paint job - i need help

[empireboy]

hey guys i need some help, i want to pain my guitar but i dont know how to aquire this (http://adam.fulara.com/e.php?g=gallery&nr=1) style and i want it to be rough looking, is there anyone who can help me? thanks

[BrendaEM]

Paint Job?

That's wood.

[BigDaddyPoo]

Yeah, that looks like some kind of oil or other matte finish on natural wood. Get some tru-oil and follow Brenda's finishing method in her build thread.

http://www.tappistry.org/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=685

[empireboy]

yes oil finish, thanks

@brenda

i cant find the exact page of your oil finish process, could you give the link? thanks

[Rayzcane]

Here is a short tutorial on Tru-Oil, posted by Rockola on January 18, 2005:
=====
I did the neck on mine in Tru-Oil. Don't know how it will hold up when it's actually being used, but the feel is wonderful, and it's almost too easy to do: just wipe the oil on, let it dry, rub it with fine (0000) steel wool, and repeat. I think I put 6-7 coats on mine. Finally, I waxed it with beeswax, again, really simple to do. It smells a bit while it dries, but it's not overpowering, you can do it indoors. There is no law saying you couldn't do the body the same way, but I'm going to spraypaint mine.

Tru-Oil is normally used for gun stocks, so it should be available at your local rifle & shotgun store.

And as always: PRACTICE ON SCRAP FIRST!
=====

Brenda posted this on May 3, 2006:

sanded the body from 220, 320, 400, and 600. I sanded the fretboard to 1500. I also used some gray steelwool equivilant over the entire guitar. I would avoid colored Scotchpads for this as they seem to leave a little color behind. I kept looking for dents and marks, and fixed them as I went.

I rubbed the guitar with a clean rag, and set it down in a newly cleaned area. I put paper under the instrument.

I cut a quite small piece of cloth, and folded it. I rubbed on a coat of Tru-Oil, working into the wood as much as I could as I went. I rubbed down the instrument with the steel-less wool, and applied another coat. The first coat comes out botchy because the wood abosrbs the oil unevenly.

Oil's like Try-Oil and Linspeed (not plain boiled linseed, which doesn't usually dry) make the wood look honey colored. It's hard to make the surface finish as glossy as lacquer or polyurathane, but they can be repaired, and use little solvents. It's best use is satin finishes. The one thing they have going for them is they seep into the wood, giving it a really deep finish. When I post pictures, I am sure they won't look as good as a lacquer job, but when you turn the wood, it really plays with the light. It's strange that the samples I have done in the oil look almost antique. The oil can be removed from hands with olive-oil followed by soap and water.
=====

Ray Langley

[Rayzcane]

Originally posted by empireboy
hey guys i need some help, i want to pain my guitar but i dont know how to aquire this (http://adam.fulara.com/e.php?g=gallery&nr=1) style and i want it to be rough looking, is there anyone who can help me? thanks

Hi empireboy,

A couple of things..... You said "pain(t)" but I assume you actually meant to say "finish"?? When you said "rough looking", I assume you actually meant to say "natural looking"? Is that right?

You posted a link to Adam Fulara's double-neck instrument. Keep in mind that if you want your instrument to look EXACTLY like that one, your guitar must be made of the same wood. Although, any wood can be made to look different using a stain. MinWax makes many different stains.

If your guitar is currently "painted", you will need to remove that finish before applying an oil finish. You will need a product called "Paint Stripper" do do this. Some commercial guitar finishes are quite thick, so you may need to use the stripper more than once to get down to the bare wood.

Lastly, keep in mind that if the bare wood looks like crap, then an oil finish will only magnify that crappy look. :)

If you decide to do this, show us a picture.....

Ray Langley

[empireboy]

Originally posted by Rayzcane
Hi empireboy,

A couple of things..... You said "pain(t)" but I assume you actually meant to say "finish"?? When you said "rough looking", I assume you actually meant to say "natural looking"? Is that right?


exactly ray, thanks. is tru-oil a generic name?

[Rayzcane]

Tru-Oil® Gun Stock Finish is a brand name of the Birchwood Casey Company. Here is a link to their site:

http://www.birchwoodcasey.com/sport/index.html

Here is a description of the product from the site:

There is no better oil finish! TRU-OIL Gun Stock Finish is the professional's choice for gunstock (or furniture) finishing for more than 30 years. Its unique blend of linseed and natural oils dries fast and will not cloud, yellow or crack with age and resists water damage. TRU-OIL Gun Stock Finish penetrates deeply and forms a tough, clear, hard finish that protects and enhances the beauty of fine woods. For a hand rubbed, satin luster, simply buff with steel wool and rubbing compound or use Stock Sheen & Conditioner.

=====

Keep in mind that there is no "one perfect finish". Opinions vary as to what is the best. Some swear by tung oil, others love lacquer. Some finishes may turn yellow or brown with the passage of time. Many vegetable-based oils used in finishing woods may actually turn rancid over time. One example is walnut oil. A Krappy guitar is great. A stinky guitar sucks. :)

Here is an article on using Tru Oil:

http://falcon.jmu.edu/~dehartcg/finish.htm

This site has several informative articles on finishing musical instruments. Scroll about halfway down the page:

http://www.mimf.com/link2.htm

Ray Langley

[rjgoos]

Ray wrote:

> Tru-Oil® Gun Stock Finish


This is horribly off-topic, but since Ray brought up the subject of guns....

My favorite gun-related bumper sticker:


I still miss my ex...
But my aim is improving



Jay