Wipe-on Poly. Is it usable?

[John Meyers]

I was just thinking about an alternative finish to gunstock oil finish for a all maple neck. I saw the wipe-on Poly and was wondering if anyone has tried this stuff before? If so what were the results, Clear or amber, tough or soft, good against climent changes?

I was just thinking for a bass I am building, to try this or something like it instead of Gunstock oil. I like the way Musicman necks look with that nice satin finish and they use gunstock/wax on their necks eccept for the headstocks where they add polyester. I know when using gunstock oil, maple can gray out after a while. I was just wondering if wipe-on Poly would work better or worse?

Let me know your thoughts and then let me know what you think the best spray finish would be for all maple neck as well, Nitro, Automotive clear....

[Barry Daniels]

Minwax wipe on poly is good stuff. Similar to Tru-Oil.

[David King]

I know I sound like a broken record around here but check out OSMO polyx oil. It's really nice stuff if you want a matte finish. It hardens up in the grain and does a much better job sealing out moisture than most. It's lower voc and dries much more quickly than Tru-Oil in my experience.

[Bob Menzel]

Not Wipe-On Poly, but I just finished a test board using an 'old' but unopened can of Poly Shades (PU) which may or may not be exactly the same stuff. This was more of an exercise and test of pore filling products, but I did want to see how the stuff would rub out. I thinned it (~25%) and it seemed to go on ok. Level sanding after 24 hours corned the sandpaper a little (what doesn't?) and after the 10th and final coat I got some shine out of it (stopping at only 1,500 grit).

It seems like a pretty tough film, but it probably needs more cure time as I was able to leave a small fingernail impression in it. The depth of the finish seems a bit 'murky', this probably due to the pigment more than anything else.

At this point, I still prefer TruOil, but might give Wipe-On Poly a try unless dissuaded but others here.

[John Kingma]

Minwax wipe on poly is good stuff. Similar to Tru-Oil.

I'll second that. I've used it a lot and really like it.

[John Meyers]

What part of the guitar are you using this stuff on and can you post a pic of the finished product?

[Satnam Singh]

Can't recall if links to other forums are cool, so google "i finished lp poly also tom paul kit review" and you'll find a link to a thread on another forum where someone used wipe on poly with astounding results. I believe he used a spray can for the headstock.

[Karl Hoyt]

I use Minwax rubbing polyurethane (or home-made wiping poly...... which is essentially polyurethane thinned down with mineral spirits) a lot on electric guitars and basses. I teach guitar building at a high school on Cape Cod and this is the finish we use for all our builds: acoustic and electric. It's fool proof, durable, and easily repairable. We cant afford OSHA approved spray booths and I don't have enough time in the school year to really teach the kids how to do H2O based finishing, so the rubbed-in poly technique works great!

Generally I use some thinned tung or boiled linseed oil as a first 'color' coat for 1-2 coats. When applying it, I wet sand using 320 so that the first two coats create a bit of a slurry and it fills the pores a bit. I wipe down the instrument and let it dry hard. Then I start applying the rubbing poly. Generally I rub in 3 coats, buff with 000 steel wool, another 3, another buff until I get the sheen I want. a final buff, then a coat of wax, except on the neck. Usually 9 thin coats really give it an almost French polished kind of sheen but some of my students keep going and can get almost a lacquered looking instrument, especially on closed grain woods like maple and cherry.

I've been using this technique since the early 90's. My personal bass, which was built in the early 90's shows NO signs of wear on the neck. (and we're talking hundreds of gigs in all kinds of conditions!) . There's only once place on the body, where my nail brushes against the wood, that the finish has rubbed through. It's very durable stuff and stands up to sweat, spilled beer, drool, etc. WAY better than a gunstock oil, Danish oil, or tung oil alone.

I hope this is helpful. definitely go for it

Karl

[John Meyers]

I use Minwax rubbing polyurethane (or home-made wiping poly...... which is essentially polyurethane thinned down with mineral spirits) a lot on electric guitars and basses. I teach guitar building at a high school on Cape Cod and this is the finish we use for all our builds: acoustic and electric. It's fool proof, durable, and easily repairable. We cant afford OSHA approved spray booths and I don't have enough time in the school year to really teach the kids how to do H2O based finishing, so the rubbed-in poly technique works great!

