This is my first time working with the stuff. I'm doing two fly seat inserts, both already on the rod. Do you guys apply it while rotating the rod? What do you use to appy it?
It really gives a nice deep shine. I have 2 coats on and probably only want to put on one more coat. Do you just steel wool (or 2000 grit) the last coat? Then how do you bring back the shine?
I searched this but can't really find the answers that I'm looking for.

Your final coat should not be scuffed. Be careful about dust and you will have a great final coat.

I wipe on Tru-Oil with a lint free cloth (usually old t-shirt material). No need to rotate the reel seat. if it's dripping you need remove the excess.

Christian

Andy,
I don't ever get a smooth final coat with Tru-Oil...it's tough because of dust, lint, small bubbles etc...I apply several coats, let dry for a couple of days, then scuff with 000 steel wool. Then I buff it with my buffing setup very lightly as not to burn throughand 3 grades of compound. It is a flat as glass and has a beautiful sheen to it.


Andy Dear
Lamar Mfg.

True Oil Really Is A Fine Tool. You can get almost any surface you wish by the way it is applied and finished. The wet sanding with the stuff in mutilpe coats will let you adjust just how you want the grip to look and feel. Take a look at the surface conditoner in the picture which gives a deeper sheen and not so much gloss. I think Casey has realized the new rod market and will soon introduce all of their stuff.

[www.rodbuilding.org]

There is a comprehensive text that comes with the Casey Kit that contain all the finishing information needed to achieve the surface that you want.

I will have samples of these products in Charlotte.

Gon Fishn



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/02/2006 10:30AM by Bill Stevens.

you should get a pretty smooth coat with all of the coats. sand between coats with 600 grit until it is absolutely level and flat. Use thin coats. On the last coat make it very thin and it will dry smooth and shiny. If you have to you can sand the last coat with fine paper, 600 - 1200 grit. That will still dull it but it will take out what should be just a few small imperfections. You can gloss it up by buffing with a lambs wool buff and Megulars buffing compound. You will get a nice even gloss but it might not be quite as glossy as if the last coat is untouched.
You have to be pretty clean with the tru-oil. The piece has to be clean and each coat has to be clean. That is one reason I never use steel wool. The steel wool is oily and comes apart and leaves both the wool shreads and the shavings from the finish all over the piece. You can burn the steel wool first to take the oil out of it. But it is still messy. Wet or dry is the way to go. Sanding wet after you get a coating is good.

For the very last coat, I apply a very thin coat using my finger tip and apply it with the grain. With my finger I can feel it when it drags and when to re-wet my finger. This helps me keep the coat very thin, just enough to regain the glossy look. I do have a weird looking index finger tip though :)

Steve Rushing has the Secret! I put Tru-Oil on with a micro-fiber rag and then use my finger, wiping the finger with a coffee filter perioodically, until I feel it drag just a little. I use grey scotch bright between coats. I also prime my inserts with System Three Clear Coat epoxy and sand it smooth before I apply the Tru-Oil when I use porous woods.

If you are doing this on a lathe, as a final step I've had nice results using rotten stone. This is done at fairly high speed with light pressure. I'll wet a short narrow (~ 6") length of cotton cloth and coat the fabric with rotten stone, then keep the cloth moving over the piece. Just be careful to control the cloth so that it won't snag anything on the spinning piece. This produces a very smooth finish.

Finger application is the way to go on all the coats. i have used 600 grit between coats. Steel wool can leave residue.

I have some 600, 800 sticks and 1500 pads that are ideal for the final buffing of the True Oil Surface. If you have time and want to see how the products were designed to be used take a look at the Birchwood Casey web site and take a look at the methods used by finishers of gun stocks. They presently are in the marketing stage of bundling their products to rodbuilders These procedures match up with what is needed to get a fine finish on a rod grip.

Finger for all coats, although coffee filter wrapped over finger is okay. Sand the first coat wet with 400 grit to fill in imperfections (Tru-oil is the medium). Sand second coat after dry with 600-1000. Buff last coat with 0000 steel wool if you don't want it shiny. Don

Buy it in the spary can..easy-smeezy

DR

WOW--I had no idea there was a complex way of applying it. I've always done just what the directions on the back say: Use a finger to apply a small amount. I just keep running my finger down the length of the insert/grip, then wiping off the excess, until it starts to get a little tacky. I'll lightly buff with scotchbrite between coats. This puts on extra thin coats, so I'll end up with 7-10 coats before I call it done. I don't ever do the buffing or any other such thing, and it turns out really really good every time. It's a little time-consuming to do it this way, but I get a great end result.

One thing to consider. If you're coating a piece of wood that has any sort of open grain, your finish will be dimpled, NOT because there's some contamination (i.e. dust), but because of the lowered places of the open grain. In these cases, I'll apply about 3-5 coats, then sand all the way back down to the wood. This way, the open grain will be filled with the first 3-5 coats. And, since the open grain is now level with the wood, the final product is ultra smooth.

hey andy,
my dad used to be a gun smith, building gun stocks etc. he used to buff the final coat lightly with (4) 0000 steel wool, then blow off the dust real good, then apply furniture polish such as regular pledge. he applied the polish by hand, continually rubbing the polish into the wood. after a short period of time, and a little elbow grease the wood would look like it had 20 coats of the finest finish that you could put on with a paint gun. after you get the wood where you are happy with it then beff it up with a real soft cloth, such as a tee cotton tee shirt or a cloth baby diaper. good luck.