Finish questions: Teak Oil over Sanding Sealer?

[dadagoboi]

Watco has worked for me.

[Lightyear]

I love Watco!  I use it on all of my cherry projects and anything else that an oil finish will work on.  Just wish their colors were stronger.

[Pilgrim]

+1...I think they sprinkle a few drops of tung oil over the batch and  voila! 'Tung Oil'.  Or maybe they wave the magic tung nuts at it.  

That would make a great band name!  "TUNG NUTS".

I and two other guys from my last band (Vintage Winds, code for "Old Farts") are forming a new one - gained a singer and a new drummer.  Band name: BEEN THERE DONE THAT.


I really appreciate the depth of knowledge about finishes that's reflected in this thread.

[Dave W]

Watco does well on most woods and it's an easy single finish with stain. But as a varnish/oil blend it doesn't dry as hard or build as well as a varnish. Fine for something that doesn't get a lot of wear; a hard topcoat (spray poly, Formby's, another varnish etc.) will give it more wear resistance.

There are always tradeoffs. Phenolic varnishes are more abrasion resistant than poly varnishes, but they darken the wood much more. If you've ever used Waterlox Original (a phenolic resin varnish) you know what I mean about darkening. Varnishes for exterior use like spar varnishes are made to be more moisture resistant (many use phenolic resin) but they have more oil in the chemical formula to be softer and more flexible so they won't crack and let in more moisture. Best bet is to use a hard topcoat made for interior use.

Look at the photo in the Flexner article that shows the varnish vs. varnish/oil blend dried on a piece of glass.

[drbassman]

For my tastes, Danish oil on an old project, or new, that I want to have that gently aged worn look and show off the grain is just right.  Durability isn't an issue for me as I don't abuse my basses or play them in the rain.  I also love the way Danish oil ages.  It works for my simple tastes.

[ack1961]

You guys have no idea how much I appreciate all the discussion and knowledge transfer.  It has given me confidence that I've never had when it comes to woodworking.

While shopping for #0000 steel wool, I ran across the wipe-on version of the MinWax Poly High Gloss.
Since I'm a maniac with aerosol, I picked this stuff up.  I've been practicing my spraying with a small chunk of Alder off on the side that I've finished the same as the actual body.

Here's what I've done since I my last post:
Wiped on 1st coat of Poly, waited 3 hours, then lightly sanded (more of a light rub with #0000 wool), cleaned the piece, then wiped on 2nd coat of Poly, waited, then a bit of a rub with #0000. 

The piece was dry to the touch after 2 hours, and it has a nice shell on it.  It's not as glossy as I was expecting, but I think I can bring out a shine later...maybe? (advice welcome)

Anyway, I let it sit overnight, and I'm thinking about hitting the 3rd Poly coat with the spray.  Like I said, I've been spraying a small piece of Alder off on the side, and it has a shinier finish than the actual body with the wipe-on Poly.

QUESTION: I have the bass body hanging from a thick wire in my workshop.  I've been applying the wipe-on Poly by unhooking the piece and holding it by the pickup cavity, then wiping on the Poly, then re-hanging the piece, then finishing the wipe-on.  Obviously, this technique will not work with spray.  If I hang the body and spray, I'm afraid of runs.
My practice piece is pretty small and doesn't require a great deal of spray.

Any tips on spraying the body - is it OK to do while hanging straight up?

Here's the updated process/layers (top-to-bottom)

Sanding: #0000 Steel Wool
MinWax Poly (wipe on) 2nd coat
Sanding: #0000 Steel Wool
MinWax Poly (wipe on) 1st coat
Watco Teak Oil
Sanding: 220/400 (Sanded sides 120/150/220/400)
MinWax Sanding Sealer
Sanding: 220
MinWax Sanding Sealer
Sanding: 80/120/150/220
Bare/new Alder (1.75 inches thick)

Thanks,
Steve

[Lightyear]

If you just want a gloss finish just wipe on several more coats of the poly and wetsand with 1000 and 1200 grit wet/dry paper and finish it off with a polishing compound.  The very best resource is the ReRanch sites how to section.  There's more setail available that what you probably wamt to do with this build but it is a great resource.

[Pilgrim]

You can spray in just about any position IF you take it easy and go light.  They're not kidding when they say 2-3 light coats are better than one heavy one.  Runs are just a result of applying too much material at one time - and thereby, proving that gravity works.

[Dave W]

If you just want a gloss finish just wipe on several more coats of the poly and wetsand with 1000 and 1200 grit wet/dry paper and finish it off with a polishing compound.  The very best resource is the ReRanch sites how to section.  There's more setail available that what you probably wamt to do with this build but it is a great resource.

Right. The wiping version is thinned, so there are fewer solids than in the spray product. That's why you need more coats. If you're getting good results wiping but aren't sure of your spraying skills, just wipe on more coats.

You'll want to make sure it's thoroughly cured (not just dry to the touch) before final wetsanding and buffing.

[dadagoboi]

You can spray in just about any position IF you take it easy and go light.  They're not kidding when they say 2-3 light coats are better than one heavy one.  Runs are just a result of applying too much material at one time - and thereby, proving that gravity works.

Like many things, spray painting requires taking it to the edge of disaster to achieve the best result.  You want to put the maximum amount of material per pass after the first tack coat.  Otherwise you end up spraying a rough finish that requires way too much color sanding to get it smooth enough to buff out.  Its called spraying 'wet coats' or 'double coats' which involves making a pass twice over the same spot and then overlapping each double pass by half on the next pair.  It takes practice but in the long run will save you material (especially lacquer in spray cans) by putting the max amount of paint on the project, not lacquer dust on your floor.  It's worth sanding out some runs to learn the technique IMO.  Important things are maintaining a consistent distance from surface being painted, correct speed of the pass and not 'fanning' (moving your wrist which puts more paint in the middle of the pass than at the ends).

This is 8 ounces of black toned lacquer (on entire body) sprayed over 1 coat sanding sealer sanded to 320.  It will get scuff sanded with 400/600 and a final 8 oz of clear topcoat.

[ack1961]

well, I've done 4 coats of wipe-on Poly to the body front, back & sides.
The headstock was tricky...i had to take the finish completely off the top edge of the headstock - I couldn't get the  new finish to match the original: