[daybean]

im in the final steps in finishing my s7420 , it was stripped, stained and now in its third coat of tung oil, but after a while it goes dry (so it looks) and my question is, how much is to much of a good tung oil finish, also do you guys sand it with fine sandpaper after each coat?

[Jarrett]

I have done a couple of necks with oil and they have taken between 6-10 coats for me to be happy with the finish. Alot depends on when you are happy with teh finish. If it feels good after 3 then 3 is enough. On the necks I wanted a really smooth finish so went for a fair number of coats.

I use 0000 wire wool between coats, but I always make sure that the coat is really really dry before I sand it. All you are really doing is taking any rough parts from teh surface.

It's also worth making sure you wipe of the excess oil 15 mins after you apply the coat, otherwise the oil just sits in teh surface, drys there and no more oil will go in. I also do the first 1 and 2 coats with a 50/50 mxiture of white spirt and tung oil which seems to help open up the wood to take the oil.

I also found that after the last coat it's worth giving the neck or whatever a good 4 weeks to fully dry out and then give it one final wire wool. This will depend on where you are. I guess it's pretty warm in Texas so the drying times will be much quicker. In the UK I found the oil can take days and sometimes a week to dry between coats.

All this is my experience with a few necks. I am sure people with more finishing experince with have info to add.

[daybean]

yeah thanks for the help, though lately it hasent gotten over 48 degees and i have given the coats a long time to dry. they still look like the guitar can use some more.
...and im not redoing anything on the neck its great the way it is, just the body.thanks

[Jarrett]

I have a body stripped waiting to oil at the moment. I was expecting to do at least 6 coats. I think it depends on teh wood how many coats you need. Just have to evaluate the finsh after each coat to see if you want to add more.

[D-EJ915]

well the wood will only accept so much, so it'll just be accumulating on top of the oil at some point

[FortePenance]

I'm seeing pics of your S7 in your avatar and it's looking AMAZING.

[noodles]

Jackson uses over 15 coats, steel wooled in between coats. Lots of coats is the only way to get that smooth, consistent feel.

[daybean]

Originally Posted by FortePenance

I'm seeing pics of your S7 in your avatar and it's looking AMAZING.

and thats without the tung oil, just waiting for my blackout in the mail for my bridge and then i will post the hell but rewarding end.thanks

[thedonutman]

What sort of tung oil are you using? If its pure tung oil, it never really dries properly 100%. So I assume your using some sort of Tung oil based finish.

I used about 5 coats on my bass with steel wooling, I'd say you need more. But like others have said, it needs to dry before you apply more coats. So with around 10 coats it could take a very long time. Once your past a certain point (i'd say around 10-12 coats) more coats doesn't really add to the shine any more, it only makes it thicker and affects the tone slightly.

[Apophis]

There is no rules at all, depends from wood. Sometimes only 6 coats, sometimes 20