Wipe-on finish for acoustic guitar

[Woodsy23]

I just noticed this "new" product on the Ubeaut web site - called Aussie Oil. Supposedly, it is applied by hand and gives a high gloss finish. Has anyone tried it?
http://www.ubeaut.com.au/aussie.htm

[Jeremy D]

Thanks for the info. I am gonna give this a try next time

Jeremy,

Yes I gave them a coat of thinned (20% turps) Feast Watson Sander Sealer. I usually stop at eight coats of Tru Oil but I have a Uke that I'm now up to 11 coats and can confirm what others have said. It just gets better the more coats you apply. My method of applying Tru Oil is to apply it sparingly and wipe off as much as possible and don't play with it. I invert the bottle once onto a rag and that is enough for a back/soundboard. Might take a little more on a guitar. I also apply the sander sealer the same way. Wipe on, rub in wipe off. I have also used Timber Mate as a very good pore filler.

Cheers

Daryl

[demonx]

I just noticed this "new" product on the Ubeaut web site - called Aussie Oil. Supposedly, it is applied by hand and gives a high gloss finish. Has anyone tried it?
http://www.ubeaut.com.au/aussie.htm

Let us know how you go, their marketing spiel sounds like it could be good.

[hooked]

I like the fact that you can add frequent coats of Aussie Oil without waiting hours between coats.....might give it a try on the next uke.

[hooked]

PS Re Aussie Oil,

I shot Ubeaut and Email to see if the product was suitable for musical instruments and how hard the finish is.

Will post their response.

Cheers

Daryl

[demonx]

I shot Ubeaut and Email to see if the product was suitable for musical instruments and how hard the finish is.

I just ordered some, so I'll test the stuff and see how I go.

[hooked]

Allan & all,

Here is the response from Neil at Ubeaut re suitability.

Hello Daryl - No reason why it couldn't be used on a ukulele. I believe there are a couple of luthiers using it on the necks of their guitars. It was as mentioned in the info designed for small items but people seem to be using it for lots of different things, including boxes and as a friction polish on woodturned items.

It would all come down to your application and use of the product. No two people will use it the same way just as no two timbers will ever be the same and give exactly the same result. In all the tests I have done I have found it to work brilliantly, so long as the surface is sanded very finely, up to at least 800 grit and preferably higher.

Some timbers may not respond as well as others initially but continued applications can make almost all timbers a come to life and really look brilliant.

It is only a new product so to date longevity isn't really known, however the oldest test a little over 12 mths old now has stiid up really well to handling and having people dig their finger nails into it etc. I had on test piece that was paced into boiling water and left for 10 minutes with no visible effect to the finish I have also poured ethanol over the same piece again with no visible effect.

Personally I'n not a big fan of using oils on guitars and other acoustic instruments as it seems to deaden or dull the sound a little. We also make and sell Hard Shellac which is brilliant on acoustic stringed instruments and has terrific resonance qualities. This is being used extensively by luthiers here in Australia and in the USA.

For what it's worth the Aussie Oil is based on this hard shellac and the oil is mostly removed or trapped in the matrix of the finish which is what gives such a bright finish.

Aussie oil can build to a brilliant shine without looking plastic. It looks and feels absolutely amazing. However if you decide to get some I would be doing some serious trials on scrap timber to get the hang of using it and to see if it is what you are looking for to give you the finish you really want.

I hope this is of some help to you.

Cheers

Daryl

[Shane Woonton]

Hi Richard,

I think we've discussed this before but I'm NZ-based (Wanaka these days) and have been using this product from the USA
http://www.vermontnaturalcoatings.com/o ... -polywhey/
It's low VOC, almost odourless, easy to apply, comes in satin or gloss and I'm really happy with the results. Plus it was simple to order and have delivered from the US. No hassles whatsoever. Plus even with the freight it still works out cheaper than most locally available varnishes.

Worth considering for the future.

