never anymore), I spend a few hours pulling splinters out of my hands.
@@HighlineGuitars thank you soooo much, then I will leave it as it is
@@HighlineGuitars i love wenge. So far I've mostly avoided the splitters. But you're right, when you get one it hurts.
So far I have only done raw wenge necks, but did one mini bass with a wenge body core sandwiched by a top and back of mahogany. I used a tung oil finish that had some poly in it. Turned out nice. A great wood to use.
My only questions are what is the effect on tone. Is it softer than nitro? And can dyes be added for bursts and transparent finishes?
@@geraldponce8336 No effect on tone. Yes, it is softer than nitro. Yes, you can add dyes.
@HighlineGuitars nice. I have a couple of lightweight warmoth one-piece ash Tele and Strat blanks. As well as a few necks without frets, nuts, or finishes that I am going to roll the edges, press my own frets, and make bone nuts. Was originally going to go aerosol nitro route. But all the off gasing. Multiple layers and leveling etc etc. Seems torturous and to what ends? Recently, I got an Eastman arch top with some sort of polymerized tung oil gloss finish. Love the way it sounds and feels. So I am seriously thinking about going that route instead with my super partscater builds. Thanks!! For the video. I'm inspired.
But I also want a transparent olympic white finish and vintage tint necks. Which I think I can achieve with the Stewmac color dyes
@@geraldponce8336 I wouldn’t use tung oil as a base for a transparent Olympic white finish. Tung oil has an amber tint that will shift the white tint to more if an egg shell color.
@HighlineGuitars would have to be more brown, red, black type colors. Interesting. I'm definitely going to experiment on a scrap piece of wood a little bit. That definitely throws a wrench in my plans
Should you use a sanding sealer before applying tongue oil. Would that improve its appearance?
I never do.
Amazing! Looks beautiful!! Did you sand between coats to build up the finish for adhesion purposes? Or is that step unnecessary when working with polymerized tung oil?
Don't know about adhesion, but I sanded with 600-800 grit between the first 3 coats to make the surface smooth.
@@HighlineGuitars that makes sense as to how you got a gorgeous finish. It does look super smooth! Did you clean using NAPTHA/Denatured Alcohol after sanding? Or just a microfiber cloth? Thanks as always Chris 🙏🏽
@@ZL1LoVeR Tack rag.
What would you use to 'fill the grain' on quilted maple? (prior to using a sealer)
I wouldn’t use anything. Filling figured Maple is unnecessary. Just use sealer.
Beautiful work. Sorry if I missed it but was this the high luster or low luster oil?
In this case, it was the high luster.
@@HighlineGuitars thank you sir. I take it this will work well on top of any dye? I am looking at Colortone dye in amber and pumpkin orange, hoping to mix them and land on a honey color.
How long did you wait after the last coat before buffing it?
24 hours.
Will Southerland Wells polymerized Tung Oil amber the wood like Tru Oil?
Yes.
Wow!
I prefer satin sheen over gloss.
Saved video
Can I use this for the neck finish?
@@FreeRansom101 yep!
@ for a body finish what lustre do you recommend In Sutherland wells?
@ what ever you want.
@@HighlineGuitars what buffing compound should I use for this in the end?
@@FreeRansom101 I use Menzerna P204 medium-cut compound for the initial buff and P275 for the fine finish buff.
Have you ever used Odie's oil?
Yes, but not on a guitar.
If you did want to use a grain filler and sealer to go for a high gloss shine w/ the polymerized tung oil, what product would you use? Specifically curious about the sanding sealer.
I would use Sutherland Welles Polymerized Tung Oil Sealer and wet sand it into the wood with 220 grit. That would seal and fill the grain.
Hey, I really like your videos! My question is, can I use a hard wax oil finish over a water based dye? I’m very new to finishing but I have a nice figured maple top that I’d like to colour with dye and then use Osmo wax oil finish over top of it but I don’t know if that will work. Or would tung oil work over a water based dye?
Yes, it will work. You can put any finish over water-based dye.
@@HighlineGuitars ah thanks so much!
What type of sealer would you use under the tung oil?
Sutherland Welles.
If your tung oil finish is matte you didn't apply it right. You hear this claim because people put it on too thick. Put on a really thin coat, and after an hour wipe off as much as you can. Let it dry at least 24 hours and repeat for a few more coats. It will not be matte.
Anyone getting a bit of a Dana Carvey vibe? 😂