Ok, so i've decided im going to sand down the sides of my bass(I rushed the sanding process, and the lack of smoothing perfection is anoying me)

Currently its got about 5 coats of pure tung oil on it, Im pretty sure its pure, it says on the bottle it has no driers in it etc etc. So it is very slow to dry. I oiled it in july, so by now it should be reasonably dry.

I plan on sanding it down next week, I dont intend on doing the front or back, just the sides.

My problem is that i'm not too sure whether I should refinish the whole thing. Id like it to have a slightly harder, shinyer finish.

So basically I think i have 2 options.

1. reshape body etc. put a mixture of tung oil and varnish over the whole thing, meaning the sides will have less finish on than the top.

2. reshape body..etc sand the whole thing down, refinish in tung oil/varnish mix

which would be the best one? are there any other options?


also, I can mix pure tung oil with urethane varnish and it will dry faster and have a harder finish right?

Well, if you are putting something over the top, then why not refinish the sides with tung oil and then do the top and sides with whatever you want to put on it. Of course, this is assuming that whatever you want to put on top for a finish is compatible with the tung oil.

are there any other options?

Sounds like a job for Tru-Oil. Slightly harder and shinyer if you want. You said you were going to reshape the sides. Thats two thirds the job so you might as well block out the front and back keeping the color and drying times the same.

Woah. Wait a minute. Your tung oil has been drying for 3 months and you're not sure if it's done yet? It's usually dry to the touch after a couple hours, and pretty well cured after a day.

I would sand the whole thing down and try the tung again. My experience has been that wet sanding with 600 grit paper every couple coats gives it great gloss and smooth texture. It sounds to me as if maybe you've been layering it on too thick or something, because I've had nothing nut good results with tung.

All the best

fm

Woah. Wait a minute. Your tung oil has been drying for 3 months and you're not sure if it's done yet? It's usually dry to the touch after a couple hours, and pretty well cured after a day.

Not pure tung oil. I've read of people cutting wood that was finished with tung oil after a month and finding uncured oil. There are tung oils with drying agents, or something called polymerized tung oil that will dry fast, but pure tung oil does take on the order of a couple of months to fully cure.

I use Minwax tung oil and recommend it. It has drying agents in it.
After you put on about 4-5 coats, the wood starts getting shinier with each succesive coat.

Mike

Not pure tung oil. I've read of people cutting wood that was finished with tung oil after a month and finding uncured oil. There are tung oils with drying agents, or something called polymerized tung oil that will dry fast, but pure tung oil does take on the order of a couple of months to fully cure.


yes, thats what I've heard, aparantly it is dried when it stops smelling funny, the smell is definatly going away, but its still there.

If I was to refinish the whole thing(which I probably will), I dont want to use pure tung oil again, because the wait time is way too long and its not hard/shiny enough. I think my main problem now is deciding what to use. since im in the UK I dont have that many products avaliable to me (I think i can track down some tru-oil)

will using a tung oil/urethane varnish/white spirit mix help it dry faster as well as making it shinier?

Not pure tung oil. I've read of people cutting wood that was finished with tung oil after a month and finding uncured oil. There are tung oils with drying agents, or something called polymerized tung oil that will dry fast, but pure tung oil does take on the order of a couple of months to fully cure.
Oops. I assumed the stuff I had been using was pure, but after further research, it's not.

hmmm....Ive just sanded down my bass, and put some contours in


Currently I still have a bottle of tung oil. as I only used about 1/6 of it during the first finish.

I want to get a coat of whatever I decide to use tomorrow, so i've got to buy what I plan on using tomorrow aswell.

I think i have two options, Get a bottle of Danish oil, or some other kind of pre-mixed oil.

OR

Get a tin of urethane varnish, and make my own mix.

so which one should it be?

Danish Oil works pretty well.