Formby's Tung Oil Finish v. Tru Oil

[SVB1]

Hello,

I have finished gun stocks and furniture with both Formby's Tung Oil Finish (high gloss) and Tru Oil. It's been 20+ years since I've used Formby's, but at the time I seem to remember it being hard as heck when dry and extremely glossy, much more on both counts than Tru Oil...too much gloss for gun stocks. IMHO. Now that I'm venturing into tele's, I'm looking for more gloss (can always rub down the gloss if I want).

Is my memory correct on the Formby's, or am I losing it already?

Since they are both varnishes, are they compatible (i.e. if I start off with Formby's and don't like it can I let it cure, lightly sand, and apply Tru Oil over it)?

Any comments re: Formby's would be appreciated.

Thanks,

STEVE

 

[Colt W. Knight]

20 years ago, the formula was probably different.

I have some formbys tung oil varnish I use for pistol grips and such, but I haven't been able to get it to build up to a nice hard finish. And the shine ussually wears off it pretty quick.

Tru oil will build up a nice hard finish, but like you say it is more of a semi gloss because its for firearms.

I prefer nitrocellulose lacquer for a high luster finish.

 

[flatfive]

Formby's is a wiping varnish (i.e., a thinned varnish),
while Tru-Oil is a polymerized tung oil.

I've heard that Formby's formula has changed over
the years, which is consistent with Colt's reply.

According to Flexner, a wood finishing authority,
these finishes are compatible, so you could use
one over the other. You'd want to use 0000
steel wool or equivalent (like very fine sandpaper)
before putting one over the other, just as you said.

 

[flyingbanana]

Hey Steve. Check out my build thread from back in Jan. I used tru-oil on a swamp ash body and the back of a maple neck. On the body, I applied around 12 coats of tru-oil, using 0000 faux steel wool in between, and polished it up with rubbing compound followed with Mothers metal polish.

Gloss was the result....and it still maintains that gloss now. I play it all the time and haven't touched it up.

 

[SVB1]

Thanks for the help. I love Tru Oil. I used it on 20+ gunstock finishing/refinishing projects, 4 necks and 2 bodies so far. I am down to my last 2 oz container and I can't get it locally anymore. Figured the Formbys is readily available...and it worked well 20 years ago...but if they changed the formula I may not mess with it. Might as well order an 8 oz bottle. Storage is always an issue with Tru Oil. I've tried keeping the opened bottles upside down, filling the vacant space with cleaned BBs and marbles, and even vacuum packing the open bottle with a FoodSaver! Each one works to varying degrees, but once you open the foil, the clock starts running. Also, I roughly guesstimate that a tele body is about 3 times the surface area of a shotgun buttstock, so it goes pretty quick even thinned a little.

Thanks again for all your responses!

STEVE

 

[SVB1]

Thanks for the help. I love Tru Oil. I used it on 20+ gunstock finishing/refinishing projects, 4 necks and 2 bodies so far. I am down to my last 2 oz container and I can't get it locally anymore. Figured the Formbys is readily available...and it worked well 20 years ago...but if they changed the formula I may not mess with it. Might as well order an 8 oz bottle. Storage is always an issue with Tru Oil. I've tried keeping the opened bottles upside down, filling the vacant space with cleaned BBs and marbles, and even vacuum packing the open bottle with a FoodSaver! Each one works to varying degrees, but once you open the foil, the clock starts running. Also, I roughly guesstimate that a tele body is about 3 times the surface area of a shotgun buttstock, so it goes pretty quick even thinned a little.

Thanks again for all your responses!

STEVE

 

[Vizcaster]

According to Flexner, a wood finishing authority....

+1 get one of Flexner's books which demystify wood finishing. he explains that there are different categories of finish, and that most labels ignore this and try to emphasize one ingredient over another. For example, if the biggest letters on the can say "polyurethane" it doesn't tell you anything at all. The type of resin (in that case synthetic polyurethane) doesn't tell you what kind of finish it is - you need to start with whether it's a varnish recipe or just an oil, whether it has tung oil or linseed oil, whether it has phenolic or alkyd or polyurethane resins, whether it has naptha as a solvent, whether it's an emulsion in a water based vehicle.

More to the point of this post, many cans that say "tung oil" are actually a thinned varnish meant for wiping, and they happen to emphasize only one of their ingredients. Some "tung oil varnishes" are good quality varnishes with all the ingredients to make a good high-build film. Tru Oil is polymerized tung oil which is cooked and has some driers added, but it really doesn't have any significant amount of solids added the way that a varnish has.

Oh, and not for anything, I wouldn't use any of these things on a Telecaster. Oil finishes are okay if you like the feel of a guitar with no finish at all on it, but Leo meant for them to have some sort of lacquer. Sorry but it's my honest opinion.