Re-finishing Koa with tung oil; some tips?

[keyboardguy]

Hi All;

I just got on Ebay a neck thru Carvin with all Koa body and koa neck. The former owner thinks the finish
is tung oiled as Carvin uses Minwax tung oil. I plan on some light sanding to remove some dings and then re-finishing
with Minwax tung oil, as I've had good experiences with the product.

I'm wondering about a potential problem with wax/polish.

How can I tell if the Koa has been polished?

And If the Bass has been waxed or polished (lemon oil, pledge, paste wax etc). do I have to remove it?
Or will sanding/steel wool be enough?

All suggestions welcomed.

Regards,

Mike

[jeffhigh]

Can't help you on the finish but I would try steaming out any dents where the wood fibres are not torn out rather than sanding. Basically you use a wet cloth a few layers thick over the ding and apply a soldering iron tip to the cloth. should penetrate a oil finish

[62bass]

Wipe some paint thinner (Varsol is one brand name) on the finish and let it sit for a few minutes. If it dries white in some spots that's probably wax that the thinner has softened.

It can be removed by wiping off, probably a number of times with lots of paint thinner and light scrubbing with a very fine plastic pad. If there's silicone on there it may be impossible to remove completely. You'll know when you apply a new coat of Minwax.

I've done it and had very little problems.

Minwas dries quickly and you can get 2 to 3 coats on in a day if it's warm enough. I apply it and sand while it's still wet using 600 grit wet or dry paper and wiping off. You have to work quickly as it dries quickly and don't try to build up thick coats or you'll get a gummy mess.

Following the directions on the can works well enough too.

[keyboardguy]

Thanks for the info folks!

If there's any wax/polish left in the wood, will there be any adhesion or drying issues with the tung oil?

Mike

[62bass]

It depends on how much. If you do a thorough cleaning (use lots of varsol and really wash it off good) I don't think you'll have any problem. If you see any white stains when the varsol has dried, wash it again.

Let your first coat of Minwax really soak in before wiping off the excess. Keep it wet so it doesn't get tacky before you wipe it off. On bare wood I let it soak in for up to half an hour and keep wetting it out. When it looks like it won't soak up any more I wipe it off with a cotton cloth and let that first coat dry overnight. Subsequent coats won't soak in much and don't need to be left on long.

Don't worry. It's a pretty easy finishing method and it'll look very good. The trick is, don't try to leave on thick coats in the hopes of getting a varnish like finish. These finishes are meant to soak into the wood and are too soft to build up to a hard top coat. Their beauty is in how they enhance the grain and look of the wood.

[keyboardguy]

Thanks 62bass!

[Turnaround]

Originally Posted by keyboardguy

Thanks for the info folks!

If there's any wax/polish left in the wood, will there be any adhesion or drying issues with the tung oil?

Mike

Oil finishes are pretty forgiving. A bit of wax or even silicon won't cause much of a problem.

Now if you were talking about applying nitrocellulose, that would be an entirely different matter.

But certainly, best practice would be to clean off the wood with something like varsol first. It might just help the oil to dry - and it certainly won't hurt. If you are concerned about drying, I would recommend using a polymerized tung oil - generally it dries better and harder.