Tru-Oil Finish

[gamb]

The closest I've ever come to "woodworking" is giving my cutting boards and fretboards the occasional rub-down with mineral oil. I'm planning on purchasing an unfinished Warmoth neck, and based on all the research I've done I'd like to finish it in Tru-Oil.

Looking at pictures on the internet, I've seen two different kinds of Tru-Oil finishes: flat, smooth finishes that let the wood grain shine through, and textured finishes that look like an oil painting on canvas.

Is this just a matter of quality and using the right process? Are there any pitfalls I should be aware of? My goal is just to protect the wood from any dirt or oils on my hands, keep it moisturized, and bring out some of the character of the wood grain, but I'd like to keep it extremely smooth and silky, not textured at all.

Additionally, for the fretboard should I skip the Tru Oil and just use something like mineral oil or Danish Oil?

 

[dwizum]

It's really hard to mess up tru oil. And when you do mess it up, you can fix it easily.

Prep by cleaning the neck (wipe it down with naptha on a rag) then sanding with 320 following the grain of the wood.

Wipe the tru oil on with t-shirt rags folded into a pad. Focus on consistent, even wipes to result in a nice even layer of finish. Don't try to put too much on at once. Wipe it on, let it dry (maybe a day, depending on your environmental conditions), and then wipe on another coat. Sand very lightly every 3 or so coats, just enough to break the gloss evenly and remove any dust nubs. Repeat until you get the thickness and sheen you want.

That's about it. 4 - 6 coats will be a "barely visible" finish that looks and feels like bare wood, but has minimal protection. 8 - 12 coats will be more like a noticable finish with a satin sheen. 15+ coats and it'll get glossy. 20+ coats and it'll be thick and flat and you'll be able to buff it to a high gloss.

The "it looks like an oil painting" finishes you've seen are probably a combination of poor surface prep and/or very poor finish application technique. Tru oil tends to self level very fast, it's hard to cause visible brush marks without really trying to do it on purpose. Sticking with thinner coats will help with that.

Practice on scrap if you aren't sure about any of this. Just go buy a maple board from the hardware store and finish it.

What wood is the fretboard made from? If it's maple, it needs a protective finish. You can use tru oil on a maple fretboard and finish it right along with the back of the neck. Go ahead and apply the finish right over the frets, then tape the board off (leaving the frets exposed) and polish the frets, which will remove the finish from them. If the fretboard is rosewood or ebony, you can use 2 or 3 light coats of tru oil to protect it, and it'll still look and feel like bare polished wood. Or you can use a product like stewmac's fretboard finishing oil. Stay away from mineral oil on fretboards, it doesn't really add much value as far as protection, and it can cause problems long-term - a fretboard that's been soaked in mineral oil is very hard to repair.

 

[gamb]

Thank you so much for the advice!

I'm torn between bubinga and roasted maple; whichever I choose it will be both the neck and the fretboard.

 

[dwizum]

I'm torn between bubinga and roasted maple; whichever I choose it will be both the neck and the fretboard.

In either of those cases I'd go right over the neck and fretboard at once. Personally I'd probably stop after 6 or 8 coats, just enough to get it nice and even but thin.

Bubinga would look awesome but would be very heavy!

 

[Matt Liebenau]

A “textured” finish will somewhat depend on the wood used. Maple will more then likely end up nice and smooth as long as you apply TruOil even vaguely correctly. Something that’s more porous, say mahogany, will require more coats and sanding or a separate filling step before the oil finish gets really smooth. I don’t think Bubinga is particularly porous so you’re probably fine following Dwizum’s advice.

 

[gamb]

In either of those cases I'd go right over the neck and fretboard at once. Personally I'd probably stop after 6 or 8 coats, just enough to get it nice and even but thin.

Bubinga would look awesome but would be very heavy!

