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I've been searching and reading and find that the application methods and schedules are all over the map with tung oil.

I'm hoping some can point me to a tried and true application schedule.

I'm looking to create a smooth, matte finish with unfilled pores on mahogany and peruvian walnut, and if the schedule applies, maple. I would like to use a wipe on method.

I'll certainly be doing numerous panel tests but I hope to start on a good footing.

Thanks,

Stu

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I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic

If it's anything like Danish Oil/ Tru Oil or Pure Tung Oil (i.e. a thin wipe on finish) there isn't a lot to it. Wipe on and wipe off as much excess as you can, with a lint free cloth. I say excess but if you go with the intention of wiping ALL the finish that you have just put on you will end up with a better result. In reality you can't wipe it all off, a very thin film will remain. You need just a few coats to get that matte finish. Make sure you wipe it off BEFORE it starts to become tacky.
If you want a very flat, very smooth finish you will have to finish the woodwork to a high grit. Nothing shows sanding scratches better than an Oil finish. I go to 600G (minimum) in straight lines, landing and taking off. You can't level anything with a wipe on finish unless you go to numerous coats, so it's really all in the woodwork. It really is the easiest finish to do - unfussy, especially if you are going for a matte finish.

I always used Watco, and wiped on a coat a day for a week. No problems.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Tung oil is my favorite finish for guitars. It is by far the easiest to apply finish, and it has very little affect on tone. Like Michael said, you just wipe on a thin coat, wait 5-10 minutes, then wipe off the excess. 6-8 coats of this is sufficient for a nice build. I am a dealer for Sutherland Welles tung oil finishes, which is the highest quality on the market, period.
Don't waste your money on the hardware store varieties, they will disappoint you. Try this out if you want the best: http://www.ebay.com/itm/Guitar-Luthier- ... 433wt_1161

You should be able to finish at least 6-8 guitars per quart. Let me know if you are interested.

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Guitar Maker and Purveyor of the World's Finest Tonewoods
http://www.aaronhixguitars.com/
http://stores.ebay.com/A-Hix-Tonewood-a ... r-Supplies

Your re-application schedule will depend on the conditions in your shop. In winter, I can do two applications a day in my shop (about 8 hours apart). Don't rush it and don't try to put it on thickly. That would just lead to utter frustration. As previously said, wipe off excess before hanging it up. I gently buff with 0000 steel wool or very fine sandpaper if the oil has dried for 24 hours or more since I last made a pass at it. Lots of thin coats will give you a beautiful finish. Thick coats might give you a gloppy mess. One more thing: Just feel it before adding more. If it feels gummy or tacky, leave it alone until it feels dry. Then lightly buff back as said and re-apply. If you use steel wool as I do, you must be ultra-fastidious about sweeping and blowing the metal fibers off before the next coat. Ditto for any fine sanding dust.

Maybe this doesn't need to be said, but there are many finishes made with tung oil, and a lot of people call any of them "tung oil." Of course, how you would apply them and what the final finish is like would depend on which one you are using. Is it safe to assume you asking about 100% pure tung oil?

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Tim Allen
"Never hurry, never rest."

I use Danish Oil (similar to Tung Oil) and I do 6 coats. I sand the entire guitar to 1200. First coat leave about 6 hours to dry, then very light rub with 0000 grade steel wool. Then I use a soft brush to remove any steel grit. Then I recoat every 4 hours with a light rub with the steel wool and brush in between each coat. After 6 coats I finish with 2 coats of U-Beaut wax. This gives a beautiful satin finish.

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Martin Taylor
http://martintaylorguitars.com.au

Don't rely on cloth or a brush to get rid of steel wool bits. You need a fairly large magnet. That stuff gets everywhere.

What do you guys use for pore filling before the tung oil?

N

With the tung oil I use, after maybe 2-3 coats have been applied, you can actually "wet sand" the guitar with a little tung oil to create a slurry, then wipe off the excess across the grain leaving the slurry in the pores to cure.
To me, though, I like the look of a hand rubbed finish, and pore filling is not that important, unless the particular wood is very porous. I usually try and use tung oil as a finish on closed pored woods like maple, pau ferro, bocote, katalox, ebony, etc. and the U500 resin finish when pore filling is needed.
One thing to point out that is ESSENTIAL in any oil finish is to make certain that each previous coat is COMPLETELY cured before applying successive coats. If you don't you will have a sticky mess to deal with.
Sutherland Welles tung oil is pure, polymerized (cooked) tung oil, with no additional driers, so I let each coat cure overnight before applying more.

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Guitar Maker and Purveyor of the World's Finest Tonewoods
http://www.aaronhixguitars.com/
http://stores.ebay.com/A-Hix-Tonewood-a ... r-Supplies

Been finishing with it for ever. Most lately with a phenolic modified from Waterlox. I always allow 24 hours of dry time between coats. This is a drying oil finish and as such evaporation tends to be rather slow. Applying coats to quickly can lead to less clarity in the finish IMHE. I apply with a China bristle brush and level sand a bit between coats with 320. Most of what I have done with it has not been poor filled either because it was a closed wood out more often the finish was chosen for its natural and historic look. On the few occasions I have pore filled I have used a conventional oil based paste filler applied directly on bare wood to create a stained effect or over the first coat of oil in a more conventional manner.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

Thanks brian an others ,planning an oil finish on a current pineapple tenor uke.I did an epoxy pore fill on the locust neck , but will pore fill the tamarindo B&S.. Then shellac sealer . The neck will get laquer. The rest will be tung oil.

This finish would apply to a new neck-through electric design. I'm seeing a lot of these kinds of guitars finished in this way so it seems time to branch out a bit...finish wise.

Thank you for the replies, Gentlemen.

_________________
I read Emerson on the can. A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds...true...but a consistent reading of Emerson has its uses nevertheless.

StuMusic