Birchwood CaseyTrue-Oil Gun Stock Finish 8-Ounce Liquid

I was fortunate to purchase a strat style bolt kit from Carvin/Kiesel Guitars in early 2020 right before they were discontinued. These kits were easy to assemble into very playable instruments, at about the same cost as an entry-level Fender Strat. I ordered a mahogany body and a maple neck. Once the kit arrived, the main decision was which finish to use. But this was also a chance to kind of make the guitar my own. The instructions recommended tung oil as a finish becaus it's easy to apply and also brings out the character of the wood. The downside seems to be that it doesn't offer much protection. I also considered a polyurethane finish, which is pretty widely used on electric guitars, but noticed some comments about it reducing ability of the body to resonate. Even though the sound is almost entirely coming from the pickups, I enjoy a very resonant instrument that feels "alive" when you play it. A number of posts on guitar-building forums recommended Tru-Oil because it can bring out the character of the wood, be built up to offer some protection, and not dampen resonance.I went with the Tru-Oil for both the body and the neck and have been extremely happy with the result. Visually, the mahogany and maple each pop in their own way. The body resonates strongly and produces a confident tone unplugged (for an electric). The neck feels smooth and not sticky, like a gloss poly finish might. The finish has been durable enough that I haven't felt the need to retouch it at all yet. Note that I am just a home noodler; a gigging musician might put more wear on a finish.Before applying the finish, I watched hours of YouTube videos to see the kinds of techniques people use, and then came up with a plan. Before I applied finish to the guitar, I tested it on some pieces of scrap maple and mahogany. Both the body and the neck were worked to a semi-gloss over 12-13 coats. The first 3-4 coats on each piece were done with rags to absorb into the wood. Subsequent coats were applied with sandpaper, progressing from 400 grit ("grain filling") to higher grits ("polishing"). Then, after noticing some debris and scratches in the finish, I sanded back down and built up some additional coats. The final coat was applied with a coffee filter and polished up to a semi-gloss. I waited at least 12 hours after each coat before applying the next one. After the final coat, the body and neck were left alone for about a week to let the finish cure. This was all done in an apartment with just a standing fan for ventilation, and fumes didn't seem to be an issue.Some of the finish tended to get stuck to my fingers after each session. I tried using latex gloves at some point, but they would just kind of disintegrate. I found that scrubbing my hands with WD-40 after a session helped to remove the residue.This was my first time applying a finish to anything, guitar or otherwise. It took some patience and some troubleshooting when flaws became apparent. If you plan your approach, take your time, and don't rush through the process, I don't see any reason why you can't get something you are satisfied with.I recently made a DIY coffee table from Home Depot pine boards and a set of hairpin legs. The table top is something like 4 feet long and 2 feet wide. I was curious to see if I could get a good finish with Tru-Oil. It did an excellent job of bringing out the character of the wood, and gave the white-ish pine a much warmer hue. But this time I didn't quite get the same protective layer of semi-gloss on top. The pine seemed to drink up a more of the finish than the hardwoods on the guitar, possibly just because it's a much larger piece, and I got fewer coats in with a (8oz) bottle. I was also much less patient this time with sanding the wood and perfecting the finish. I am happy with the result, but for future projects like this I would consider trying something like tung oil + wipe on poly for beautification and protection at a larger scale. And perhaps investing in an electric sander.

Use this on most wood projects as it just looks so great.

A few tips I've gathered from here and there and tried myself... I've tried a few methods to apply, and I've gotten the best results using a bare finger, or a coffee filter (leaves no lint like a paper towel or cloth will.) You want to put it on really thin - just enough to give the surface a light, even coat. If you go on too thick you'll end up sanding most of it off anyway. as it will look blobby and uneven. This is a great finish you can do in a few weeks, not something you smear one thick coat on and you're done, it does require a little patience and time.Store the bottle upside down after squeezing as much air out as you can to keep it from hardening up in the bottle, in between applications. In fact, try not to open the bottle any more than you have to. When I'm going to do several coats, I like to put 1/2 oz or so in a separate sealable container and add a few drops of Japan Drier. Using very thin coats, I can re-coat every hour or two, with no tacky feeling. I like to do that all weekend, as often as I can make it back to the piece, then let it all cure for the week. After it's sat for a week it's dry enough to sand it back or buff it out, depending on how close you are to being done. Once the grain is filled, just a few more light coats and buff it out and you have a really nice looking finish.Also I like to use 3M Scotchbrite pads (gray) instead of steel wool, so I don't get bits of metal all over my shop (and potentially in the finish).

I have been using this product now for a couple of years to finish the guitars I build. It is very easy to work with. I use a small piece of cloth or my fingers to apply, though it does get sticky quickly so I prefer using a small cloth that doesn't shred easily. The first few coats go on leaving a very satin like sheen. However, once you build up enough coats (around 10 depending on how the wood is absorbing the oil) it WILL take on a full gloss finish. Not quite like Nitro but glossy, nonetheless. It's good to have some nice sandpaper or some Micro Mesh polishing pads to help smooth out the finish as it does get a little lumpy/bumpy here and there as the coats build up. A quick couple passes with some high grit sandpaper and it will smooth right back out. I have also used it to seal guitar necks and I absolutely love the feel of Tru-Oil compared to Nitro. It is much smoother, faster and has way less drag. Oddly enough, I have grown to love the smell of this stuff though my girlfriend feels the exact opposite. Good thing is you don't need much airflow as this stuff doesn't have the same drug-like effects of say an alcohol or nitro based finish. Overall, if you need a quick and easy oil finish for any wood project this should do the trick for you. If you have a little more time and patience, you'll be amazed at what you can do with it. Kudos to Birchwood Casey for a great product!