Second and Third Guitars

[John Reid]

Put a lot of TruOil on scrap wood last night with no attempt to wipe or thin. This morning it was hard. So, I guess I learned that TruOil alone is not the issue.

This morning I put some shellac on scrap wood from the back. I’ll do a few coats and then try TruOil to see if I can at least duplicate the problem.

[MaineGeezer]

It may be the shellac. Back in the dark ages when schools taught a shop class in 7rth grade, the project we all built was a white oak stool, finished with shellac, then waxed. The teacher warned everybody to let the shellac dry COMPLETELY before waxing it, or it would remain sticky forever, or at least a reasonable approximation of "forever."

I wonder if the Tru-Oil is interacting with the shellac the same way the wax did.

[John Reid]

Ok. Well, I’m putting a few coats on the test piece. I’ll add a final thicker coat before I add t-oil to see if I can reproduce it, and maybe purposely not let it completely dry.

I must’ve done *something* different with this guitar compared to the other on, where I’m having no problems. I’d sure like to figure it out.

[John Reid]

Results of my little test: I had a scrap piece of the same rose wood from which I cut out the back. I put 3 coats of the shellac, then filler, then shellac then t-oil. No problem with any of it. The t-oil hardened easily.

So, I must’ve done something odd with the guitar…I don’t know…

I finally got up enough nerve to wipe the back with mineral spirits. That easily got rid of the tacky areas. Those areas now are splotchy as shown in the photo.

Not sure what to do next and any advice, as always, would be appreciated. I figure that I’ll have to sand the whole back. But, how much should I sand? Should I redo the shellac, or just t-oil. From another current thread I’m thinking I should try shellac flakes, which I’ve never used.

Thanks.

[phavriluk]

Was this shellac brushed out of a can? Some canned shellac is waxed, which is a big no-no. Zinsser rattle-can shellac 'sealcoat' is unwaxed.

[John Reid]

Yeah, it's out of a can. Zinsser Bulls Eye Shellac. I see nothing on the can about wax and haven't had issues like this before. But, in hearing what people say on the forum, thought I might try the flakes.

[phavriluk]

Um. I looked at Zinsser's product line online, and at my own quart of Zinsser brushing sanding sealer, and if it's unwaxed it says so on the label.

A picture of the front of the label?

[John Reid]

I've looked all over the label and it does not say waxed or unwaxed. So, I think you're saying I should assume it's waxed. Darn.

I supposed I should start sanding everything down and start again.

[John Reid]

A follow up.

I sanded everything off the back and sides. I used shellac flakes in a 1 lb cut. I applied 3 coats over 3-4 days. Then I nervously put on 1 coat of Tru Oil. I could tell right away (couple hrs) that it was drying well. I waited a day and it was fine. I waited another day and applied a second coat, and that went on fine as well.

Whew!

So, what did I learn?
- Well, I still really don’t know why I had problems with this guitar and not the other one I’m working on. That’s frustrating. Too little experience. Too many parameters.
- I did learn how to cut shellac.
- Never Give Up. Never Surrender. (A Galaxy Quest quote.)

[John Reid]

Now that the TruOil works seems to be rolling along, I started making the bridges. Here is a shot of my little bridge slot making jig.