Tru-Oil: How much do I need?

How much Tru-Oil will I need to finish a soprano uke?

The reason I ask is a 32 oz. bottle costs only twice as much as a 3 oz. bottle. I'll probably use it for some other non uke projects as well. What kind of shelf life does it have after the bottle is opened? I hear you should store it upside down.

Thanks

Get the 3oz bottle unless you plan to go into mass production. 3 ounces will finish many, many ukes. And, yes, it is best either to store the bottle upside down or use Bloxygen because the finish will interact with the air as soon as it is open, forming a surface film. If you need to break through the film to get to fresh oil, you'll have to deal with little pieces solid material on your rag.

I did an entire classical guitar with the small bottle, and had some left over.

[I removed my post, since it was really a response to the OP's question]

I've finished several ukes and gun stocks with Tru-Oil and I like it. Shelf life is a problem after a bottle has been opened, but the ukes have held up well. There are pros and advanced amateurs who use a variety of finishes but I've been really happy with Tru-Oil and it has a number of fans on this forum.

[Also removed this post]

Toaster oven. Hmm. You know what shellac is made from, right ... ?

Edit: Since I was referring to Warbulele's post about Tru-oil being like that guck in the bottom of your toaster oven, this post won't make any sense without that context. I was pointing out that shellac is essentially dried bug pee ...

it seems like cutting corners to take a new homemade Uke and put that stuff on it.

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Sorry, but this is BS, and I don't say that lightly. Is Tru-Oil the most durable finish available? No, it is not. But for the novice, which the OP clearly is, Tru-Oil is a great way to achieve an attractive, lustrous finish in the most foolproof way possible. I finished a dozen or so ukes with Tru-Oil, all are more than a year old, and none have come back to me due to abrasion. I now spray lacquer, but it's not something I would recommend for someone just starting out. Virtually all of the finishes have a legitimate place in the luthier's tool chest, and to make blanket, denigrating statements about any one of them does a disservice to those who are just beginning their journey into building.

The same criticism is leveled against french polished finishes, but they're quite common for various reasons. Ease of repair is one, and this applies too Tru-Oil as well. I did use a couple of coats of shellac under the Tru-Oil, and that guitar's finish held up well enough to sell it after using daily for nearly two years. Actually, I just used a couple of wash coats of shellac on that guitar for a few weeks before deciding I needed some gloss.

I cannot agree with that statement either. A well done oil finish is nothing to complain about.. I am not sure why I would use it on one of my own ukes, (I might if I were teaching someone) as I am well set up for lacquer, and really like nitro for ukes. I use an oil finish on my turntable plinths, polished past 3000 grit and buffed, IMO, oil can be a nicer finish than lacquer.

Just do excellent prep work before oiling.... zero scratches when looked at under close scrutiny, the wood sanded to a completely consistent color, everywhere. Corners broken all over like tiny, perfect radii, everywhere, the same radius everywhere, no sharp edges anywhere. Get your prep correct, careful not to rush it, and your Tru-oil finish can be gorgeous. Not polished lacquer, but gorgeous nonetheless.

I would also encourage anyone who feels they are ready to learn lacquer to go for it. Lacquer has an undeserved rep for being difficult or nasty. Yes, it stinks, figure out how to protect yourself. It is not hard to learn to do a decent finish with lacquer. USE PROFESSIONAL EQUIPMENT. Youwill still be learning gun technique after 30,- 50,000 gallons of whatever, and lacquer is it's own little science. Apply yourself and you will probably be pleased first time out. Unless you get bad runs,...

Polishing is another can of worms, and you will not necessarily be happy the first time out.. or second for that matter..

I removed my posts, because the OP obviously already chose to use oil, so this wasn't the place for me to share my opinion of it. I apologize for that.
I am aware it gets plenty of love here, thats partly why I wanted to offer my different perspective/opinion, but this wasn't the place, he didn't ask for that. It's great that he's doing what he's doing, I want to encourage it.

Just do excellent prep work before oiling.... zero scratches when looked at under close scrutiny, the wood sanded to a completely consistent color, everywhere. Corners broken all over like tiny, perfect radii, everywhere, the same radius everywhere, no sharp edges anywhere. Get your prep correct, careful not to rush it, and your Tru-oil finish can be gorgeous. Not polished lacquer, but gorgeous nonetheless.

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Sounds like some really great advice there from Chris_H. Almost makes me glad I slipped up, and ended up having to come back to correct myself, just so I could read that. It's the kind of advice that sounds at first glance like "oh yeah, well of course" but actually it's the voice of experience.
I will remember that advice, thanks Chris. To add to that, things can look good when you've just improved them a whole bunch, but when you come back later with fresh eyes, there can be small errors you didn't notice before, which is fine unless you already put the coating on it. And it seems to me like a transparent coating acts almost like a lens, magnifying the errors, along with the beauty.

Tru Oil gives a better look than Shellac or rather it displays the grain of the wood better. There's not many finishes that can compete with Oil directly applied to wood.
People decry it because it's one of the easiest finishes to do. It's the clever craftsmen who usually find the easy but effective route. It's not super hard but if you are relatively careful when playing the instrument it shouldn't be a big factor. Certainly store the bottle upside down. It should double it's shelf life. Eventually the whole bottle will turn to jelly.

