Wilborn Guitar Attempt

[scamp]

I know they are different materials, but if you're not going for the nitro spray gear, what are the relative advantages of TruOil vs French polish? I would guess the French polish is more durable and perhaps more waterproof. A bit more work per coat?

Actually just the opposite.

Tru Oil is more durable than French polish.
French polish is softer, tends to wear off quicker and has the unfortunate property that it dissolves when you pore alcohol on it ( keep those mixed drinks away from it ). It also isn't good as far as water proofing. Tru Oil is used on gun stocks and has much better water resistance.
Also.. While French polish requires more work per coat I believe Tru Oil needs more coats. Tru Oil also doesn't dry as fast so you need to wait longer between coats. In the end, I think Tru Oil takes more work.
If interested, you should take a look at a French polish course taught but Robert Obrien https://lutherieacademy.com/courses/french-polish
He uses this technique and basically can French polish a guitar in a few days.
Tru Oil takes me weeks.

You should also know that there are "experts" who believe French polish is better acoustically than Nitro as it has a thinner coat. It might be true but who knows. Tur Oil also has a very thin coat ( much less than Nitro ) so it also has a reputation for being good acoustically ( but probably not as much as French polish which has been used on stringed instruments for ever ).

[Kevin Sjostrand]

French Polishing the OBrien method works very well. You can easily complete a guitar in a day and you end up with a well compacted finish you can handle right away if you need too.
I've done 3 classical using this method. One glossy and 2 satin.

They hold up pretty well but won't do well in a high humidity and hot environment. Ask me how I know that.

[Tomcat]

Scamp, thanks once again for the answers and pointers! I still haven't decided on finish for the kit guitar or kit uke I have lined up. Neither kit comes with anything, just a pointer to a StewMac spray-can product.

[Tomcat]

French Polishing the OBrien method works very well. You can easily complete a guitar in a day and you end up with a well compacted finish you can handle right away if you need too.
I've done 3 classical using this method. One glossy and 2 satin.

They hold up pretty well but won't do well in a high humidity and hot environment. Ask me how I know that.

Living in Florida as I do, this seems a strike against French. I rarely play outdoors, but even with AC my humidity meter tends to read 45-60% at home. Is that high enough to cause problems with French?

Does TruOil handle humidity any better?

Speaking of humidity, is there any usefulness to adding some kind of thin finish or sealer to the inside surfaces of the box to avoid humidity impact?

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Your humidity isn't a problem for the finish. I'm talking like 80 to 90 all the time (India) and 80 to 90 or more degrees much of the year, and monsoons. 🤯

Time will tell on the TO. I have 2 classical in India right now with TO. I tell them to store them in dehumidifier cabinet....but do tgey listen to me..... nooo.

I don't finish inside the box. Some folks do. It might help some with the structure.

[scamp]

Scamp, thanks once again for the answers and pointers! I still haven't decided on finish for the kit guitar or kit uke I have lined up. Neither kit comes with anything, just a pointer to a StewMac spray-can product.

Given all the pluses and minuses it looks like French polish might be a good solution. Sounds like your humidity levels aren't extreme so the French polish should be OK. Also, French polish is much faster to apply and it is more forgiving than Tru Oil. It is much easier to fix marks, mistakes, etc than Tru Oil. Just my two cents.

[Kevin Sjostrand]

Your 2 cents is worth at least 20 bucks taking inflation into consideration

[scamp]

Got the bridge glued on.
Due to the sound hole being where it is, my typical method of using a traditional bridge clamp wasn't an option.
Really couldn't get the back of the clamp inside the guitar without a major struggle.
So decided to use a vacuum clamp.
Picked up a second hand vacuum pump cheep on Facebook market place and decided to just buy the vacuum clamp from Allied Luthiers.
Located the bridge by drilling holes in the top for the the high and low E strings and used short plastic pins that wouldn't stick to glue to locate the bridge and plug the holes to maintain vacuum.
Thing worked great.
Pulled a vacuum over the bridge for 8 minutes, removed the vacuum clamp to clean up the glue squeeze out and then reapplied the vacuum clamp for another 45 minutes.
Now need to wait 24 hours before stringing up the guitar.

Bridge Clamp 1.JPEG

[Kevin Sjostrand]

WHOO HOO
Almost there!

[scamp]

WHOO HOO
Almost there!

I know. Can't believe it. Been at this thing for about 11 months.

Almost Done 1.JPEG

Almost Done 2.JPEG