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I want to do a Tru-oil neck. But I'm confused. Can someone educate me on Tru-oil. Danish Oil. Tung Oil.

Here's a couple links - Would these products be acceptable and durable enough for necks? I live in Canada so it's sometimes hard finding sources for finishes.
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=20050&cat=1,190,42942
http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=2&p=45090&cat=1,190,42942

Thanks
Neil

Tru-oil is a made as a gunstock finish by Birchwood Casey, so you should be able to find it at gun and sporting goods shops, or Google it and see if there is a supplier in Canada.

Colin

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I don't believe in anything, I simply make use of a set of reasonable working hypotheses.

Tru-oil is linseed oil based and is quite different to the tung oil products.
A small bottle will do quite a few necks.

Hi Neil,

here in Edmonton I found Tru-Oil at a place called Wholesale Sports

http://ca.wholesalesports.com/storefront/

which sells outdoor, fishing, and hunting stuff.

Maybe you can find a similar store close to you. If not, I'd certainly be happy to buy a bottle and send it to you.

cheers, Christian

hey Neil .. try LeBaron on Dundas in Mississauga, or that big hunting/fishing boat/redneck outfitter place on the 400 near 7....

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Tony Karol
www.karol-guitars.com
"let my passion .. fulfill yours"

They do mail-order as well; I live in BC and that's where I got my Tru-Oil.
Local suppliers are always better - shipping liquids can get expensive.
Cheers
John

[quote]Can someone educate me on Tru-oil. Danish Oil. Tung Oil./quote]

Trueoil does not penetrate much into the wood, and is therefor a better choice. Tung oil will penetrate deep into the wood danish oil to but not as much. Just put some trueoil on a rag and then wipe the neck with it. Just put on a thin, thin, layer each time, for like 10 times. wait until fully dried before each layer. I use some of those ultra high grit sandpaper pads when dry then another layer and so on to keep it smooth. I would recommend to not use is for the face of the head and back of the head as to me it dont look "perfect" if not spraying then better use FP there. IMHO.

Lars.

The oil finishes... First of all, the labels on finishes are not necessarily honest. There is no standardization of terminology and the industry is thick with meaningless trade names.

100% tung oil is oil from a nut. It does harden over time when exposed to oxygen, but it needs to go on very thin and every coat must dry for days. It does create a cured layer, but I don't believe it is particularly hard nor durable.

Danish oil is an oil / varnish blend. That means it has some of the air curing oil in it (Linseed?) and also contains varnish solids, and varies by manufacturer. These solids deposit on the surface of your wood as the solvents evaporate. A varnish finish tends to be tougher and more durable.

Tru Oil is a trademarked name of a specific varnish hybrid, but depending who you ask, may have other secret things in it. I know several people who use it on necks and love it. I used it on a neck and for a whole uke last year. I was concerned about the oil soaking into the top too much and doing something. I don't know what, but ignorance is not always . Sometimes it's just paranoid. Anyway I did a couple of wash coats of shellac over the whole thing first. Turned out great. Again, very thin coats, and lots of them with plenty of drying time between. I think some folks will do 2 coats a day, especially if it's warm, but I waited at least a whole day between coats. Too thick or too soon and it will not cure well.

And all of these types of finishes are the ones that can spontaneously combust so don't leave the rags lying around even for a few minutes. Don't burn your shop down. It is a very real concern. I hang mine to dry outside so they get plenty of airflow and don't build up heat. Once they're dry, they are safe.

Mike

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Mike Lindstrom

Good point-
I use 'Danish' oil a fair bit -it gives the kind of 'feel' I like on guitar necks- and all the paper towels and any rags go straight into a bucket of water. Then later they can be disposed of safely. Some of those products have quite a lot of petroleum distillates in them, so best not to throw the water down the drain.

Cheers
John

I agree with all the posts above. Here's how I'd distinguish the three:

True-Oil is a brand name for a particular wiping varnish, applied in numerous coats to achieve a glossy finish. One of the ingredients in it is linseed oil. I've used it a bit and liked the look, though it's said to be less durable than other gloss finishes such as nitro.

Tung oil is a drying oil that can be used in its pure form as a finish, but is primarily used as an ingredient in finishes with names such as "tung oil varnish" or "tung oil finish." These finishes differ according to brand so there's little that can be said about "tung oil finish" in general.

"Danish oil" is a marketing term that's used on a wide variety of finishes, which generally are wiped on and either have a matte or semi-gloss look. Most have some kind of polymerized oil mixed with solvents and resins. The brands are very different, so generalizations about "Danish oil" aren't very informative.

