Guitar Finish Oil
Oil finishes
Oil penetrates the wood to build a protective layer upwards. This remains more elastic than fe a lacquer and is less vulnerable, but it gives less protection against bumps. With a regular use of your guitar, that will not be an issue.
An oil finish gives a natural look with a transparent light straw to amber color. You can vary in the gloss level from mat, to satin and even a high gloss can be achieved. The method of application is of importance for the gloss. With oil you can leave the pores of the wood open for a natural look, but you can also sand in the oil for a natural grainfiller. The TLC Guitar Finishing Oil is suitable to use as a finish over a suStain color, or colored itself with sustain Solids.
Application of oil is relatively easy, a brush, cloth, paper towel and sanding paper is all you need. In general, 4 – 8 layers are sufficient with 2 – 4 hours between the layers and 1 -2 weeks of curing, which makes it reasonably quickly. For maintenance, once in a while a new layer can be applied.
It is important to let used cloths dry flat outside due to the risk of self-combustion!
Our oils:
| Guidelines | Tung Oil | Danish Oil | Guitar Finishing Oil Solvent-free | Guitar Finishing Oil UV+ | Lemon Oil |
| Hardness (least hard 1 - hardest - 5) | 2 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Building capability (least 1 - most 5) | 2 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 1 |
| Flexibility (little 1 - lot 5 ) | 4 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 1 |
| Color | transparent amber | transparent light amber | transparent light straw | transparent light straw | transparent |
| Gloss (depends on application, the higher the gloss, the smoother your base must be) | satin | satin - high gloss | satin - gloss | satin - gloss | mat itself, but gives extra gloss on an oil finish |
| Prep - sanding | u/i 600 | u/i 600 | u/i 600 | u/i 600 | u/i 600 |
| Prep - with open pores | Optional with sanding in method or grainfiller | Optional with sanding in method or grainfiller | Optional with sanding in method or grainfiller | Optional with sanding in method or grainfiller | Optional with sanding in method or grainfiller |
| Prep - sealing/priming | N | N | N | N | N |
| Application method | Brush, sponge, cloth, sanding | Brush, sponge, cloth, sanding | Brush, sponge, cloth, sanding | Brush, sponge, cloth, sanding | Brush, sponge, cloth, sanding |
| Minimum no. of layers | 6 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 1 to 6 |
| Drying time between layers | 24h | 4h | 4h | 4h | 4h |
| Curing time | 1-2 weeks | 1-2 weeks | 1-2 weeks | 1-2 weeks | |
| Finishing | Rub with slint-free cloth | Rub with slint-free cloth | Rub with slint-free cloth | Rub with slint-free cloth | Rub with slint-free cloth |
| Polishing | Optional with lemon oil | Optional with lemon oil | Optional with lemon oil | Optional with lemon oil | Optional with lemon oil |
| Maintenance | Clean with lemon oil. A new layer in due time. | Clean with lemon oil. A new layer in due time. | Clean with lemon oil. A new layer in due time. | Clean with lemon oil. A new layer in due time. | A new layer in due time. |
| Compatibel - suStain Concentrate* | Not tested | Not tested | as finish over | as finish over | Not tested |
| Compatibel - suStain Solids* | Not recommended | Not recommended | Not recommended | Not recommended | Not recommended |
| Compatibel - suStain Mica* | N | N | N | N | N |
| Compatibel - Metal flakes* | N | N | N | N | N |
| Safety** | Let used cloths dry flat outside due to the risk of self-combustion | Let used cloths dry flat outside due to the risk of self-combustion | Let used cloths dry flat outside due to the risk of self-combustion | Let used cloths dry flat outside due to the risk of self-combustion |
* Finishing products and product combinations should always be tested before use
** Follow the complete safety instructions on the packaging