Tru-oil changing colour of stain

[Luke3]

I have just ordered a guitar kit with a flame maple veneer!

I would like to stain it blue and then use tru-oil to finish and make it glossy. I have recently built a bass and stained it a darkish teal colour and then used tru-oil, however that made the colour look much more green then I would have liked.

Will I have the same problem with a royal blue stain?

Does anyone know a good finish that doesn’t change the colour and is easy to get an Amazon or eBay?

I was also wondering if I could stain the veneer black then sand it back and then stain it blue but I’m not sure if that will be a bad idea with the veneer.

[JohnH]

TO will definitely change the colour. I've only used TO on all my builds so I can't suggest a better alternative but I'm sure someone will chime in soon.

Sanding the veneer is precarious, and generally recommended against as it's incredibly thin

[McCreed]

The "Tru Oil turns blue to green phenomenon" is well documented here and other forums.
So to answer your question: "Will I have the same problem with a royal blue stain?" The answer is yes.

As for other clear coats that will maintain your original base colour, there is polyurethane, or lacquers. Both will stay clear without affecting the base.
I presume your choice of Tru Oil was at least partially motivated by the fact that you can apply it by hand, not spraying.
If that's correct and hand applying is your only option, I would suggest poly. You can buy "wipe-on" poly or you can mix your own with oil based poly.

Both polyurethane and lacquers (acrylic or nitrocellulose lacquer) can be purchased in spray cans providing you have the space to carry that out. Rattle can spraying can certainly be done outdoors, then the guitar brought indoors to dry, so you don't need a fancy spray booth or set up. However lacquer fumes can be quite strong when gassing off in your house/apartment.

I was also wondering if I could stain the veneer black then sand it back and then stain it blue but I’m not sure if that will be a bad idea with the veneer.

You can use black stain/dye then sand back to enhance the grain, then apply your main colour. There have a few threads here recently on the subject. The forum search engine is shit, but if you look around you should find something.
You do need to be conscientious of sanding the veneer as it is only about .6mm thick, but completely workable. It's about using common sense more than anything. It's not rice paper.

[Luke3]

Thank your for the help!

I will look into wipe on poly and spray cans. Applying it by hand is definitely preferable mainly because I have never used a spray can for a clear coat. Is it difficult to use and get an even coat?


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[Simon Barden]

Any finish will needed to be sanded back flat and then polished if you want shiny gloss. So don’t worry too much about spraying. It is easy and quick. You don’t want the can too far away so it goes on dry. You also don't want it too close so it goes on too wet and thick and runs. Just enough spray to keep it ‘wet’, and it’s better to apply more thin coats than a few thick ones.

[Rabbitz]

I do sometimes wonder at the fascination of guitar builders with Tru-Oil and then trying to make it do something it is less useful for like making a gloss finish.

Tru-Oil is a gunstock finish which in some ways makes it good for guitars - hard wearing, can take a knock or two, handles sweat and is repairable. But on a gun or rifle you do not necessarily want gloss. You really want to be able to grip the stock with sweaty/wet/bloody/dirty hands which gloss isn't good for.

Tru-oil should be grippy, I won't say tacky but you should be able to grab a solid hold of it.

If you want gloss I am sure there are products that are easier to make glossy and that also are hardwearing and resist moisture. I would guess there are many marine finishes just for this purpose.

[Trevor Davies]

I like Tru-oil - I find it easy to use and I like the feel. I also find it relaxing giving a guitar lots of coats. I have tried a spray can clear finish which did turn out really nice - but I found it quite stressful. Also tried FW wipe-on-poly on my blue SSCM (as I did not want it to go green) but found it a bit harder to get good flat layers. I will try more things in the future I'm sure.

[McCreed]

I do sometimes wonder at the fascination of guitar builders with Tru-Oil and then trying to make it do something it is less useful for like making a gloss finish.

I think big part of the attraction is that it is a very forgiving product that can be applied by hand. Not every DIY guitar builder has the luxury of spray equipment or even experience with spraying, so Tru Oil has become known as a reliable, almost fool-proof finish option.

FWIW, Tru Oil on its own is glossy. One of the components is polyurethane and, based on my own experience, would say it is not a high solid form of poly that is used (like in a satin poly). I don't think it's a case of a product that's being used in a way that it isn't intended, but one that just works for lots of people who happen to make guitars as a hobby.

You're right that a shiny gunstock is not a desirable thing for hunting. If nothing else, you don't want sunlight reflecting off of it alerting deer or whatever to your presence. But when Tru Oil is applied to gunstocks it is typically done in a minimal number of coats, not with 30-50 coats like on guitars. When applied in many many coats, it naturally has a gloss to it which can be greatly enhanced with the wet sanding and polishing that we read about.

[wazkelly]

TO is best used on things that can take the amber tint therefore blue will always end up green.

Clear acrylic is probably best bet on blue.

Cheers, Waz