I have recently completed a handle using Tru Oil as finish coating and it is a little harder and more plasticy than I like. I have used Tru Oil before but this is not as "soft" as other handles I have finished and it feels like it is sealed with a plastic sleeve or somethinC

Can someone recommend a way to take it down a little while retaining the protective aspects of the coating? Maybe sanding with 400 or 600 then buffing with alcohol to relevel the finish - something like that?

Thanks.

Tony

I assume the handle is not on the rod yet and that it is cork. I would just sand it down and apply a light coat. Tru oil will build thickness and gloss. If I were to try to just tone it down I would use micro mesh. If you are going to try to do any buffing the finish needs to cure a long time.

Tru-Oil is a polymerized oil that acts like a wiping varnish. It dries very hard, unlike most common oil finishes.

There is going to be a trade-off where real protection for your cork handles is concerned. If you want to help protect them from chips and dents, then you're going to have to use something that forms a hard coating on top of the cork. If you simply want to make the handle easier to clean, then something like Cork Seal or an oil type finish is going to be better, but they won't protect the cork from denting or chipping. You can't really have it both ways.

...........

John -

What grits are we talking?

Thanks,

Tony

4000 MM might give you what you want and then go hier to 6000 maybe 8000 and see how that looks to you. I would try cutting the finish back with 400 grit (i prefer Norton sheets and cut into strips) and then reapply a thin coat of tru oil. A tripoli or white diamond buff might work as well. Reducing the gloss has to be done when it is completely dry. In spite of being a satin finish tru oil can get pretty glossy and give a deep finish with repeated coats. 0000 steel wool might be another option. The underlying material also affects the ultimate finish. Another thought is to take it outside and look at what you have in daylight before you try anything. One nice thing is you can sand down and reapply. There is a lot of trial and error and no two seem to turn out the same.

Thanks, John. 400 sounds good to me. I ended up with "too much" because I was monkeying with the dimensions and had to take down material at different rates in different places.

Just out of curiosity, how long do you allow the Tru Oil to cure before you attempt sanding? I have noticed that sanding after only a few hours produces "gummy" stuff and longer cures produce the nice white powder that means you are really sanding.

Tony

Humidity and temp have a lot to do with it as does the thickness of the coat. Usually 6 to 8 hours in a dry condition will do it but I like to do overnight. I have something I am working on which I am not sure will be what I want (A cheap handle which I took the filler off and has some interesting grain with filled spots) and I took it out of the basement yesterday to bring it in the AC to get the humidity down. It is glossy too. I have to decide whether I want a little less gloss. A nice fine powder is a good indicator that you are cured. If you are taking all the finish off then the gumminess is not an issue. Thinner is better when trying to keep the gloss down.

I also utilize the A/C in my curing processes. Thanks, Dude.

Birchwood Casey is the company that makes Tru-Oil. I have seen gun stocks that have been finished with Tru-Oil that looked "plasticy", but that is simply because they weren't rubbed out. I can't remember the name of the Birchwood Casey product that is used as a course rubbing compound, but it gives this finish a dull sheen. If you want that "looks a foot deep" finish, use their Stock Sheen. Either one of these products will remove the "plasticy" look, and replace it with a true "hand rubbed" look.

Mike, thanks.

In addition to rubbing out the finish, I did need to take some off. I used 400 grit to remove some of the material, sanded with 600 to remove scratches then rubbed it out with 0000 steel well as Birchwood Casey recommends. It felt a heck of a lot better in the hand - softer and you could feel the cork give a little versus before when it felt like a piece of polyacrylic.

Cheers,

Tony

I agree with you wholeheartedly. I don't like how a thick coat of tru-oil feels on a grip. So, I do two light coats of tru-oil on mine. Any more than that, and it gets shiny and hard.

But, I much prefer tru-oil over all other products as a coating for cork.

Andrew -

I have learned painfully in the recent weeks that you need to sand the heck out of the cork BEFORE you apply these finishes so you will not need too many coats to fill ALL the pores. It has amazed me how much time you can spend sanding with 320 or 400.

Cheers,

Tony