You bet!

me too

Thanks for the kind words!

Sam Deeks

No point building a setup like that unless you're going to do a bunch of guitars. A $4 buffing wheel in a drill press or even a hand drill does perfectly fine.

How did it turn out? I'm thinking of the same.

@@pigjubby1 it turned out really nice, but I found it soft. After a week of cure time, it still scratched with a firm thumbnail:( I feel that laquer is the way to go if you want a glass finish. For the rustic look, poly all the way... only my opinion....

@@UncleHan13 You should let it cure for at least 2 weeks for water based and a month for oil based. The stuff gets rock hard if you let it cure long enough.

@@seanpolanski7626 Its still pretty soft, months after...but thank you for the suggestion ✌😃

My pleasure!

Tack cloths are a must for solvent-based finishes, but they can be risky with water-based products.

Water-based polyurethane.

The main thing is to make sure the tung oil has fully cured before you apply the poly. That will take at least a month. Also, don’t use paper towels (they leave fibers). Use a lint free cloth and resist over rubbing as that will cause rag to disintegrate.

I would guess you simply put it some warm water and then shake

A one piece looks cool, but that’s the only advantage.

Yes, but be sure to test on scrap first.

It usually takes 3-4 hours between coats and about a week before sanding/buffing.

I apply both to the entire body all at once, starting with the top. Then I move to the sides and finish with the back.

Thanks! So I guess you apply sides and back while the guitar is hanging right?

Yes, it will be different.

@@HighlineGuitars Thanks for such a quick reply. Is there an alternative to using the Minwax to setup the decal? I tested a spare decal by lightly wiping on BLO over it and the ink immediately dissolved. Is there such a thing as spray on BLO? Would BLO even set the decal? Everything on the neck is shockingly how I envisioned it to be (this is my first time doing this); this is the last thing that needs to be done and I don't want to muck it up.

@@MD_is_me I would spray some Zinsser shellac. Let it dry and follow with the wip on poly.

​@@HighlineGuitars Thanks again for the insight. I actually had to sand the back of the headstock a bit this afternoon; some errant gloss poly from the front got on to the back. So, I'm reapplying more BLO to get the tint back to where it matches the rest of the neck. Looks like I'll be waiting a few more days for the fresh BLO to cure before implementing your suggestion. Beginners' mistakes. Again, I really appreciate you sharing your knowledge.

Apply the sealer as smooth as possible (practice on scrap wood) in order to reduce the amount of sanding you’ll need to do. Sanding with too coarse of a grit will cause sand through. The same applies to sanding with too fine of a grit because of a tendency to work too hard to achieve a smooth surface. Practice on scrap to get a feel for how to apply the oil and to choose the right grit of sandpaper.

You’ll need to test on some scrap first. I can’t say if it’ll work since I don’t know anything about your sander.

I guess he means ‘adhere’ to the wood.

You have to use grain filler if the grain and pores are open and you want a smooth, high gloss sheen.

@HighlineGuitars thank you! May I assume that the filler comes after the sealer, before the wipe on poly? A quick search has yielded some mixed results, so I figured I would ask. Thanks again!!

Currently, I have an X-Carve Pro. Before that, I had a machine that I designed and built myself. They are the only machines I can recommend.

I don't know. I have never done that before.

You not necessarily need poly but any wipe on poly should do the job. It's more a matter of the way you apply it and sand to get the correct level. There's tutorial on KZfaq

Yes, just not as fast or as efficiently as a buffing machine.

Every coat.

Thanks for the quick response. This is my first wipe on experiment. I misunderstood and using gloss, did one wipe on/wipe off cycle, let it dry then did 8 wipe on coats over 3 days without sanding. Since I had a glued-in neck, I did all those coats with guitar hanging (mistake). Didn't realize how much the poly would flow and sag to the bottom. Leveling is a mess right now :-)

Obviously you waited too long.

No, it can be regular.

Highline Guitars Thanks for such a timely response! I have always been so scared to touch Polly wants it is lay down! This is something I would’ve probably only tried had a made a horrible mistake!!! Thanks again!

Stain doesn't seal.

@@HighlineGuitars Thank you sir. How about the wipe on Poly, will that seal, or still need the Sanding sealer?

@@tonyn1926 It will seal, but if you want a smooth glossy surface, you'll have to apply a lot, which can take a long time to finish and it may always feel tacky.

@@HighlineGuitars Thank you.

