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Sanded-in Oil Finish

#41
017 said:
Hi Jazzdogg,

Sorry for resurrecting this thread, but I've been all over the internet and have been unsuccessful in finding sufficiently detailed information about Liberon Finishing Oil. I've even tried contacting Liberon themselves, but can't get any more detailed information from them past their general information PDF flyer. Anyways, I'm hoping you can help me out in regards to this particular product.

I'm looking at finishing a guitar soon, and haven't been too impressed with Minwax's Wipe On Polyurethane (oil base); specifically it's resistance to scratching. Application is easy enough, but I've found that unless you build up a film thickness in the region of 2mm on a relatively hard substrate, it doesn't seem to resist scratching anywhere near what I was expecting. As such, Liberon's Finishing Oil seems to be the logical alternative finishing product.

Do you know if Liberon Finishing Oil is a polymerising oil/varnish mix, and if so, does it cure properly over raw rosewood? How thick of a film can you build with it, and how hard and scratch resistant does it get? Does it resist wear sufficiently enough that it can be used on an all-maple neck?

Thanks again.
Click to expand...

Although Liberon finishing oil seems to "thicken-up" more quickly than the other wiping varnishes or oil/varnish blends I've used, Liberon doesn't make any claims about their product being pre-polymerized (like Tru-Oil); a friend who is a finishing expert surmises Liberon adds alcohol to encourage faster drying. However, I have no facts to back this up.

If you want a tough finish with extreme abrasion resistance, a wiping varnish or oil/varnish blend is unlikely to satisfy unless you are willing to apply several coats, which is something I seldom have time for. Opt for a short-oil varnish, like Rock Hard tabletop varnish (their phenolic-resin-based varnish is harder and darker than their urethane varnish), or a commercial finish like polyester or catalyzed varnish. When I am hired to finish guitars with a paulownia or basswood bodies, which are very soft, I start by applying epoxy to seal and harden the wood, and fill the pores, before finishing (Fender used Fullerplast for this purpose).

It is often difficult to get finishes to adhere to naturally oily species like rosewood, cocobolo, and teak. A barrier coat of de-waxed shellac can help.

Hope this helps. :)
 
#44
Jazzdogg said:
Although Liberon finishing oil seems to "thicken-up" more quickly than the other wiping varnishes or oil/varnish blends I've used, Liberon doesn't make any claims about their product being pre-polymerized (like Tru-Oil); a friend who is a finishing expert surmises Liberon adds alcohol to encourage faster drying. However, I have no facts to back this up.
Click to expand...

Hey Jazzdogg,
I've been applying a hand rubbed finish to a bass lately using this formula...
50% boiled linseed oil
50% gloss polyurethane

The formula was given to me by a local builder who said they used it as a 'cheap tru-oil'. It's worked well enough, but like you've mentioned, takes a while to dry. Even on 90deg days, like we're having this summer, it takes 24hrs between coats.

I'm wondering if adding alcohol might speed up drying and if so, which alcohol? Denatured Alcohol (ie. methylated spirits)? or something else?
 
#47
Jazzdogg, I have a question about this method being used with wood dyes. I have a guitar i have been working on made of cherry and I want to dye the back of the body black and do a burst to the natrual wood color on the front but I would like to use the method you explained here for the top coat. Do you think the dye would mix well with sanding in the oil? I would be using danish oil varnish as the top coat
 
#48
I foresee two challenges.

First, there's the issue of color. An oil-based varnish will imbue the wood with an amber tone that can vary quite a bit, depending on which oil-based finish you choose. Under some circumstances, this ambering produces a desirable effect which some perceive as "warmth." However, I often warn people who are using patriotic coloring, e.g., red, white, blue, that amber can cause white to look off-white, blue to shift toward the green, and red to shift toward brown or orange.

My second concern is that the process of sanding in an oil-based finish can sometimes re-liquify dyes and cause them to bleed and smear. My approach is to wipe on several coats of the oil-based finish, allowing each coat to dry thoroughly, before I begin the wet-sanding process.

When in doubt, complete a finish test piece that includes every aspect of the finishing process.

I hope this helps.! :)
 
#51
Well, I opted to just skip the dye since the test peices I tried didn't give a desirable effect. 1390165408438.jpg
This is after the soak coat and 400 sand in coat. Already looks great though
 

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