Danish Oil Guitar Finish Applied

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With the final bit of routing complete on my guitar project, I turned to finishing the guitar. After researching the subject, I decided to go with a simple DIY solution - Watco Danish Oil.

Before starting the finish, I had a few small dents in the guitar body that I wanted to address. I used a heated soldering iron along with a damp cloth placed over the spot to raise the wood. That worked well and went quickly. Then I finished sanding with 150 grit.

Applying the Danish Oil was simple. I followed the instructions on the container to apply generously, rewetted any areas that dried and allowed that to sit for about 30 minutes. Then I reapplied, waited about 15 minutes and wiped dry. Finally, I let it dry overnight.

The next day, I applied one more coat and let it dry overnight as well.

Overall, I like the results. I like the color and the smooth feel. The finish dries in the wood so it should hold up fine to normal wear and tear. However, it isn’t a hard coat so its not intended to stand up to a lot of abuse. For those of you who are into relicing guitars, consider it pre-reliced.

The real advantage though is that it is easily reapplied and renewed when necessary. BTW - Danish Oil comes in a variety of shades. I chose the “natural” finish but as you can see, it definitely changed the color of the wood so test on scraps before applying. The end result is something of a butterscotch.

More on my first guitar project:

Guitar Build - Control Cavity and Pickup Routes Complete

Guitar Build - Belly Contour and Forearm Cut Complete

Guitar Build - Neck and Steinberger Bridge in Place for First Test!

Guitar Build - Neck Pocket Complete

Guitar Build - Bridge and Neck Have Arrived

Guitar Build - Guitar Body Flush Trimmed and Edges Rounded Over

Cutting Out The Ergonomic Guitar

Making The Ergonomic Guitar Template

Project Guitar Topic Thread: First Project Attempt - Ergonomic Guitar

Published Dec 19th, 2006 | Topic: Guitar Build #1