It depends on the climate, but usually I give it several days. Dry or wet sanding works equally well, however, to dry sand you need to use specialty abrasives like Mirka Abralon or Super Assilex.

You can use any sanding sealer that is compatible with oil-based polyurethane. I would recommend Zinsser's dewaxed clear shellac sanding sealer. You can get it at most home improvement stores.

The first 2-3 coats will look like crap, as they are being soaked into the wood. It's not until the 3rd or 4th coat that it starts to vaguely resemble something nice. Based on my experience (with various furniture around the house) it will take a total of 6-9 coats of poly.

It’s ready to buff when there’s no odor.

@@HighlineGuitars Good to know, thanks! There is a bit of smell if I literally put my nose on it, but there is no actual odor emitting in the (small) room I have it hanging in. Does the smell need to be gone entirely before buffing then?

It's a good idea to lightly scuff sand the sanding sealer with 220 grit between coats. After the second coat has completely dried, I will sand from 220 up through 400 grit before applying the wipe-on-poly. The process is the same with the contour.

Thanks for your response! Would you recommend getting both coats sanded on one side first before flipping and doing the backside or should the sealer be fully applied on the entire guitar before sanding to 400 grit and continuing with the Poly phase? Thanks again!

@@marguetamusic I would fully coat, sand, and recoat. Doing one side at a time takes too long.

@@HighlineGuitars perfect!! Will do, working on it today. Do water based sanding sealers react similarly to the solvent based? Its still a time a time crunch to lay it out with the brush? I could only find the Varathane sanding sealer at my local hardward store. Hoping thats compatible with the oil based Wipe on Poly.

@@HighlineGuitars sanding sealer application was a flop. Used varathane sanding sealer that is water based and it left so many streaks even after the quick sanding. Very unfortunate. Not sure how to bounce back

It depends on how much of a hurry I am in.

How did it turned out finally?

@@WW-1995 it went away with another layer!

@@mikedeisle5 Nice

Impossible to say. There are too many variables such as the specific mix of polyurethane you will use. Even from one can to the next, same brand, can differ. You’ll have to test.

@@HighlineGuitars Fully intend to test on a piece of scrap from the guitar itself. You make a very good point about the inconsistency's among brands. I actually just asked another question on another of your videos about finishing a neck. Ive worked as a handy man for a number of years and ive done plenty staining and lacquer finishes but it was never important that the finishes come out perfect. They were just on trim and carpet to wood transitions etc. My other question was for a recommendation on what to do with the maple fretboard. Im very familiar with boiled linseed oil and so im going to be following your method for the neck with BLO. I always lightly sand back the necks on my guitars that have heavy lacquer finishes anyways so a more natural lighter finish seems right up my alley. But in the 20 years of playing guitar ive never once owned a guitar with a maple fretboard(plenty maple necks lol just not fretboards). I was considering tru oil but if i could get away with using the same BLO method on the neck that would be nice to avoid the smell of tru oil and because i have a ton of BLO already. Sorry this is getting long. Ill ask one more question and conclude the book ive written. I noticed your neck in the BLO video has a decal (waterslide i assume). What preparation had you done prior to laying down the waterslide? Im always looking at things from as many angles as possible and asking you for tips is just another way of collecting as much information as possible to make the best decisions for this specific project. Ive been building guitar pedals for several years and modding guitars even longer but this project will be a new one for me. Im confident with quite literally everything except finishes. Ive repaired a number of dings and dents with drop fills, sanding and polishing. But for some reason i dont feel as confident about finishing from bare wood. The staining ive got down, painting CERTAINLY got down but finishing is my blind spot. Thanks again for any advice its much appreciated. Even if the best advice you can give is to try different things and see what works for me lol.

Yes.

lacquer never cures, so... no I would not.

I don't know. I don't know anything about the product you used.

Foam buffing pads and an electric hand drill.

Good old Garage Band.

The best finish IMO is polymerized tung oil for a neck and fretboard. BLO works well too, but it takes longer to dry.

I used polyshade over clear poly. It was very hard to get it smooth, probably better to start with polyshade on the first coats.

About a month, give or take a week. It all depends on the temperature and humidity where you live.

It depends on what you mean by solvent-based. There are 1 part and 2 part solvent-based polyurethanes. The 1 part solvent-based polyurethanes are about the same hardness as water-based. The 2 part solvent-based polyurethanes are harder but extremely toxic. The gloss is the same no matter which polyurethane you use.