I like and use Tru Oil as well. Drop a few marbles in the bottle as the volume goes down to bring the level near the top then (as others have said) store it upside down. The volume of the marbles displaces the air which extends the shelf life. Just make sure the marbles are shiny clean.

Warbulele - We walk a tightrope here. Lots of amateurs and lots of amazing pros. We almost need a warning flag that says, "I only build one uke per year, or I'm only going to build one ever and I want it to work, decently, without a long learning curve." There is irritation on both sides. I got criticized for a method of cutting fret slots that works for me but is admittedly slow. I don't want to buy a $100 jig that will get sold for $2 at a junk sale after I die. And I'm not good enough to "just cut them freehand" as one expert suggested.

Some people want to make it work, for them, without spending a lot of time learning and without buying specialized tools. I understand that this frustrates the purist or the guy who has to make a certain number per week to earn a living. And I enjoy hearing how the pros do stuff. I adopt their techniques when I can do it cheaply or without having to spend hours learning.

Pondoro said:

Warbulele - We walk a tightrope here. Lots of amateurs and lots of amazing pros. We almost need a warning flag that says, "I only build one uke per year, or I'm only going to build one ever and I want it to work, decently, without a long learning curve." There is irritation on both sides. I got criticized for a method of cutting fret slots that works for me but is admittedly slow. I don't want to buy a $100 jig that will get sold for $2 at a junk sale after I die. And I'm not good enough to "just cut them freehand" as one expert suggested.

Some people want to make it work, for them, without spending a lot of time learning and without buying specialized tools. I understand that this frustrates the purist or the guy who has to make a certain number per week to earn a living. And I enjoy hearing how the pros do stuff. I adopt their techniques when I can do it cheaply or without having to spend hours learning.

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Well said, irrespective of how many ukuleles you build in a year or plan to build.

I wasn't expecting such a lively (and for me, entertaining) discussion.
Thanks for all the input.

Hi all...

I am just seeing this thread now, a few days later, and I have a question, please forgive me if this is slightly off-topic:

Is there a web site or a series of youtube videos, where I can learn the correct technique and procedure for working with Tru-Oil on bare wood for a one-off, experimental home-made instrument (inspired by a RISA Solid 'stick' ukulele)?

The wood I'm talking about is something more of a hardwood like Maple, Walnut or Rosewood from Home Depot or Lowes, if they even have it in a 2"x4" or 1"x3"

What am I going to build?

For this project, there will be no top, back or sides, just a 'stick' with frets installed directly into the wood (no added fretboard), 4 strings, 4 tuners, a zero-fret, bridge, saddle and piezo or pvdf pickup.

This is going to be for a tenor scale 'silent' uke for late night practice with headphones.

I am fully aware that you can buy a pre-made instrument from about a dozen different brands, but they all would require SOME kind of modification for my (other and unusual) needs, and I thought that I just might learn something in the process, and starting with something simpler like this would be inexpensive enough that if I make a mistake it's not too bad to start over, but before I begin, I need to understand more about finishing the wood, which is where I am stuck.

I'm not trying to become a luthier, but have ALWAYS been a DIY-er and want to see what EASY options may exist.

My goal is two-fold:
If all of this sounds way off, please forgive my ignorance and PLEASE point me in the right direction...

Thanks,

Booli

There's nothing to learn. . . or at least very little. Put some Tru Oil on to a lint free cloth (worn old cotton T shirt is fine). Wipe it on, thin. It should just 'wet' the surface of the wood. Wait a minute or so. Take another fresh piece of the same cloth and wipe off everything you have just put on. Sounds a little strange but in reality you can't wipe it all off. Just the excess. Leave it for around 8 hours. Do the exact same procedure. 4 applications should give you a sheen. Don't use an abrasive on the last coat. If you feel the need to use an abrasive use something like 1,000G to knock off the nibs, then give it the final coat. You want the final coat to be the finished surface. The moment you touch it with an abrasive means you will have to go through the grits. You want to avoid that.
If you want a high gloss you will have to apply multiple coats - around 14 or more. Allow it all to harden for a few weeks. Go through the grits with the wet/dry abrasive sheets. You really shouldn't have to start less than 600G. So your wood prep has to be good. Go to at least 400G with the grain on the bare wood. You don't want to see any scratches. Any Oil will really highlight scratches. After 600 it's 800, 1,000, 1200. i stop at 1500 and finish with a polishing paste.

I find that starting with the wood at the full sheen prior to oiling is a good way to go. For years I would start applying oil with the wood at 400-600 grit. And then wetsanding with oil, dry sanding, never quite getting the finish I wanted. Try an oil finish with the wood sanded very well to 2000 grit, or higher. At least 1000 grit. Then the only reason to touch abrasives in the finishing process is if you notice a scratch that you missed, or maybe a place where the oily rag left a smear of oil that you do not see until the next coat. I wet sand these with 1000 grit if they are substantial and do not rub off easily with fine abrasives, then hit it quickly with the fine abrasives and the 'touch up' is gone. If you are going for more of a 'surface building' oil finish, the main reason to sand to a higher grit is just to get a cleaner 'cut' of the wood surface, exposing the full potential of the wood grain, as the film build should give the smooth feeling. I have done virtually all of my sanding in oil finishes prior to oiling, for years now. No looking back. Good prep, then oil.