Danish or Tru oil

[YouMa]

Does anyone no if clear Danish oil is actually clear on wood. I used Tru oil and this has given a slight Amber hue to my bass finish. Any suggestions please?

[Owen]

Danish will darken it in the same as water would. 

[Owen]

I cannot believe I managed to answer that. I am such a wood whisperer. 

[YouMa]

Cheers mate is there a finish apart from poly I can use that will not darken the wood.

 

[lou24d53]

Apologies for hijacking the thread, but the OP's query is similar to one I was going to ask, but in reverse...

I'm about to start a self-build and I'm looking at Swamp Ash for the body, what would be best oil to use to give the finished body a darker, almost walnut finish...

Thanks.

[Owen]

I have now exhausted my knowledge. You need to be asking these questionss in the Build Diaries forun. That is where the grownups hang out. 

[Bolo]

19 minutes ago, lou24d53 said:

Apologies for hijacking the thread, but the OP's query is similar to one I was going to ask, but in reverse...

I'm about to start a self-build and I'm looking at Swamp Ash for the body, what would be best oil to use to give the finished body a darker, almost walnut finish...

Thanks.

This one is easier to answer, stain the wood before oil. 

 

[YouMa]

You can get coloured oil mate

[Cuzzie]

The oils will darken the word ever so slightly.

I use Gun Oil, which is similar to Tru Oil. All of this are a mixture of oils (boiled linseed is in there).

As the oil goes on, it will bring out any existing grain.

Normally for the first couple of coats you can dilute it with white spirit 2:1 spirit to oil and sand it in with fine grit paper, do this twice so it forces it into the pores and takes the natural wood dust with it, obviously drying between applications.

Then you can start with oil as it is, wet sanding/wire wool and buffing after application and drying to get the desired sheen.

i’ll show Some pictures post stain but pre oil and then post oil using this technique and you can make your mind up. I didn’t go for full gloss.

Pre:

Post:

Hope this helps

[Grangur]

@YouMa all oil of all types will darken the wood to some degree.  Generally lacquer will make it less dark. When I was in the wood finishing business, the usual way to we checked what difference lacquer would make is to rub some saliva over the surface of the wood. This gives you the effect without actually doing it.

For an oil that makes almost no difference; I once got a pathetically small bottle of genuine Fender Lemon Oil. This made very little difference to the look of the wood. It made it hard to see where i had applied it and where I hadn't. It was also stupidly expensive for the volume I got, but this might be the answer. I don't know how effective is is at protecting the wood against dirt from mucky fingers penetrating the wood. I didn't trust it and used boiled linseed oil instead, but I suspect it doesn't do a lot. You might like to give it a go.

Another finish, probably better is wood wax. Osmo do a clear one.

https://www.osmouk.com/sitechaptern.cfm?bookid=Products&chapter=82&page=373

 

@lou24d53, making wood darker can be done in a few ways. I don't really like wood stains and dyes. They are made in different ways.  Stain is a liquid with coloured particles that sit on top of the wood.  Dye soaks in to the wood grain. What I don't like in stain, is that when looking at the finished wood, the effect isn't very convincing to anyone who knows wood.

When Warwick are colouring their basses they use a water based stain and then lacquer over the top.

Another way to get a dark finish would be coloured oil, as @YouMa says.  You can use the same link as above.

[Unknown_User]

11 hours ago, YouMa said:

Does anyone no if clear Danish oil is actually clear on wood. I used Tru oil and this has given a slight Amber hue to my bass finish. Any suggestions please?

I think that a difference between Danish and Tru oil is that Danish oil gives more of a satin type finish while Tru oil is more glossy.

I will happily stand corrected on this.

[Grangur]

16 minutes ago, Unknown_User said:

I think that a difference between Danish and Tru oil is that Danish oil gives more of a satin type finish while Tru oil is more glossy.

I will happily stand corrected on this.

You might like this thread. It gives an interesting comparison.

http://www.tdpri.com/threads/danish-oil-vs-tung-oil-finish-vs-tru-oil-a-neck-finish-report.281490/

I use Boiled Linseed oil. It's very similar to Danish oil. The difference is Linseed oil contains components that aid quicker drying. Danish oil contains varnish that will give more of a gloss.

Edited May 15, 2019 by Grangur

[Grangur]

Someone just mailed me asking about using coloured oil and if to use another oil afterwards to finish it.

Here's my answer.

To apply the oil, put some on a pad of cloth/kitchen towel and spread it over the surface and work it to the wood to make sure it gets into crevices in the grain. As you finish, wipe the oil off a bit, so it's not drowning in the stuff.  Application of coloured oil is the same.