Cheers,

Shane

[kpcart]

Jeremy,

Yes I gave them a coat of thinned (20% turps) Feast Watson Sander Sealer. I usually stop at eight coats of Tru Oil but I have a Uke that I'm now up to 11 coats and can confirm what others have said. It just gets better the more coats you apply. My method of applying Tru Oil is to apply it sparingly and wipe off as much as possible and don't play with it. I invert the bottle once onto a rag and that is enough for a back/soundboard. Might take a little more on a guitar. I also apply the sander sealer the same way. Wipe on, rub in wipe off. I have also used Timber Mate as a very good pore filler.

Cheers

Daryl

HI i am interested in what you would think about using a suitable cut/polish after about 6-8 coats instead of applying more coats. lmii sells these Meguiars products (usually used for car finishes): http://www.lmii.com/products/finishing/ ... -compounds
i have find the number 17 meguiars product works great on poly, acryllica and also shellac finishes - it has great results with hand buffing. i have also tried the merguiars PlastX product, which might be a hybrid of number 17 and 10. apparently both 17 and plastX have a very very small amount of silcone in it, and i notice in forums a lot of people are scared off by it because of the silicone factor, but i have not noticed any adverse reaction to any finish, even after one year. i think number 17 meguiars or meguiars plastX would potentially work great on tru oil, and more layers might not need be applied - which would be better for the sound. in this day and age, you would think the poeple of the world would have thought of a suitable easy alternative to french polish -- an easy application finish, which is very thin and doesnt constrain the resonance of the instrument it is being applied to, while being glossy and durable. rub on oil "varnishes" mixed with other elements might be the answer. if there is no answer, french polish is always there, just a shame it takes so long and needs anb aquired skill to get to look great.

[jeffhigh]

I have not used Tru-oil on a guitar for quite a few years , but I did try the cut and polish method and was not happy with it.
Unlike a lacquer or a shellac, which harden by evaporation of solvents, tru-oil cures by oxidation and will not redissolve with solvent.
So subsequent layers do not almalgamate (burn in) to the existing.
When you try to cut and polish the tru-oil you will inevitably cut through multiple thin layers and leave witness lines(white areas) where this occurs. It also was not really hard enough to take polishing to a really high gloss
I found it best to just wipe on and burnish really thin final coats and call it done.

Silicone is not frowned on because it damages the finish, but because it makes repair or refinishing difficult and because having it in the workshop can lead to cross contamination of other surfaces. Typically you can get fisheyes which are areas that repel the finish and create a crater.

[old_picker]

tru-oil cures by oxidation and will not redissolve with solvent.

i tried it myself a few years ago on a maple neck and i didn't like the way it built up around the frets
i had around 8 coats of the stuff off that neck in 15 minutes flat using acetone -

the one that is damn hard to get off is danish - but that will sucumb to thinners and 00 steel wool

[jeffhigh]

I meant with the solvent that is in the product which appears to be turps or similar (burn in between coats).
Was not meaning deliberate removal with other solvents.

[demonx]

I've done a couple of electric guitars with the Aussie oil that arrived last week.

I will continue to use it, however its a give and a take compared to danish oil. It takes a LOT longer to apply than Danish Oil, however it cures a lot smoother meaning less effort afterwards assuming you put the effort into the application which is why it takes so much longer.

As far as it's claim to be high gloss, well, it has a tiny bit of gloss, as in it's glossier than danish oil, but it's not a gloss finish like a painted gloss, it still looks like a dull oil finish compared to paint.

Here is a snap of African Mahogany body and a Blackwood cavity cover both with Aussie oil.

[hooked]

Hi Allan,

THANKS for posting your observations and pic. I tried some on a piece of blackwood and came to a similar conclusion.

Cheers

Daryl
Paradise Ukuleles

[Woodsy23]

Allan,
Thanks for giving it a try. I hope I didn't send you on a wild goose chase by mentioning this product. It seemed good from the marketing blurb.

[kpcart]

I've done a couple of electric guitars with the Aussie oil that arrived last week.

I will continue to use it, however its a give and a take compared to danish oil. It takes a LOT longer to apply than Danish Oil, however it cures a lot smoother meaning less effort afterwards assuming you put the effort into the application which is why it takes so much longer.