Generally I use some thinned tung or boiled linseed oil as a first 'color' coat for 1-2 coats. When applying it, I wet sand using 320 so that the first two coats create a bit of a slurry and it fills the pores a bit. I wipe down the instrument and let it dry hard. Then I start applying the rubbing poly. Generally I rub in 3 coats, buff with 000 steel wool, another 3, another buff until I get the sheen I want. a final buff, then a coat of wax, except on the neck. Usually 9 thin coats really give it an almost French polished kind of sheen but some of my students keep going and can get almost a lacquered looking instrument, especially on closed grain woods like maple and cherry.



I've been using this technique since the early 90's. My personal bass, which was built in the early 90's shows NO signs of wear on the neck. (and we're talking hundreds of gigs in all kinds of conditions!) . There's only once place on the body, where my nail brushes against the wood, that the finish has rubbed through. It's very durable stuff and stands up to sweat, spilled beer, drool, etc. WAY better than a gunstock oil, Danish oil, or tung oil alone.

I hope this is helpful. definitely go for it

Karl

That was very helpful! Also the info on how long it holds up is great to hear.

[Shawn Hoover]

Karl, thanks for the experience report. I've often heard of this technique of applying oil-based finishes by wet sanding, and it sounds like a great way to save time filling pores or just to get a level base. Does this cause any issues with clarity or depth in a situation where you want to maximize grain figure? In other words, would you do anything differently for different woods like with curly maple or plain mahogany?

[Mark Swanson]

Maple doesn't need to be filled.

[John Meyers]

Karl when wet sanding with it, are you using the oil base finish as the water for the paper? Just trying to figure out the technique? Also what finish are you top costing it with? Also are there different types of finishes that are ok over an oil base finish?

[David King]

Oil finishes over other oil finishes are what's usually recommended.
My experience with early rubbing poly was that it got sticky right away and ended up shredding the applicator leaving a big mess. Have they eliminated this problem completely now?

[Bob Menzel]

I bought a small can of the Fast Drying Gloss PU (doubting that it's any different than Wipe-On PU) and have been applying it to test samples with a folded piece of Bounty paper towel...no problems to report. On a real project, I'd would use a piece of cotton cloth.

[Shawn Hoover]

Maple doesn't need to be filled.

Right. I ask because I have a hard time sanding some pieces of curly maple perfectly level for finishing. Epoxy and shellac both fill the voids fine, but I would enjoy avoiding the second step of sanding that back. My curiosity is if the wet sanding oil-based finish method would serve as an decent alternative there, or if clarity of figure would be sacrificed too much.

[Tony Costa]

I finish my necks with Danish oil followed by Minwax Wipe on Poly. I have also pore filled by sanding the Danish oil on the wood with 320 grit paper. Works fine and the Wipe on Poly gives a really smoot, glossy finish when done right. I can't access my Flickr account from work, but you can go to my website to see some pics of you want. http://www.CostaGuitars.com. I hope it's not against the rules to post that link. Anyway, all of the guitars on my site have Danish Oil followed by Wipe on Poly foneck finish. The only one that had anything done differently was the all Koa dread. I used walnut stain on the maple neck, then sanded back, then Danish/ Poly.

[Daryl Kosinski]

I finished a banjo with a wipe-on poly "Pour-n-wipe" from Mohawk Finish several years ago turned out great about 8 thin coats, nice gloss, very easy to apply.

[Jim Bonnell]

David, do you use the OSMO on just the necks or on your bass bodies too? If not what kind of oil do you use on the bodies? I've been looking for a nice satin oil finish to use on basses.

[David King]

Jim,

I've been doing some whole guitars with it but you will get more of a matte finish than a satin. Ideally you leave no residue on the surface so you can get about as much gleam as you can from raw wood when you sand past 1000 or 0000 steel wool. Of course you can always hit it with a coat of truoil or any oil-based varnish if you want more gloss later on.