Tung oil + wipe on poly

[Yvarg]

I know finishing questions are asked all the time, but I searched and found no answer. I am planning on doing a coat of tung oil on my bass to really bring out the depth of the wood and then doing a few coats of wipe on poly over that to protect it. How many coats of tung oil should I put on before applying the poly? Do I let the oil dry completely before I do the rest? Should I put the poly on the fingerboard too (fretless), or just the oil (I might coat it in epoxy later if I find that it isn't strong enough)? Thanks a lot!

[62bass]

I prefer Minwax Antique Oil instead of tung to bring out the wood grain before poly. It seems a bit more dramatic a change although it does darken the colour a bit more. But tung oil will work.

One coat is enough. Wipe it on and keep it wet by wiping on more until the wood seems saturated, the wipe it as dry as possible with a soft cotton cloth. Let it dry thoroughly before applying poly. This may take 24 hours or more depending on the brand and temperature. You can put poly on the fingerboard, but if you plan to epoxy later, don't. The epoxy won't stick to the poly surface.

Read the directions for the poly and make sure you follow them.

[Yvarg]

Thanks! That is exactly what I needed to know. One last thing: my tung oil bottle says to apply the first coat thinned 50/50 with mineral spirits, since I'm only doing one coat, should I just apply the straight tung oil?

[62bass]

Originally Posted by Yvarg

Thanks! That is exactly what I needed to know. One last thing: my tung oil bottle says to apply the first coat thinned 50/50 with mineral spirits, since I'm only doing one coat, should I just apply the straight tung oil?

Thin it down by about 25%. It'll help it penetrate better. Full strength will penetrate faster if you heat it in a double boiler to about the temperature of hot coffee, but it may dry faster than you can wipe it off. I do this with boiled linseed oil but have to keep flooding the stuff on to prevent it getting too sticky to wipe off before it penetrates. Anyways, keep the wood wet with oil for some time. Say, 15 minutes or so.

If you do heat it, don't do it in a microwave or over an open flame. Hot, it can be quite flammable.

It sounds like the tung oil you have might be the real stuff, not a mixture of solvent, resin and a bit of tung oil. What brand is it?

When fully dry the tung oil will seal the wood and you'll need less coats of poly over the top because you won't be filling wood grain.

[Yvarg]

It's Rockler brand (the local woodstore); it says 100% pure on the bottle.

[62bass]

If it's thick like syrup, thin it down as the directions state. Looks like it's all tung oil.

[Yvarg]

Will do; thanks for all the help!

[Kennethfaria]

hmm my tung oil is made by

"Circa 1981 (date?)"
Its a sealed bottle and doesnt feel thick when i move it around.

[wkbryan]

I used tung oil to refinish my Precision a couple of years ago. I used about 5 or 6 thin coats applied over a week or so and it worked very well. I didn't do anything to the neck because its finish wasn't damaged.

[62bass]

Originally Posted by Kennethfaria

hmm my tung oil is made by

"Circa 1981 (date?)"
Its a sealed bottle and doesnt feel thick when i move it around.

It's one of the oil and varnish blends. Oil (could be tung or tung and something else) varnish (to make it harder when dry) and solvent.

You can make your own using equal amounts of boiled linseed oil, varnish (poly or alkyd) and paint thinner. I like to add a touch of Japan drier to it to speed up the cure. This type of oil finish allows you to build up a bit of a coating on top of the wood. It looks good on some woods and darkens a bit with time.

[Kennethfaria]

62bass is THE man.