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Has anyone tried finishing a guitar with tung oil? I'm just wondering because I paused my guitar construction to make my nieces and nephews foot stools and was going to use tung oil because I really like the look of it. Wondering if it would be viable when I finish my guitar.

I know I could try on some of my scraps--and I certainly will--I was just wondering if someone else had tried out that particular finish.

Thanks in advance.

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Adam

It is a true spirit varnish, I see no application problems with it. I like the look of it myself and use it on lots of things but have never put it on a guitar. It seems to be a heavy finish and I have no idea what effect it will have on sound. I would definitely seal with a coat of shellac first to keep the tung oil from penetrating into the wood as it is prone too when used alone.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

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If you can operate a rag, tung oil will work just great for a finish.

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"Act your age, not your shoe size" - Prince

Are you using 100% pure Tung Oil, or a polymerized like Waterlox. The pure dries to a flat finish, but the polymerized will be high gloss, unless you mix it with Tung Oil sealer to lessen the sheen. I haven't used it on a guitar, but I used Waterlox on furniture years ago, and it was very durable.

Alex

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"Indecision is the key to flexibility" .... Bumper sticker

Tung oil is great stuff. Even on instruments with nitro finishes, I like to use it on the back of the neck for a very 'fast' neck.
The LMI catalogs from back in the 1970's, and American Lutherie have a number of articles on it. It's also very easy to repair if damaged.

Pure tung oil provides very little protection. Not good for a guitar in my opinion. There are better wipe on finishes, like Tru-Oil.

Tung Oil is a spirit varnish ???

Not on this side of the pond ....

It's an oil varnish. Applied patiently in thin coats, with drying time in between coats, and with many coats built up, it can be polished to a glassy, water clear finish. If using this method you must observe a few provisos: Shake your spray can or gently stir your can before every application. Don't apply a few thick coats. Instead, go for many, many thin coats. When satisfied with the final coat, allow at least a couple of weeks for curing. A month is better. People who report drying problems have most likely either rushed the application process, or they have forgotten to stir their product. Driers and solids can settle to the bottom of the can. TruOil is almost infinitely repairable, but the first finish is not for the impatient craftsman.

Thanks for the replies. If I am understanding from what I read, tung oil is probably not used on guitars because it takes a while to apply the many thins coats and because it isn't very durable compared to, say, nitro. Is that accurate?

I'm asking because I want to find a finish that has the lowest possible toxicity to me when applying and requires relatively little setup or a small space since I'm working from my garage at the moment. Relatively low cure time is kind of needed too.

I like to finish with a soft cloth, personally. I guess FP might be the best in my situation, but FP is somewhat nebulous as every time I read about it every person seems to have a different way of doing it.

Any suggestions?

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Adam

So what do you call it then? Maybe you have a different definition over there, but here is mine.

"Most resin or "gum" varnishes consist of a natural, plant- or insect-derived substance dissolved in a solvent, called spirit varnish or solvent varnish. The solvent may be alcohol, turpentine, or petroleum-based."

Tung oil is pressed from nuts and while the modern stuff with phenolics in it may be "chemically enhanced" I still would not label it an Acrylic varnish like Polyurethane or any of the waterborne stuff.

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Brian

You never know what you are capable of until you actually try.

https://www.howardguitarsdelaware.com/

I thought that a oil was just that. Oil. Tung oil is tung oil, walnut oil is, well.., walnut oil. How can it be anything else unless you add spirits (solvents) dryers and resins. Then depending on the how much of this and that it becomes short oil varnish, long oil vanish, or any number of names folks call this class of finish.
L.

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Cut to size.....Beat to fit.....Paint to match.

Dont know about Tung Oil , Tru-Oil is great stuff and I will use it more . If Tung Oil is comperable in application and finish look I would try it . Tru-oil is very forgiving as a finish and easy to make look good with patience

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My bouzouki made by a pro builder in England was finished with Liberon Finishing Oil http://www.amazon.com/Rockler-Liberon-F ... B000TAWCIO. Its like Tung oil but has "A blend of high quality oils, resins and dryers". I dont think it penetrates the wood as much as tung oil will, and it applies better with less coats. My bouzouki sounds really good and loud. I used tung oil for my first dulcimer build and was just barely getting a shine after 6 coats. I used Liberon for the next 3 dulcimers and was very impressed. I used 8 coats. The more coats the more shine. I put the first coat on really thin, almost as if to just wipe away the sanding dust. Then I progressively applied it thicker and let it set longer before wiping off. Its so easy to apply. Just get some ventilation going, wipe it on with a paper towel, wait until it just starts to get sticky (5-10 minutes), and wipe off with a clean paper towel. Wait until the next day then repeat, using 0000 wool between coats. My dulcimers sound great... loud and clear. I will try to remember to post a pic.

I've used it on almost all my guitar necks. Gives a very smooth "glide" to
the neck, to my fingers. I use Waterlox because it has the highest solids
percentage of all the Tungoil finishes I'm aware of, so it builds better. I
apply with cloths and my hands, and it forms a nice satin finish. I haven't
tried it as a body finish, but don't see why it wouldn't work well. You'd have
to pore fill with something else, though, or you'd have to put a million coats
on rubbing it on.

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Gene

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Thanks for the help guys. And happy new year.

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Adam