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tung oil finish

B

B_E_A_D_G

Sep 17, 2011
17
0
#1
I'm assembling my 1st bass, and I'm in the finishing stage. I plan on using tung oil, my question is what do I do after I appply the "oil" to make it pop? meaning wax, if so what kind of wax? fine sand paper, mesh? and also can I apply poly on top of the finish for added hardness. Thanks
 
#2
At the end you can apply some wax but from my experience with Tung oil it's many coats with lots of hand rubbing in between, I used lots of fine steel wool.

Both were bodies from Warmoth. One was all koa and the other was mine with a figured koa top on the walnut body.

Took a full month or two each to get the oil finish built up and start retaining some shine by itself. Apply, dry, rub... repeat.

If it's a heavy grain you’re trying to fill make slurry out of sawdust and oil to fill the voids.

Just don't rub too hard or you’ll take your work back to bare wood again.
 
#3
There are lots of different Tung Oil products on the market, with widely varying chemical compositions. Which will you be using?
 
#4
For mine I mixed some poly with the TO. 10 thin hand rubbed coats....nice. Yellowed over the 15 or so years...oh well. Easy to touch up as well (wish I could say the same for me)! It's a finish a high end furniture maker turned me onto.
 
#6
B_E_A_D_G said:
Formby's® Tung Oil
Click to expand...

Alrighty then. That's actually an oil/varnish blend, which means it will dry to a reasonably hard surface, given enough coats. I've used the low gloss version of Formby's on several instruments, and I like it a lot, except for the fact that it's, well, low gloss. Fantastic on necks and fingerboards. One coat every twelve hours, applied with a section of old t-shirt, and lightly buffed with a paper grocery bag, or denim, or something like that. Twelve or more coats and you're done. Buff to taste.

The oil will make the grain pop at the moment of very first application. You won't be disappointed there. But if you want a high gloss, you might not like the Formby's. I never tried their high gloss version; instead I switched to Birchwood-Casey's Tru-Oil. That's also excellent stuff, with similar characteristics, and lots more gloss without much effort!
 
#9
I've used the Formby's high gloss, and prefer it to TruOil. It seems to be less finicky while curing, and dries faster.

I've used the low gloss as well, not really that much different.

A quick coat of paste wax when done and you're all set. Super high shine.
 

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