I used to use Watco Danish Oil, but after they reformulated it years ago I wasn't happy with it. More recently I've used Deft Danish Oil--which contains urethane resins--on furniture and a couple of electric necks. It's quite durable, though the sheen hints of plastic.

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Tim Allen
"Never hurry, never rest."

Tim-
Good point!
I've used oil for years on furniture-type projects; very recently on guitar necks.
I used to use Watco 'Danish' oil but found it extremely smelly and slow to dry as well (Whether this was the reformulation or not, I don't know.) My family used to joke that my (finished in December) Christmas gifts could be smelled through the wrapper!
Last year I started using Behr 'Scandinavian Tung Oil' finish (Home Depot house brand) and it is low-odor and seems to cure a bit faster and build a (very little) bit of shine on the surface faster as well.
The nice thing about the low-gloss oil finishes is that they are very easy to repair. I also like the feeling when playing, compared to the 'shiny' necks which seem a bit sticky to me.

Cheers
John

Neil, I don't know where you live, but I'm near Toronto and get mine at the Bass Pro Shops at the 400 & 7. They're a large chain so you should be able to find one somewhere nearby.

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-Clint Beacock

Have any of you used Tru-Oil or Danish Oil for the ENTIRE guitar (Acoustic)? Do either of them affect the sound adversely? Don't mean to hijack the thread, but was trying to expand on the idea a little bit...!

I wouldn't put oil on the soundboard of an acoustic guitar- most of the top woods I use (spruce, cedar) would soak it up like a sponge.
It's fairly easy to 'change finishes' at the neck/body join, so I've been making 'shiny bodies and dull necks' lately .

Cheers
John

does tru-oil work on oily woods?

I've used tru-oil for a laminated maple neck with rosewood/walnut/rosewood inserts and on rosewood the oil didn't penetrate and left some spots.

i've tried to seal with shellac, same result.. better to use naphta?

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everything you know is wrong

I don't believe Tru-Oil would soak into a top any more than shellac. As a matter of fact, a shellac seal coat is a good thing under Tru-Oil, as I understand it. Some builders believe Tru-Oil is an outstanding finish for instruments, with sonically superior properties to other finishes. Toughness wise, I can't say, but it's designed as a gun stock finish, so it should be relatively tough. seems I've read that many folks like to Tru-Oil necks, as it makes for a very nice and durable neck finish, with fewer problems than French polished necks.

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Waddy

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Sound Clips of most of my guitars

Just to be clear- Tru-Oil is more a varnish than the other oils mentioned- even though the manufacturer makes a point of saying that it 'penetrates deeply'. It does (so I read) have the same 'witness line' problem as varnish if you sand through, so something to keep in mind. I'd also be very surprised if it shared the 'easy repair' property of straight oil finish, but it is shiny, and that's important to a lot of people.
I have finished a guitar with (brushing) varnish, but doubt I'd do it again. A wipe-on varnish like Tru-Oil makes a lot of sense.

For some hints on finishing a whole guitar with Tru-Oil, see:
http://falcon.jmu.edu/~dehartcg/finish.htm

Cheers
John

I've done an entire acoustic with the Truoil. Here's a few things I learned.

1. Apply multiple wash coats of shellac over any oily woods.
2. It's tougher than shellac, but it doesn't seem to get all that hard.
3. I've never had problems with sand witness lines between layers.
4. If you apply in many thin coats, at the end, there's almost no need of level sanding.
5. Shows scratches under the finish like crazy. Your prep work must be deliberate and perfect.
6. Very easy to apply and repair.

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-Clint Beacock

Clint-
Thanks for the info. There's no substitute for real-life experience!

I repaired a guy's Tru Oil guitar last year that had been "attacked" by his cat - lots of scratches on the SB. I ended up having to sand down to bare wood in a few places, then re-applied Tru Oil to the entire face. After several layers, and two weeks of cure (it's VERY slow to harden - search LMI's site for some good info on Tru Oil finishing, including cure times), I began some light sanding. Right away I came upon witness lines at the new oil/old oil interface. Never could get a perfect result - really wished it had been a nitro guitar!

On the other hand, several years ago a guy brought to me a baroque guitar his father had built for him and wanted me to finish it with oil. I used Tru Oil on the entire instrument and it turned out very well, with no sanding or ventilation required!

Cheers,

Scott

I came across this tip for tru oil and it seems to work well, and avoids witness lines.
Rather than wet sanding the final coat, do it to the second last coat to 2000 grit or better, then wipe on and rub the last very thin coat and leave it at that.