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Post by skydog958 on Jul 12, 2007 9:01:37 GMT -7
Anybody have any opinion about tung oil finish vs. lacquer? I have a tele body lying around that I tried to finish myself with lacquer and it didn't come out too well. I'm considering just going for a simple tung oil finish. Opinions?
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Post by zdogma on Jul 12, 2007 9:33:36 GMT -7
Anybody have any opinion about tung oil finish vs. lacquer? I have a tele body lying around that I tried to finish myself with lacquer and it didn't come out too well. I'm considering just going for a simple tung oil finish. Opinions? Its very easy to get a nice finish but it smells a lot and stays greasy (gets on clothes and guitar case) for a long time. Sand to bare wood, rub in a layer, smooth with 000 steel wool, repeat until smooth and slightly shiny. Apparently Lee Valley now has polymerized tung oil, that dries to a harder, glossy finish.
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Post by play4jc on Jul 12, 2007 10:07:43 GMT -7
my strat with the anderson pickups was a raw alder body, went to home depot and got tung oil, rub in about 5 coats, i dont feel it very protected from dings, but the tone isnt hidden from furniture top pretty finishs, im gonna try to find that lee valley stuff and try it
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Post by Jan on Jul 12, 2007 16:10:39 GMT -7
In my thinking for a nice piece of wood, there is an oil finish that looks like wood and everything else cannot compare. There are many ways to get an oil finish though. Tung oil is nice, but to get a seal on the wood with it, you need more coats than is practical and then you still probably need a couple of top coats of a sealer. My favorite oil finish is Watco Danish Oil. It is a mixture of Tung oil and lots of other things. The somewhat unique thing about Watco is that if you do the saturate, steel wool, dry, saturate, steel wool, dry, etc., cycle 3 or 4 times (or as much as you like) and then leave it to air dry for weeks (a month is good) the finish will polymerize in the wood and make a decent seal. Not as tight a seal as may be necessary for some woods to stabilize a neck, for instance if you live in a very dynamic climate, but maybe.
No finish is going to protect from dings, is it? If the finish is that strong, what would it do to tone?
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Post by billyguitar on Jul 12, 2007 19:27:54 GMT -7
I used to know a drummer that refinned some old Gretsch drums with gun stock oil. Looked great. Last weekend I looked at a cool one pickup Hofner Verithin. It had a french polish finish. So natural and organic looking. The spruce top had the ribs of the grain showing beautifully. It's a very thin and fragile finish but that just means quick self relicing!
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Post by dixiechicken on Jul 13, 2007 4:34:31 GMT -7
On the Website of Warmoth guitars thay have a discussion on oil versus laquer or untreated wood. Many woods are apperently not suited to oil and should be laquered or painted. ( I dont remember the exact details )Only woods with a high content of natural oils or wax should be left untreated. Ebony can be left untreated as an example. Untreated necks are more prone to warping. Etc etc... Maybe you could check with some instrument makers, what their take is on this subject.I considered this when I built my custom Tele from Warmoth parts - but I felt it was to risky - and decided to get a proper paintjob done. The basewood in the neck and body is Mahogany the fretboard is Ebony. The body droptop and peghead veneer is high grade quilted Maple in tobacco burst finish. Cheers: Dixiechicken
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