As far as it's claim to be high gloss, well, it has a tiny bit of gloss, as in it's glossier than danish oil, but it's not a gloss finish like a painted gloss, it still looks like a dull oil finish compared to paint.

Here is a snap of African Mahogany body and a Blackwood cavity cover both with Aussie oil.

how many quotes did you do? does it get more gloss with more coats like Tru-Oil? does it seep into the wood?

[demonx]

Allan,
Thanks for giving it a try. I hope I didn't send you on a wild goose chase by mentioning this product. It seemed good from the marketing blurb.

These things need to be tried. If it didn't rear like something that interested me I wouldn't have bought it.

[demonx]

how many quotes did you do? does it get more gloss with more coats like Tru-Oil? does it seep into the wood?

There is a few coats on that one. Then a couple days later I ran over it with a furniture polish and a buffer with a waffle pad. The pic was taken after the buff.

[mickeyj4j]

Where to get 0000 steel wool in NZ. The stuff sold at supermarket usually has a soapy residue in it and rusts easily if left wet.
Also what beeswax brands are best for finishing.

[kiwigeo]

Where to get 0000 steel wool in NZ. The stuff sold at supermarket usually has a soapy residue in it and rusts easily if left wet.

Also what beeswax brands are best for finishing.

Google "0000 steel wool nz".........

https://liberon.co.nz/?id=119

Carbatec should have the stuff as well.

http://www.timberlywoodturning.co.nz/pr ... rams-.html

[Jeremy D]

Does the steel stuff work better than the synthetic stuff? I have always just bought the synthetic type like the Norton stuff you get from masters.

[J.F. Custom]

Not all 0000 steel wools are created equal.

That Liberon stuff Martin mentioned is amazing - like cotton wool.

The Sifa stuff sold commonly through bunnings and other hardwares, is far more coarse by comparison.

Never tried synthetics.

Jeremy.

[Bob Connor]

Got some good oil on the Aussie Oil last week.

You have to shake the absolute shite out of the bottle before you apply it otherwise it will apply with a low gloss.

I saw a small box that had one section that hadn't been shaken (mixed) properly and was quite dull. The other section was quite a high gloss.

Apparently Neil is aware of this and is making some changes to the formula so you don't have to work so hard to get it to mix.

Moral of the story - shake the crapper out of the bottle before applying.

Regards

[demonx]

You have to shake the absolute shite out of the bottle before you apply it otherwise it will apply with a low gloss.

This would not be a factor in my usage, I'm extra particular when mixing paint and similar products after working in a Laboratory several years ago where one of the main parts of my role was mixing chemicals.

For example, if mixing paint, I'll do a minimum of 100 rotations, twenty left, twenty right, twenty left etc, if it's a several part mix I'll do approx 200 rotations. In the lab we did sets of ten, but it takes too long. twenty is sufficient.

For anyone who has not heard of this technique: If you do not regularly alternate the mixing direction, the chemicals don't actually mix, they just become a tornado and swirl around all together, whereas alternating the mix direction breaks them up and helps the mix. So with shaking, I'll do the same, except I'll alternate shake direction and throw in a swivel or something every now and then.

[kiwigeo]

You have to shake the absolute shite out of the bottle before you apply it otherwise it will apply with a low gloss.

This would not be a factor in my usage, I'm extra particular when mixing paint and similar products after working in a Laboratory several years ago where one of the main parts of my role was mixing chemicals.

For example, if mixing paint, I'll do a minimum of 100 rotations, twenty left, twenty right, twenty left etc, if it's a several part mix I'll do approx 200 rotations. In the lab we did sets of ten, but it takes too long. twenty is sufficient.

For anyone who has not heard of this technique: If you do not regularly alternate the mixing direction, the chemicals don't actually mix, they just become a tornado and swirl around all together, whereas alternating the mix direction breaks them up and helps the mix. So with shaking, I'll do the same, except I'll alternate shake direction and throw in a swivel or something every now and then.

I give the can to my wife when she drives down to the city to go shopping.....the paint is usually well mixed by the time she's hurtled down the drive to the front gate