# Tru-Oil over water-based dye?



## Blue1970Cutlass (Aug 4, 2014)

This is probably obvious, but I can't seem to find any info on it...

Seems like every build I see with tru-oil is over a natural finish, but I am hoping to use it over curly maple that has had a water-based dye applied and wondering if I will run into any problems? 
(lifting / smearing the color or anything to that effect?)

These are just sh*ts & giggles projects for myself, and I've become dissatisfied with the results from rattlecan clear lacquer


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## yellowv (Aug 4, 2014)

Your best bet would be to contact birchwood-Casey and ask them. It is really intended as a gunstock oil. Being that most wood gunstocks are stained I would think it would work, but I don't know for sure. I have only used it on bare maple necks myself.


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## immortalx (Aug 4, 2014)

I've used water-based aniline dye on bird's eye maple and finished with tru-oil with no problems. Just make sure that the dye has dried thoroughly.


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## Pikka Bird (Aug 5, 2014)

immortalx said:


> I've used water-based aniline dye on bird's eye maple and finished with tru-oil with no problems. Just make sure that the dye has dried thoroughly.



That's what I'd naturally assume. I mean, after the water has vanished you're basically left with raw wood. The dye pigment on its own has no impact on any finishing processes that I know of.


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## pondman (Aug 5, 2014)

Done this a few times with no problems at all.


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## Blue1970Cutlass (Aug 5, 2014)

Awesome! Thanks guys, that's just what I was hoping to hear

I couldn't think of how it could be a problem, but having never worked with oils before was worried there might be something I hadn't thought of


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## Purelojik (Aug 5, 2014)

if your dyes are in the red/orange spectrum it shouldnt be a problem. but i tried it on some blue waterbased dye scraps and the amber hue of the oil makes it a sickly greenish look. not too bad but it does alter the color a tad enough to make the OCD in me come out.


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## ihunda (Aug 5, 2014)

This is a perfect match, nothing to worry about here!


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## Renkenstein (Aug 5, 2014)

Purelojik said:


> if your dyes are in the red/orange spectrum it shouldnt be a problem. but i tried it on some blue waterbased dye scraps and the amber hue of the oil makes it a sickly greenish look. not too bad but it does alter the color a tad enough to make the OCD in me come out.



From my research this is the only drawback to the water based dye and Tru-Oil combo. I've got some good notes on Tru-Oil finishing from expert sources, but I have yet to try them on my builds.


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## Blue1970Cutlass (Aug 5, 2014)

Purelojik said:


> if your dyes are in the red/orange spectrum it shouldnt be a problem. but i tried it on some blue waterbased dye scraps and the amber hue of the oil makes it a sickly greenish look. not too bad but it does alter the color a tad enough to make the OCD in me come out.



Hmmm, a couple in-progress / planned builds will be green so I can probably work with that (experiment on scraps mixing in a touch more blue to combat the amber maybe) so it may be a possibility...

...but I do have a blue build as well so maybe have to look for other options

...and unfortunately it seems that non-yellowing clear coats are few and far between (unless you have $$$ and space for professional setups)

Spent most of my day browsing the interwebz & seems like the perfect clear simply doesn't exist


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## immortalx (Aug 5, 2014)

I've seen many guys from the US use minwax waterbased poly, which can be applied with brush/foam and as far as i know it stays clear.


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## Necromagnon (Aug 6, 2014)

We've been using KTM-SV also around here, and it seems to not turn yellowish that much. It's pretty easy to apply, and fairly solid.

Also, thanks for the answer, I was wondering also about this for the PRS that will be burst amber dyed on top, and finish with Tru-Oil.


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## immortalx (Aug 6, 2014)

@Necromagnon you have Peinture, lasure - V33, fabricant de peinture et produits bois in France which I heard has some fantastic wipe-on poly!


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## Necromagnon (Aug 6, 2014)

Yes, v33 is pretty well known here, but I don't know any of there products worthing the money. I mean, it's good for floring and stuff, but for guitar, not so many people got nice results. I got to check a little bit more on that. Do you have any idea of which product you've been talked about?

PS: some problem found when using floor product is that they are all meant to be highly adherent, or at least non sleepy. Thus, for necks, it's pretty inconvenient...


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## immortalx (Aug 6, 2014)

I don't remember the brand name, but I was told it's actually a polycarbonate that cures very hard despite being one-part.


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## Necromagnon (Aug 6, 2014)

immortalx said:


> I don't remember the brand name, but I was told it's actually a polycarbonate that cures very hard despite being one-part.


OK! Thanks anyway. I'll check that out.


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## patsanger (Aug 6, 2014)

Tung oil seems to have less amber to it....


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## Blue1970Cutlass (Aug 6, 2014)

immortalx said:


> I've seen many guys from the US use minwax waterbased poly, which can be applied with brush/foam and as far as i know it stays clear.



That is a top candidate I've been looking into...

...just a little hesitant because almost all the reviews state it's more difficult to work with than it's oil-based siblings, and I am a total amateur 

As with any finish though, practice practice practice and hopefully I could assess whether I wanted to give it a shot


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