Yeah the weight worries me a little bit - but I love the way it looks so much. Plus, the body will be Walnut and I'm concerned that the walnut and the roasted maple will be too similar in color and it'll look weird without any contrast between the two

 

[Gilmourisgod]

To get a really glass smooth finish, you can wet-sand the wood with Tru-Oil. The sanding slurry mixed with the oil fills the pores, so the grain doesnt show through after a number of coats. Be aware its not a particularly hard or durable finish, and it scratches easily. Its easily "repaired" by adding more oil though. I found grey scotchbrite pads just about perfect for scuff sanding every three coats. You can vary how aggressively it cuts with how much hand pressure you apply. Lots of good tutorials on YT, a lot of them for gunstock refinishing, which was the original intention.

 

[wiscoaster]

I have worked a lot with Tru-Oil on many gun stocks and one guitar body. The OP may be misinformed about Tru-Oil. Tru-Oil doesn't offer two types of finish. There is only one finish possible with Tru-Oil, and that's glossy. You can cut the gloss later with another product, but you can't cut the gloss with Tru-Oil or by method of application. And you can't get a "textured" finish any way shape or form. Tru-Oil is clear and any method of application or gloss modification will result in the wood grain and whatever wood staining or tinting used to show through. You can modify the transparency to some minor degree by mixing in stain or dye, but this does adversely affect its drying and curing properties.

I wouldn't use Tru-Oil on the fretboard; I'd use (and have used) Tung Oil or Boiled Linseed Oil.

 

[Smith357]

I have worked quite a bit with Tru-Oil, it is a very good product that works as advertised. I have never done guitars with it, but I have done quite a few rifle stocks. Its easy to get a nice satin finish with 6-8 layers, if you want deep rich gloss it just takes time. I laid down about 50 coats and some wet sanding to bring this old Freeland Style stock to a high gloss.

 

[gamb]

I have worked quite a bit with Tru-Oil, it is a very good product that works as advertised. I have never done guitars with it, but I have done quite a few rifle stocks. Its easy to get a nice satin finish with 6-8 layers, if you want deep rich gloss it just takes time. I laid down about 50 coats and some wet sanding to bring this old Freeland Style stock to a high gloss.


View attachment 4575434

Beautiful! What kind of wood is that?

 

[kentiki]

Just remember an oil finish on a warmoth neck will void the warranty.

That said, I've done a couple of necks with Tru Oil and love it.

 

[gamb]

Just remember an oil finish on a warmoth neck will void the warranty.

That said, I've done a couple of necks with Tru Oil and love it.

Only on certain woods, roasted maple and bubinga aren't among them

 

[kentiki]

Only on certain woods, roasted maple and bubinga aren't among them

Then definitely do it!!!

 

[blastoff]

Yeah the weight worries me a little bit - but I love the way it looks so much. Plus, the body will be Walnut and I'm concerned that the walnut and the roasted maple will be too similar in color and it'll look weird without any contrast between the two

i feel like bubinga is going to look closer to walnut than roasted maple. depends on the piece obviously. either way i wouldn’t worry about it looking “weird”.
use tru-oil with plenty of ventilation. its not the stinkiest thing on earth, but it’ll definitely smell your house up

 

[Alivefor5]

The driers in Tru oil evaporate quickly so keep the top on when not in use. Best to decant a small amount into some small container for each use. That way you can keep the main bottle closed.

 

[FatOwlBass]

I have been using tru oil for years and get good results. I use it on some fingerboards like maple and wenge. It holds up well and is easy to repair if it gets a scratch.

 

[RichterScale]

I laid down about 50 coats

That's some serious dedication and patience.

 

[ELG60]

Here's a Tru-oil finished bass of mine:

 

[41Hz To Go]

would Tru-Oil work well with an Ebony finger board?

Also, would any of you recommend Tried and True on a maple neck prior to Tru-Oil (BLO) to enrich the natural grain color?

 

[Smith357]

Beautiful! What kind of wood is that?

It's is just plain old American Walnut, with a touch of Remington red tint.

That's some serious dedication and patience.

It took about three months, over the winter a few years back. It took a lot longer to cure in my unheated shop when the temperature was low. But really it was just a few minutes work every 2-3 days.