@@HighlineGuitars Thank you. My experience is from 1 part solvent based polys and water based polys (both of the wipe on variety). In Sweden (where I live) it is difficult to get hold of solvent based wipe on polys (I guess I could make my own thanks to your videos but I still prefer to use a commercially available product). I've ordered from Amazon before but can't find any sellers shipping those kinds of products to Sweden anymore...

M D sounds like you don’t have a choice unless you sand it off and start over.

@@HighlineGuitars Thanks. I meant to say several coats of BLO (24-48 hours between each coat and cured for 2 weeks). There's only one coat of satin Minwax thus far and only two hours old. There are 6 coats of BLO underneath so sanding the one coat of satin off shouldn't take down too much of the underlying cured BLO.

the key with satin is to use it as a final step. The problem with the satin finish is that as you build up layers, you also build up layers of flatteners. So do the majority of your finish with gloss, and only the last coat or two (I'm assuming thinned wipe-on poly) with satin. So 4-7 coats of gloss, followed by 1-2 coats of satin. Oh, and practice on a piece of scrap (ideally the same type of wood) first.

Oops - found it - kzfaq.info/get/bejne/p66me8aTtNrLY6c.html

Yes, I do. Go to my channel and search for buffing machine.

You can't.

Alder body with a Chechen top. No pore/grain filler.

I attach a length of scrap wood into the neck pocket with a pair of wood screws.

When you mention acrylic, what are you referring to?

Highline Guitars lacquer. My bad. I was doing just poly + stain = something called varathane but that wasn't working out too well. (mind you I forgot to sand it) :( but revamped - ready to go. I guess lacquer is very popular along with some kind of oil stain?

I did the Boulder Ironman in 2014. My third and final Ironman. These days I just run for fun.

@@HighlineGuitars that's awesome! Congrats! My IM journey started in '13. BTW. Your videos are great. I've tried a two products because of them. The Solarez and Crystalaq. REALLY like Crystalaq. Probably a comfort thing. I've been spraying WB finishes for 20+ years.

Solarez cures in minutes. Wipe on poly cures in days.

These days I use Menzerna P204 and P175.

Yes. If you plan to wet sand the finish to be level, expect witness lines.

@@HighlineGuitars Thanks Chris, So if I don't wet sand the final coat and just dry sand from 1000 - 4000 then buff like you have done, I should avoid the dreaded witness lines?.

@@PeakyBlinder71 Possibly, but witness lines are hard to avoid with polyurethane. I eliminate them by buffing with 14” flannel wheels on a big buffing machine with solid Menzerna polishing compounds.

@@HighlineGuitars Ah, I think we have Menzerna here in Australia. Which compounds do you recommend from them?

@@PeakyBlinder71 I use P204 medium cut and P175 super finish. 14” flannel wheels spinning at around 900rpm.

This video was specific to oil-based wipe-on poly. However, I don't see any reason you couldn't do it with water-based. Give it a go and good luck!

caveat: I have not used the newer water-based wipe-on polys. Having said that, water-based polycrylic was a pain in the ass. Bubbles, streak, you name it! And, it left vaguely blue-ish tint. Oil-based wipe-on (such as MinWax), other than the smell (which doesn't rise to the level of lacquer) was a dream to work with. Extremely easy to work with, and with great results. Unlike polycrylic (which is not the same as water-born polyurethane), it ambers your wood a bit, which, depending on your goals, could be a good thing.

Oil-based polyurethane can take weeks, even months to fully harden and cure. A lot depends on the mixture and the environment (humidity levels and temperature) where it was applied.

@@HighlineGuitars If I put it to dry in the sun, does it speed up drying or not? Thank you friend!

I suggest watching the video....

OMG! Thank you! I TOTALLY should have done that first. My mistake!!!

@@ClearlyBlurry_ You are welcome... So now you know the answer..

Yes 100% I completely know the answer now! I can’t believe how baffled I’ve been for the last few weeks trying to figure this out!

@@ClearlyBlurry_ Fantastic! Congrats, good work, well done, thumbs up...

Sure.

@@HighlineGuitars thank you!

brush-on is harder to work with. If you want to make your own wipe-on, dilute the brush-on 50% with mineral spirits.

@@mattpeterson553 thanks for the tip!

For this video, it was an oil-based wipe on polyurethane.