I'm finishing a guitar and i want a really glossy finish. I have heard good things about formby's oil and tru-oil. anyone care to defend or suggest a favorite? im looking for something not too difficult because i am pretty new to wood finishing, although i'm not stupid either. comments?
Formby's oil, for a guitar? I don't THINK so.
Think PSL or other finishes detailed in this link I found for you:
I think lacquer is a normal finish for musical instruments. It can be brushed on and polished to a glossy finish. You can get it at woodworking stores or even Lowes carries it I believe.
Then you have no business being part of this newsgroup:)
haha thanks for catching me off guard with a reminder about humanity. i meant that i'm not incapable. haha thanks again for pointing out that we're all lacking in almost everything!
Are you talking about an acoustic guitar or a solid-body electric guitar?
I use nitrocellulose lacquer or KTM9 water-borne acrylic lacquer on my acoustics.
On the solid-body basses and guitars, I use Nitrocellulose lacquer, General Finishes oil/polyurethane wipe-on products, or Minwax spray polyurethane finishes.
Some guys use tung oil on solid body basses--particularly on the neck, because it yields a silky-smooth feel and they feel they can play faster. But that's a finish you have to take care of, because it doesn't really harden like lacquer or polyurethane finishes.
--Steve
And take a look at this web site too (called Guitar Reranch):
And Stewart-MacDonald has a book called "Guitar Finishing Step By Step"
--Steve
The preferred finish by most high end Luthiers is nitrocellulose lacquer. They will swear it adds to the tone of the wood.
it's an electric guitar. well the tru-oil is a polymerized oil... and is considered by most luthier sites "varnish." i looked that up. hope you could tell.
i'm wanting to have shine, but i don't really have tons of equipment, like ventilators and crazy buffing machines for nitro.
waterbased lacquer or poly, is as crazy as i get.
i have been to all of those sites before, they're awesome!
thanks for suggesting them! i know i would've if i were you!
um, so i guess no one has actually really used formby's or tru-oil?
man. im wondering if it ambers the wood any as well... either of them.
oh also! what do you guys use to color your natural guitars? stain or dye?
You might check out Stewart Macdonald's site
While I've not tried tung oil. The free information provided on the site suggest using tung oil on the back and neck of electric guitars for a smoother feel and playability.
When I built my Martin Kit. I used a sanding sealer, grain filler then spray on lacquar. I ended up applying a total of about 6 to 9 coats. with a light scuff sanding every 2 coats.
The real work began after that using a rotary polishing pad and polishing compounds I brought out that high gloss finish.
You have to be VERY carful at this stage though because you can blow through the finish in a heartbeat along the edges and corners.
so how long did it take you to finish your lacquer job? i would have to use a drill to polish at any speeds higher than an arm can move.
so is everyone pretty set on the lacquers and nitro?
no one has used any of the oil varnishes like tru-oil or formby's high gloss tung oil?
also, what have you guys used to color your wood? stain or dye?
I used Woodburst Stain on one bass body I built--I didn't like the result--you tend to lose the lustre of the wood grain with a stain. Most guitar finishers put dye in one or more coats of lacquer when they want a transparent finish with some color to it. You can get the dyes from
Myself, I have religious convictions against hiding naturally beautiful wood grain under paints, stains, and dyes. :-) Seriously, what could be more beautiful than natural wood with a nice gloss or satin finish on it?
That's just my opinion--I could be wrong!
And I have used a tung oil/polyurethane product wipe-on product, made by a company called "General Finishes" It works quite well on necks and bodies. But even the gloss product does not yield a true high-gloss finish--more like semi-gloss. I've used it on bodies and necks--I actually like this finish better on necks than lacquer.
--Steve
Oil finishes generally add dampening to the wood. For an acoustic instrament that is generally a bad thing. Dunno if that would be good, bad, or immaterial for an electric guitar.
Would an electric guitar made from MDF or particle board sound good? If so, oil finishes and latex paint should be OK.
This might be a good place to ask this question:
None of the products you have suggested are suitable for a musical instrument. Grizzly has a nice section in their catalog for luthier supplies, and here is a page that summarizes the steps needed for a very high quality finish, they will send you a free catalog::
Hi David -
I have never heard of using Formby's but Tru Oil is actually fairly commonly used for instument finishes. I have talked to several luthiers who like it and I am experimenting with some in the shop now. It takes several coats to build up to a gloss finish. So far what I am getting is more of a satin finish. Dyes are the way to go to get color if you have some cool grain you want to show through. A lot of colored electrics are just painted. As mentioned in other posts, the key is the buffing/polishing.
Phil Morris
David Dugas wrote:
That LMI link given above talks about using Formby's True Oil... they recommend both an initial coat of shellac on the wood (maybe to keep the oil out of the wood?), and then use of a True Oil Sealer (plugs the pores) to build up the finish. You also probably won't get the gloss you would with a shellac or lacquer finish.
er
no way. this guitar is being made from walnut and high grade quilted maple. i want it to look GOOD.
could i just add stain to the poly or the lacquer? i have been to several luthier sites that suggested that...
That is called toning. Unfortunately garden variety (lowes) stain has pigment in it (like paint) and it will obscure the dye.
In my breif experience messing around with toning, I discovered the obvious... thicker finish = more color. What's not so obvious is that achiving an even-thickness finish on anything but a simpleflat surface is not easy *unless* you are spraying.
-Steve
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