Cherry 100w cab

[Luthierwnc]

Hi All,

I just put the third coat of oil on this. It is for a tubes-up 100w head. The light makes it look more yellow than it is. Over time it will get a lot darker. I love working with cherry but it is very difficult to finish because it is so unforgiving on scratches. Less of an issue for a box than an heirloom dresser but lots of extra sanding.

Cheers, Skip

[Structo]

Looks nice!

I love hardwood cabinets.

[ER]

Purdy! Getting ready to make sawdust on a bunch of walnut myself.

A couple summers ago a friend of mine took out 20 acres of english walnut on black walnut root stock because the trees were around 70 years old and not producing as many walnuts anymore.

[Luthierwnc]

ER -- Chico area?

[ER]

Close, dead bluff..I mean Red Bluff, land of the fruits and nuts! Chico's about 45 mins south of here.

[LeftyStrat]

I also love cherry and the way it darkens over time. What kind of oil are you using?

I just got an unfinished eastern pine speaker cab, and I'm about to take my first foray into using tung oil.

[CHIP]

Great looking cab.
I like working with cherry, it's not rock hard like maple.

[Luthierwnc]

LeftyStrat: I'm using plain Watco and it will rub paste wax over that. Not a gloss hard finish but not much happens to it that you couldn't sand out and slap more on. With porous woods you can also work the first coat in with 320 grit wet-or-dry and the slurry will fill the pores. Drag it with a plastic putty knife before it sets-up to jam it in the pores. Hand sand as far down as you need to go with 220 regular paper after it hardens a couple days. I use a scraper first so I don't gum up a lot of paper. If you don't have a cabinet scraper, "safe" a razor blade by grinding the edge to 90 degrees and putting a slight arch across the length. Also round the corners over slightly so they don't dig.

I'm not a big fan of oil on pine. The absorption rate between the summer and the late wood is really uneven. If you want a no-brainer, low-VOC type finish for softwoods I'd go with shellac. For classical guitars I mix my own but the Bullseye stuff at Lowes will work fine for this application. If you have a choice, don't get the orange stuff. sh

[Structo]

Have you ever tried Tru Oil?

I like that a lot particularly on guitar necks but it is just about the most fool proof finish I have ever used.

[LeftyStrat]

I'm not a big fan of oil on pine. The absorption rate between the summer and the late wood is really uneven. If you want a no-brainer, low-VOC type finish for softwoods I'd go with shellac. For classical guitars I mix my own but the Bullseye stuff at Lowes will work fine for this application. If you have a choice, don't get the orange stuff. sh

I did some more research on the web. Another technique that seems popular for gun stocks is pine tar followed by shellac. Ever done that before?

[LeftyStrat]

Have you ever tried Tru Oil?

I like that a lot particularly on guitar necks but it is just about the most fool proof finish I have ever used.

Thanks for that. I just google'd 'Tru Oil on pine.' First link was to a guy using it on the same exact cab I purchased:

http://ampworkshop.yuku.com/topic/4929/ ... xR0TZhCe_s

[Structo]

Yeah, it's a great finish.

On that pine cab you can't hardly tell if it's finished.

It works great over stain or dye too.

I had been using it on, what else but gunstocks for years.
Then another guy I was talking to said, did you ever try it on a guitar neck?

So now any guitar I build or replace a bolt on neck on gets the treatment.

It's not really an oil finish although it looks like one.
It dries to a hard finish in a matter of two or three days depending on conditions.

I apply about 6-8 coats on a neck. You can generally get 2 coats a day.
I rub it in with my bare fingers as the heat helps it flow better.
You can go with just a couple coats if you like the raw wood feel but want to protect it.

If I was to tell you one secret about using it I would say it is important to apply very thin coats.
If you go too heavy it will run and take too long to dry between coats.

I steel wool it after three coats or so with 0000 wool to knock down any runs or other defect.

On the final coat I will lightly steel wool it then let it dry a couple days.
Then I burnish it with a piece of denim to make it slick.

Fastest feeling neck finish I have ever felt.

For a cabinet I would probably apply about 8-10 coats.
And by the way, you can wet sand and polish this material.
Just have to take care as with any thin finish.

[LeftyStrat]

Fastest feeling neck finish I have ever felt.

Whoa, thanks for this too. I built a guitar with the neck 'raw' and it eventually warped on me. Been looking for an alternative.

[Structo]

BTW, Warmoth will honor their warranty if you use Tru Oil on a neck.
It is a hard finish.

[John_P_WI]

Tom,

I wonder if this is what my "Real San Dimas, USA" Charvel from the early 80's had on the neck.

Even today, except for discoloration on the maple fretboard the neck is as straight, fast and smooth as the day I bought it.

John