The coloured oil will give you a finish that has the colour; which you can keep applying until you get the dept/intensity you're looking for. When this is done, you don't need to apply other oil. The coloured oil is enough. Leave the oil to dry and buff the surface up with a soft cloth. If you want a bit more of a sheen than the oil gives, use beeswax and buff it to a sheen with a soft cloth. Old t-shirts are good for this. Beeswax can come with a colour. I try to use a fairly neutral one. I'm using one from National Trust at the moment. I also have one on the go from Colron that's got a dark colour to it, but the dark does't seem to do a lot, but  the wood I've used it on so far has been a dark grain laburnum.

For a bass I'd use this one, getting the clear version. https://www.wood-finishes-direct.com/product/liberon-beeswax-paste-with-pure-turpentine?gclid=CjwKCAjw8e7mBRBsEiwAPVxxiH91jYOcc9fLPfhsNk7sWTjY4SA8NkUeJPX9UPAaWAiI6WPsWxlYPhoCa0AQAvD_BwE

Don't EVER, ever, ever, use any spray polish on ANYTHING ever. Spray like Mr Sheen or Pledge are "silicon polishes". The silicon stays damp and makes the surface sticky to attract dirt from fingers. It also makes the wood almost impossible to re-finish at any future date.

[Bassassin]

5 hours ago, Unknown_User said:

I think that a difference between Danish and Tru oil is that Danish oil gives more of a satin type finish while Tru oil is more glossy.

I will happily stand corrected on this.

No experience of Tru-oil but this is Danish oil (more coats than I can remember) on my Ibby SR500:

Very happy it turned out a lot glossier than I expected. Me like shiny thing.

[Unknown_User]

1 minute ago, Bassassin said:

No experience of Tru-oil but this is Danish oil (more coats than I can remember) on my Ibby SR500:

Very happy it turned out a lot glossier than I expected. Me like shiny thing.

That looks nice.  Did you employ any special technique when applying it to make it so glossy?  Rubbing compound or wax afterwards?

I've only ever used oil once on wood.  That was Danish oil on the back of a maple neck.  I applied maybe three coats with sandpaper to make a slurry with the sanding dust (I presume to fill the pores) before wiping it clean.  Then at the end buffed it with a clean cloth.  It ended up incredibly smooth and lovely to play, but definitely a satin finish.

Mind you that was applied to bare wood.  Did yours have a finish on it before you put the oil on?

[EMG456]

I used Colron finishing oil on this.

You can see pics of the body after sanding and then after about 8 coats of the oil to see how much actual darkening happens - it's not a lot but it's also not that very white look that freshly sanded wood has.

[Bassassin]

2 hours ago, Unknown_User said:

That looks nice.  Did you employ any special technique when applying it to make it so glossy?  Rubbing compound or wax afterwards?

I've only ever used oil once on wood.  That was Danish oil on the back of a maple neck.  I applied maybe three coats with sandpaper to make a slurry with the sanding dust (I presume to fill the pores) before wiping it clean.  Then at the end buffed it with a clean cloth.  It ended up incredibly smooth and lovely to play, but definitely a satin finish.

Mind you that was applied to bare wood.  Did yours have a finish on it before you put the oil on?

Nothing special - the oil was applied direct from the can to the bare, sanded wood (mahogany) using a microfibre cloth. I took my time - 10+ coats, one per day, then sanding the second-last coat before applying a very light final layer. Apart from using a cloth for application, pretty much the same technique I'd use for varnishing timber around the house.

It didn't need any subsequent treatment - the gloss is maybe a consequence of using so many coats, the reason I did that was to let the finish build up in the very coarse grain of the wood.

[Staggering on]

I used Tru oil on a Hofner copy bass kit from Solo Music here in Canada.I put on at least 15 very thin coats with a cloth pad and sanded with grits up to 1000 I think.It is a nice gloss finish, foolproof (I did it!) and very easy to use. It did give the maple top and back a slight honey shade but didn't change it very much. In the second photo you can compare the colour with my Engelhardt blonde Swingmaster ES 9.

 

Edited May 16, 2019 by Staggering on
Maple top, not birch as originally posted

[Soledad]

Putting any oil-based finish onto woods will darken them. How much depends on the actual wood as much as the oil blend. As said above all these finishes are blends of oils. Finishing a light wood like ash without darkening requires using a non-oil finish. For a kitchen table etc acrylics are excellent, for a bass probably spray-finish poly or cellulose. Can get all the clear cellulose finishes in rattle cans from Manchester Guitar Tech. From experience you need 2 cans for a bass body - seems a lot but most of what you spray on is the volatile solvent and that vapours away.
You could also try Halfords clear car laquer which is an acrylic like all cars are painted with these days. I haven't tried this but it's well worth a go I reckon - this stuff:

https://www.halfords.com/motoring/paints-body-repair/car-spray-paints/halfords-clear-lacquer-500ml