Fixing my Tru Oil sins of the past

[redking]

This one is for the finishing gurus - Now that Canada has a whopping 3 suppliers of what appear to be proper nitro guitar lacquer finishing products, I am considering refinishing past projects where I used Birchwood Casey Tru Oil as my finish. I would plan to sand these down to the bare wood surface again and start fresh with compatible grain filler / sealer / primer and topcoats - however there is one caveat I am a bit worried about. On these projects, I did not grain fill and the Tru Oil would have penetrated the grain, so I obviously can't really sand this away without losing excessive amounts of surface area (2 mahogany guitars and one swamp ash). Is there a type of grain fill and sealer that has a high probability of success in terms of sticking to these remnants of Tru Oil in the grain? (or is there something else I should do to make sure it adheres) Or am I overthinking this?

This is the oil based grain filler and compatible sealer and primer I am thinking of using.

Guitar Finishing Supplies - Oxford Guitar Supply

Shop for all your guitar finishing supplies at Oxford Guitar Supply. Blush remover, touch up pens, tack cloths, grain filler, spray tips and much more.

www.oxfordsupply.ca

thanks!

edit: Tongue planted firmly in cheek - I don't think there is anything wrong with Tru Oil, but I would like to fulfill the original vision of these guitar projects.

 

[Deftone]

FWIW: I've done a couple guitars in Tru Oil and I think it's awesome.

 

[redking]

FWIW: I've done a couple guitars in Tru Oil and I think it's awesome.

I don't mind it, however I have always thought of it as a compromise to what I originally wanted to do because of a lack of better options that were available at the time in Canada (in terms of aerosol cans). I also want to develop the skill of finishing guitars in nitro, so I am thinking these are good projects to work on my finishing skills.

 

[Deftone]

I don't mind it, however I have always thought of it as a compromise to what I originally wanted to do because of a lack of better options that were available at the time in Canada (in terms of aerosol cans). I also want to develop the skill of finishing guitars in nitro, so I am thinking these are good projects to work on my finishing skills.

I've wondered the same thing, if I could or how I could paint over Tru Oil. I've got another project body coming, I like the sound of a raw finished guitar, I also like the ease, cost and look. But I am also considering paint and relic.

 

[redking]

I've wondered the same thing, if I could or how I could paint over Tru Oil. I've got another project body coming, I like the sound of a raw finished guitar, I also like the ease, cost and look. But I am also considering paint and relic.

The good thing is that it's all subjective, so if you like it the way it is, there is no need to change, but if you want to try something new for the fun of it (that's more my motivation) then nothing wrong with doing that too.

 

[Joe Desperado]

I'll let other chime in, but I think once Tru Oil hardens, its not much of an oil anymore. I seem to recall lacquer over the tru oil was ok. Maybe try a small spot in an inconspicuous spot.

 

[judson]

a quick google search seems to say no as it may not adhere well...

but if you are going for relic look maybe it would work to your advantage depending how severe of a relic....?

im just guessing here and have never applied true oil...

 

[redking]

Since the only remaining tru oil would in theory be in the pores after I sand it back, I think as long as the pore filler sticks, it "should" work. The question is, what is the correct pore filler for the job
- oil based?
- shellac as a sealer then something else?
- I have heard of epoxy ("Zpoxy finishing resin") being used in the past?

 

[judson]

Since the only remaining tru oil would in theory be in the pores after I sand it back, I think as long as the pore filler sticks, it "should" work. The question is, what is the correct pore filler for the job
- oil based?
- shellac as a sealer then something else?
- I have heard of epoxy being used in the past?

i have no knowledge or skill when it comes to finishing...

what i read, the pore filler will stay in the pores but what you place over the remaing part of the body after sanding may be fine but the pores may not hold the nitro as well , but the sanded wood should adhere.

i would not add a layer of anything more before the nitro and see what effect it gives you or someone here already knows that answer which i could be wrong.

The nitro will stick to the sanded portion but not as much to the remaining pores?...i think

im just guessing but when you said "relic" i thought it may help that you could get some small flaking..

wait for more answers here....

 

[Joe Desperado]

If you want to remove it, just use alchol, lacquer thinner or acetone. It will come out of the pores too.

 

[moreles]

My entire knowlege of Tru-Oil comest from doing Music Man necks, where, combined with Gunstock Wax, it is excellent, or reading innumerable threads where posters seems to be about 1/3 competent, knowledgeable Tru-Oil users and 2/3 corner-cutting rush jobbers. I would never, myself, use Tru-Oil as a guitar finish, not because it's terrible -- though in some cases it can be -- but because there are better finish materials, so why use it? I believe that Tru-Oil is not really just an oil (such as Linseed Oil) but is some kind of wipe-on poly, which, if true, is a good thing. I have also read that nitro adheres well to Tru-Oil (as it does to most polys). I'm not sure I would ever trust Treu-Oil as a grain filler because I don't know how stable it is over time and it would piss me off seriously to see it shrink or sink in a year or two after being over-finished with nitro. I'd probably go full refin or leave it be, personally.

 

[emoney]

Just don't sand it back far enough to pull the tru-oil out of the grain and it's already filled. Spray the lacquer on top.

 

[redking]

If you want to remove it, just use alchol, lacquer thinner or acetone. It will come out of the pores too.

This would likely be the best "do-over" solution - thanks! I wonder if Citri-Strip would work too?

 

[Joe Desperado]

to potent. You should be able to just wipe it off with one of the products I mentioned, but I am still relatively sure you can spray lacquer over Tru Oil once dried. You might have to spray shellac first, but Tru Oils is basically like a varnish and it hardens and is not oily. Just wipe down with Naptha to clean hand oil off of it, and spray a new finish over it. When in doubt a quick coat of Shellac will seal it for sure.

 

[redking]

to potent. You should be able to just wipe it off with one of the products I mentioned, but I am still relatively sure you can spray lacquer over Tru Oil once dried. You might have to spray shellac first, but Tru Oils is basically like a varnish and it hardens and is not oily. Just wipe down with Naptha to clean hand oil off of it, and spray a new finish over it. When in doubt a quick coat of Shellac will seal it for sure.

I agree that there is a decent chance the Nitro will stick to the Tru Oil, but if I am going to invest all the work of re-finishing a guitar, I would rather go the extra mile to get it as clean a surface as possible - even if it is somewhat un-necessary.

 

[Joe Desperado]

I agree that there is a decent chance the Nitro will stick to the Tru Oil, but if I am going to invest all the work of re-finishing a guitar, I would rather go the extra mile to get it as clean a surface as possible - even if it is somewhat un-necessary.

Yep. Sorry, I missed the context of your original post. You want to refinish in Nitro removing the sins of your past (Tru oil) and not just going over the top of it.