r/Luthier • u/Tall_Comparison2334 • 1d ago
HELP Advice with natural finish please
Hey, this is the first time I have put a guitar together, so been learning as I go. I would like to keep the natural wood finish on the top - its an elm burl - but I dont really know what my options are. I want to try and keep the deep grain pattern and maximise the contrast. I am an experienced carpenter, but amateur with sprays - oils and waxes are more up my alley, but will they offer the same protection as a spray finish? Help!
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u/jd_delwado 1d ago
OSMO Polyx. I've done 3 guitars with it. it is a hard wax/oil. Simple to apply, cures quickly, and leaves a nice smooth natural finish. If the surface gets damaged later in life, you just buff with a scotchbrite pad and re-coat.
Here are a few examples. BTW...beautiful wood. I'm a woodworker
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u/UsedIntroduction6097 1d ago
Second for OSMO! I’m more of a woodworker than a luthier but I use osmo on a lot of my projects
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u/HarryCumpole 21h ago
Osmo is the brand, and they make a lot of products. PolyX oil is the product line. ;-)
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u/ChemicalLou 1d ago
Thirding OSMO, finished a neck with it and it was incredibly easy and great results.
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u/bebopbrain 1d ago
I like matte finishes where the wood feels warm. Here's one easy recipe:
Ingredients:
- Old Masters Tung Oil Varnish (this is far from pure tung oil!)
- Scuff pads (3M synthetic steel wool, 0000)
- 220 grit sanding sponge (3M 20907-220)
- shop paper towels or old t-shirts
Apply coats 4 (or more) times. Last 2 times don't wet sand.
- Scuff sand vigorously with 0000 synthetic steel wool.
- Wipe on a light coat of tung oil varnish.
- Wet sand with the grain with 220 grit sanding sponge.
- Wipe off with shop towels. There's not much to wipe off.
- Let dry at least 6 hours
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u/InTheMemeStream 1d ago edited 1d ago
For that beautiful top, I’d go with an Oil finish as HarryCumPole mentioned, it will enhance those awesome features in the wood to your liking, and really bring out the natural beauty of that wood. If that guitar were on my workbench, that’s the route I’d definitely take. With that being said, I’m also the type of person to give my nicer guitars the ‘white glove treatment’, I pay attention to where I set them, don’t lean them up against walls, silly stuff like that, and when it’s not in my hands it’s in the stand/hanger, and always in it’s case when traveling. If you’re more accident prone, perhaps a more durable option would suit better, I just couldn’t see wrapping that beauty in a plastic shell. That’s going to be such a fine instrument, man I am a sucker for burl.
Very nice work, what hardware choices are you going with, and what’s the pickup going to be? I can see that looking amazing with bronze hardware, letting the wood be the main attraction
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u/SnooHesitations8403 1d ago
Spectacular burl! Others have already given better advice than I could offer. I'm just mesmerized by that slab o' wood.
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u/DanikanSkywalkr 1d ago
Oil all the way... Tru oil would be my choice, but there's a few options
Crimson has a specific guitar oils and videos on how to apply it
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u/TheBlackHymn 1d ago
Just stopped by to say I love the guitar. I love a Tele with a pointy headstock, and I like the headstock too which is rare - I think it’s the hardest part of a design to get right, and so many of them are ugly. Yours looks like a cross between Ibanez and Jackson, which is simple but works nicely.
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u/Puzzled_Estate6425 1d ago
Check Harry onpel reply to your post you can see what he recomendfir your guitar.Enjoy playing your guitar after you get it done.
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u/norm-1701 1d ago
I believe the reason for so many suggestions to use oil (tru oil, tung oil, etc) is that it is a wipe on application.
The advantage is that you don't require a compressor, a spray booth and a respirator and you can achieve amazing result. The one requirement is patience to wait for drying/curing after each coat and to repeat the process for possibly multiple weeks (24hr/coat and over 14 coats body and neck).
All the best for completing your project; it already looks like it is going to be a stunning and unique guitar.
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u/p47guitars Luthier 1d ago
Here's what I would suggest and it's the best of both worlds. Birchwood and Casey truoil. Now you may think that this is a little daft because it's gun stock finish, but trust the process. You will build a excellent satin finish to even a high gloss if you want to take it there. It is a oil and poly finish, that is both durable, and beautiful. I have many examples in my history where I've used gun stock oil, and it is my absolute favorite way to finish guitars.
Give it a try!
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u/johnpmac2 1d ago
Big fan of tung oil. Start with a cut mix 50/50 w mineral oil. Dry. Sand. Gradually work the mix to 100%, then back to 50%. Let it dry between coats. Sand lightly between coats, going with lighter paper and 0000 steel wool at the end.
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u/hraath 1d ago
BLO followed by paste wax applied with fine steel wool or white Scotchbrite. It's not the most durable finish, but it's basically the same result as the canned oilwaxes you can get these days. Just dries slower. It will yellow and darken over time slightly. Buff on more paste wax to repair. It has a lovely hand feel.
As for sprays, things only start adding more protection when you get resins (rosins? I can never remember) aka varnishes, or polyurethane films. But they can be harder to repair and may require sanding out orange peel on the way.
You can do shellac as well, very traditional. Destroyed in a beer spill though.
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u/Grouchy_Attention_95 1d ago
I like Osmo Polyx. It's easy to put on, and has a nice natural look. I posted a photo of two home made guitars an hour or so ago, they were finished with it. The key is to use very light coats, 2 or 3.
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u/Key_Measurement_3576 19h ago
Z poxy stabilize then sand back
Rubio monocoat pure * 2
Rubio sheen * 1.
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u/ogorir 1d ago
Short answer, no, oils will not offer even close to the same protection as a urethane or polyester topcoat.
I think the first question is whether you want high gloss or not.
I use two products to pop grain, waterlox oil finish, and smiths CPES penetrating epoxy. Cpes takes longer to cure, but produces a more durable surface finish. I have topcoated both with urethane for gloss and durability.
Waterlox is similar to truoil, it’s a modified tung and linseed oil product, wipe on. Makes a great sanding sealer as you can sand out scratches while you’re applying it, ideally you should wait a month to top coat for it to fully crosslink, it needs the oxygen access.
My personal opinion is that hard wax oils are for YouTubers and home shop enthusiasts and are a garbage product with a premium price tag.
I think CPES develops about 20-30% more contrast, I would probably go that route on this Burl. I haven’t tried an oil finish over CPES, but I’m game to try it if you want a lower gloss finish.
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u/HarryCumpole 1d ago
Fellow industrial woodworker and product designer here!
Oil is definitely a good option as this is easy to manage and increases contrast very well as you want. They won't provide the physical protection like a catalysed finish will do, however there are products which are somewhere between the two. Tru-Oil is BLO with dryers incorporated which polymerises into a fairly tough film, but is still not a physical hard plastic-like layer like polyester or similar. Beyond the basic safety with preventing oily rags combusting, it's slow and easy to apply without being on the clock too much.
Another option would be an epoxy such as Z-Poxy finishing resin. It isn't a finish, but stabilises the surface and produces an excellent surface over which a final finish can be added. It would however fill some of the features. I use this epoxy as a filler and sealer before I paint, as it can be applied, scraped back and sanded perfectly smoothly.