Finishing Grizzly kit

[plepper]

My kids got me a grizzly steel string kit for Christmas and I'm going to start finishing it soon. I've decided to use Deft products as they seem as easy to use as anything and are available locally. It has a maple neck with spruce top and basswood sides and back. Will I need to fill the neck before sealing and laquring or can I just sand to make the neck smooth? also doe's anyone know if the baswood will accept stain? I know that this is not going to be a great guitar when finished but I will get my feet wet and want to do my best on it and be proud of it, If it's worth doing it's worth doing right correct?

[Tony_in_NYC]

Welcome to the forum plepper!
You wont need to fill the neck if it is maple, as maple does not have pores to be filled.
Couldnt help you with staining basswood. Never stained anything other than my shirts and ties...but that was unintentional.
Good luck and post pics.

[rgogo65]

Need to put down a wash coat before stain or it will probably be "Blotchy" (60/40% -50% finish/ thinner).
I have seen a couple of those finished with Tru-Oil (Which is a hard finish not an oil finish) and they turned out really well.
Easy, cheap and almost fool-proof and very little cure time. Wipe, brush or spray.
I believe Bill Cory used T.O. on his also, just an idea. Good Luck.
I have a Great T.O. schedule if you are interested.

Ray

[plepper]

I'd be very interested in ANY finish options I'm not married to any finish. Can truoil be used for all surfaces including soundboard?

[rgogo65]

I'd be very interested in ANY finish options I'm not married to any finish. Can truoil be used for all surfaces including soundboard?

Yes.

[Ken Hundley]

Welcome, good luck, and yes it can. I do not recommend the spray version, it does not dry as hard immediately, but takes 2-3 months in my experience to reach the same hardness is the bottle of wipe-on finish. The wipe-on coats dry in half an hour, where as the others are supposed to be 24 hours. If you spray and leave it, it will be longer. Spray it on sparingly and wipe until it feels tacky and warm under your fingers. It will leave a beautiful finish, but the non-rattle can is better IMHO.

[plepper]

Well now I've heard back from Bill and he finished his with Tru Oil so I think that's the way I'll go. I am wanting a glossy finish so I will need advice on getting a good sheen. From what I've seen my sanding will have to be spot on also.

[plepper]

Ok I'm testing Tru Oil right now and am impressed! but I have a few more questions
1. Will my pickguard stick to the Tru Oil or should I mask that area also?
2. The tru Oil finish seems very easy to do and being that the coats are so thin could the guitar be assembled and then finished? I am talking about installing the bridge and neck and then finishing instead of having to mask these areas. I guess I'm just wondering why bridges and necks are installed after the finish is done. I can see if I was spraying it could build up around the edges but with the thinness of the Tru oil finish and the way it is applied it seems easier to assemble then finish. I'm not trying to reinvent the wheel hear I just want to learn.

[deadedith]

Any finish goes on easier when there are wide open spaces and not many little corners or ledges or whatever, where finish tends to pool.

Just put on your finish before gluing on the bridge, then when dry, use a little sanding pattern cut out of - well I use pendeflex file material, something thin and tough anyway - on which you have traced the outline of your bridge. Locate your bridge location, tape the pattern over it, and sand off the finish right up to the edge of the pattern. Takes a minute, then you are ready to glue. See the pic. It is very easy.
Good luck - some pix when you are done would be fun to see!
DaveB