Tru-Oil, Hassles with the Bottle
RCrosby
Member Posts: 3,808 ✭✭✭
Someone once said, "We get too soon old, and too late smart."
So it's been with me and Tru-Oil. Over many years I've finished a dozen stocks or so. Never more than one or two at a time, and I've always been openning old bottles to find a hard crust on the top that I've had to break through to get to the liquid oil beneath.
With my last bottle, (10 years ago?) I decided to leave the foil inner cap in place and just punch a small hole in the middle. I now store the bottle upside down and when I need oil I just remove the outer cap and squeeze a few drops onto my fingers. When I've finished, usually several days and several coat later, I re-place the white cap a final time and resume the upside down storage.
Maybe common practice to many, but a new game for me. I'd like to think it might help a person or two.
Take care, thanks for listening, and stay safe.
Rob C.
Comments
Good idea.Thanks
What I do is find some cheap glass beads or marbles and drop a few in to bring level to the top, prevents air from spoiling it and getting hard.
More than one way to skin a cat for sure. Good to hear from you both!
Been doing that upside down bottle for years.
If you are not already doing this, give it a shot.
When applying additional coats instead of using steel wool per most instructions put the tru-oil lightly onto just one small section of the stock and wet a 4x4 piece of folded 800-1200 grit wet dry sandpaper (available from automotive stores, and use the sanding to apply the additional coats. Work fast and do not go back over a section that is drying unless your sandpaper is also wet. Also do not apply so much try-oil that it want to run. Hang the stock and watch while you are rinsing the sandpaper in mineral spirits (do not use the odorless spirits, tru oil does not like it)
If you see a run or sag do not try to dry sand, try wet sanding with tru-oil or leave it until dry and wet sand the run or sag when the next coat is added. Best to let the tru-oil dry for 24 hrs between coats, be patient. You will be surprised at how the extra fine sandpaper levels the coats as they are applied. Working too fast between coats and applying to much oil per coat will cost you additional time. What is nice about tru-oil finish is it can be re-worked and/or more coats added with out removing the previous coats. This method also works good as a filler seal coat for the first coat.
I also wear snug fitting latex or rubber gloves and they can be rinsed in mineral spirts and re-used if not the disposable type.
If the final coat is too glossy for your taste, wait until completely dry and very carefully use the conditioner from the tru-oil gunstock kit. The conditioner is a mild rubbing compound abrasive and will remove the gloss fast taking it to a semi gloss.
okie743
I'll give your method a try on my next stock. Have always used the 0000 steel wool but have to be careful about the steel dust that can hang around in the nooks and crannies of interior inletting.
I found out the hard way that Tru-Oil has a limited shelf life. The big bottle I had reached a point at which it developed the infamous crust and would never dry once applied. I bought a much smaller bottle a few months ago and am now happily applying and drying. I do as suggested, punch a tiny hole in the top seal and store upside down. I also wipe the bottle-cap threads after each use to make sure the cap doesn't get stuck.
Like the idea of wiping the threads. Makes sense. Will add that to my routine. Thanks.