Tips on Tru oil ?

[NIGEL01]

I was wondering if anyone had some good tips on applying Tru oil?  I tried it on a prior refurbish job and didn't like the way it layed down.  Ended up spraying it on with aerosal can, but that gives it an orange peel look.  I want smooth and glassy.

[Eric Krewson]

I apply it in very thin coats with a small piece of tee shirt, takes about 6 to 8 coats to get a slick finish.

[DVSHUNTER]

try using less tru oil when you put on each coat.

[bjansen]

I also cut up a bunch of small pieces of t shirts, and apply a very small amount rubbing  it in to the wood...just a very light coat.  Then after it is dry, take 0000 steel wool and buff it and re-apply another small amount...then repeat.  I've done up to 16 coats before on wood & glass bows.  Usually the first coat will take 1 day to fully dry, then I can re-apply after a few hours.  After the last coat, I will buff it again with steel wool and then apply paste wax.

You will want to make sure the coat you put on is fully dry prior to the steel wool...otherwise the wool sticks and you have a mess.

[Pat B]

I do the same as the others but use a finger to apply it.

[matts2]

Like others have said, a lot of thin coats.  But like every finish, its always better with a great surface prep.  pretty much all woods when sanded fully up to super extra fine pads will begin to shine on its own.  Once its prepped to that stage, the finishing doesn't take near as long.  A few coats of oil and followed up with wax like Brad mentioned will give you a high gloss finish.

[Canadabowyer]

Very thin coats and let dry completely before #000 steel wool and recoat. You can't apply it to thin!!!. I use my bow oven at about 100 F. to dry each coat in about 2 hours.6+ coats. Use #0000 steel wool for the last couple of coats and finally wax with paste wax. Great finish and super easy to refinish.  Bob

[NIGEL01]

I should of asked this first, what are your steps to preping the wood and glass.  I've been just using #0000 steel wool on the limbs because I don't want to loose the logo.  Thanks for all the info.

[Pat B]

I build only wood bows so after final sanding I wipe off any residule saw dust and begin adding the Tru-Oil finish. Probably 320 to 400 grit emory cloth should be fine for glass bows.

[GREG IN MALAD]

The last time I used Tru-oil I brushed on the filler coats, when dry I sanded them with 400 grit to level the surface. Then I mixed Tru-oil 50/50 with mineral spirits and sprayed a light dusting coat with a spray gun. Because the finish is so thin it levels itself and produces a smooth glossy finish, it looks like it was polished and buffed.

[Dick in Seattle]

I use TruOil on all mine.  I sand well, wipe down with mineral oil, then rub out with pieces of old denim jeans or chino pants.   I apply the TruOil with a paper towel, not cloth.  I put the towel over the bottle and tip it, let the paper absorb some, then fold the paper over for more absorption.  I make sure there's no actual standing oil on the towel, just the dampened paper, then wipe on.  I feel the paper towel, by more readily absorbing the oil, wipes on a smoother, thinner coat, with no runs.   The first couple or three coats I polish out with a very, very fine pad on a Mouse sander, then re-coat.  After the third coat, I rub them out with the denim.   I usually stop at five coats as I'm not a deep gloss fan.

 

 

[Pat B]

I use 5 or 6 thin coats of Tru-Oil with a good buffing with 0000steel wool between each coat. The steel wool buffing between coats levels the surface and I always get a deep, very shiny, high gloss finish. For hunting bows I will add a quick spray of satin poly over the cured Tru-Oil finish. This will cut the shine but still gives a deep look to it.

[Sixby]

The best way I have found to do it is to mix epoxy with 4 parts Acetone and fill the grain with three coats of that. More if a very porus wood. Then I apply the Tru Oil with a square of clean t Shirt. I fold it into a 1 in square with about 7 folds or so. then I paint the tru Oil on. After every coat I sand with 400. When I get to the final two or so coats I go to 600. There are two final coats with no sanding and it looks like glass.I usually do about seven of so coats after the wood is sealed with the epoxy. there is  a tremendous amount of sanding and work in getting a really great finish. To me its worth it.
There is nothing else that even comes close finish wise to looking this good or showing off great wood.
God bless you and good luck. Oh and don't give up . just keep adding coats and eventually is gets done and you have something to be proud of.

[NIGEL01]

Filler coats and epoxy, is that to fill the pores of the grain?

[Hightower]

Nigel01,  glad you asked that question cause i`m at the same spot on my first bow.  I`m 5-6 coats in and it`s looking great cause the advise I got from these pros.  Hope yours looks as cool as mine.

[Stinger]

I didn't see a lot of folks mention doing the limbs.  I read a tip on here a couple of years ago about going to the drug store and getting some small rubber / foam pads that gals use to apply makeup and use that as the applicator.  It works much better than a t-shirt as I found the cotton (even on heavily laundered ones) to leave small specks of lint all over the finish.  The pads that I am talking about eliminate that altogether.  I found that applying thin layers and using #0000 steel wool in between after allowing 24 hrs drying time between layers worked pretty well.  With the pad, I would apply a small amount and overlap a hair on the next pass and then wipe from one end of the limb to the other across the whole width of the limb as a final pass before the stuff set up to avoid anything that made it look like you did it in sections.  I was doing take down limbs and hung them up on a coat hanger so I could do both sides at one time.  If you don't put it on too thick, it won't run.  Just be patient and take your time.

Good luck!

[SEMO_HUNTER]

Yep, I do it pretty much the same as the others have stated. I use cloth patches to apply, buff with 0000 steel wool in between coats, and I have applied as many as 7 coats when refinishing gun stocks. On my bows I will go about 4-5 coats because I'm going to buff the final coat lightly to tone down the shine for a satin finish. Then I use Pledge furniture polish and buff with a clean dry cloth, this will take out any scuff marks left by the final light buffing with the 0000 steel wool. It produces a beautiful satin luster that doesn't reflect light to spook game, but has a deep finish to it that looks awesome.

Take your time with the Tru Oil, don't try to get it too thick on a single coat because it takes several coats with a buffing in between to build up the finish. That's just how it was designed to work, and you can't rush something that's worth waiting for.

[macbow]

I put it on with my fingers.
The neat thing about the first coat of Tru-oil is it will let you know right away if your finished with your sanding. The slightest sanding marks will be high lighted.
Ron

[NIGEL01]

well, i got the first coat on finally, looks o.k. i'm getting the whole appling "thin" thing.  one question though, I'm trying to leave the hand written bow specs on, so i feathered around them, but is it going to blend in after a few appications?  I'm afraid I already know the answer.. Thanks

[Sixby]

spray the specs with a thin coat of Deft gloss first. let it dry , lightly sand smooth with 400 and then put the oil over it. you can spray the Deft right over the oil.Just be sure to sand the deft so that your oil will stick to it permanently.

God Bless, Steve