Guitar / wood finish

The Achilles' Heel of Luthiery
moobox

Guitar / wood finish

Post by moobox »

Hello everyone.
I've been reading a lot about finishes and spraying and stuff but I am more inclined to veer toward oil or hand applied finishes rather than invest in spray equipment for kit guitars. So, I have also spoken to some folks at the local woodworkers association and they are pretty keen on Danish oil. Althought they say it is not really oil - rather a bit of a mix of oil and varnish. They reckon it is pretty hard wearing. In guitar finishing circles I see a lot about tung oil and French polish etc.. So my question is which is preferred or is it just a matter of personal preference. The Danish oil finish seems toi give a nice satin, almost matte finish which I think would serve well on the back of a mahogany neck. I havent seen what tung looks like so cant comment. French polishing seems like a heck of a lot of work but all accounts are that it is very satisfying work. I dont know how weel it wears though.

So, any and all input is much appreciated.

Cheers - Ed
tippie53
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Re: Guitar / wood finish

Post by tippie53 »

I am not a fan of this finish on guitars. You want some thing that will not leave an acoustic signature. Lacquer and French polishes are some of the best for guitars . Finishing a guitar is not easy and it is all about prep.
There are so many options out there today.. I think the water based lacquers are getting better and better. They are not hard to work and are designed for musical instruments. Check them out. KTM9 is one of them and I am sure you will hear about more on this forum.
Thanks for joining and have a good time
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
David L
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Re: Guitar / wood finish

Post by David L »

For my first I am going to use rattle can nitro lacquer, no spray equipment is needed and I have seen a lot of beautiful finishes done with this method. Several people on this forum use (or have used) this method, perhaps they will chime in!

David L
Darryl Young
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Re: Guitar / wood finish

Post by Darryl Young »

Ed, you don't want to use any finish that soaks into the wood (oil finish) as it will increase the weight and dampen the sound. Beautiful finish though. Look at some other options like Waterlox etc.
Slacker......
moobox

Re: Guitar / wood finish

Post by moobox »

Thanks for the welcome Pete. I looked around for an intro section but I couldnt find. Tell you what my problem is. I live in South Africa. I have seen these rattle can products advertised on the luthier supply sites but they cant be shipped here. So, I'm not sure what sort of product I would need to buy here. I suppose I could ask arounfd though if I just determined what the composition is. Another question. These oil finishes add weight and possibly detriment to the acoustics of an instrument. Would that statement apply to using Danish oil on the neck as well? And another thing is that French polishing seems so popular I would've imagined it would be sound? Cheers - Ed
Kevin Sjostrand
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Re: Guitar / wood finish

Post by Kevin Sjostrand »

Before I got to Darryl's post, I was going to say the same thing. Danish oil is a penetrating finish, and I don't think that is most desireable on a guitar. I have used it on furniture refinishing, and it does give a very nice satin, hand rubbed finish.
You could try it and then see how the guitar sounds, however it will not provide much protection from dents, water spots, and maybe other detriments.

Kevin
tippie53
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Re: Guitar / wood finish

Post by tippie53 »

shellac is also an acceptable finish . Preferably flakes mixed with clear alcohol
John Hall
Blues Creek Guitars Inc
Authorized CF Martin Repair Center
president of Association of Stringed Instrument Artisans
http://www.bluescreekguitars.com
deadedith

Re: Guitar / wood finish

Post by deadedith »

Tru-oil is not a penetrating oil, is non-toxic, wipes on, gives a beautiful finish and is used by some top builders.
DaveB
DustinB

Re: Guitar / wood finish

Post by DustinB »

Sorry to jump in, but I was wondering about the same thing. Specifically on the neck. Seems to me that a lacquer finish on the neck would prevent your hand from sliding easily. How do the big names like taylor and martin finish their necks? It's always just a smooth matte finish, almost like there's nothing there. No fingers sticking like some others I've seen.
MuddyFox
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Re: Guitar / wood finish

Post by MuddyFox »

Same here. I strongly dislike electric/classical necks that are shiny and sticky. Both my acoustics have a satin finish neck and I was wondering how one goes about producing such a finish (obviously it's got some sort of finish, it's just not apparent what it actually is).
Is it the same as the rest of the guitar, just not buffed out?
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