For any wipe-on oil finish

[Lonnie B]

Dave I tried your method. But went back to my old way as we do it exactly the same where you use a cloth I use my finger. We both wipe all excess off. I always wipe in the direction of the grain. I rough it up with #0000 steel wool between coats. Not much just knock the gleam off. I just applied the tenth coat. It dries so quick now it's unreal. I'll stop at 20 coats. That aughta do it. Scrape where the bridge goes. Attach it put some strings on it and call her daddy to bring her over.

[Dave Bagwill]

She's gonna love it Lonnie!!

[Lonnie B]

I hope so. But she's a pretty sharp little girl. I think they're born with it.

[ken cierp]

What's the advantage of using your bare hands? Is that a healthy thing to do?

[Lonnie B]

Ken the advantage to me is the cleaner surface your left with after application. I simply wipe my hands well. Which removes the oil as you can feel the sticky. Then of course you wash your hands. I wouldn't advise drinking Tru-Oil. But I don't get my hands near my mouth. I only used a cloth like Dave does once. I wasn't satisfied with the result. But I've been applying Tru-Oil to wood since gun smithing school at Santa Rosa Junior College in the late sixties. Apparently this form of application goes back awhile before then.
I have tried applying it with a cotton ball but you get too much product on the work. After x amount of coats one is supposed to stretch one drop of Tru-Oil over the entire gunstock. Now that is possible. A guitar is larger surface then a guitar. Is one drop capable of covering a guitar? I don't know. I do know after all the pores are filled it stretches very thin. I remember from years ago it took about 19 or more coats for a gunstock to come to this state.
The Ukelele I'm finishing now has ten coats. It requires about 45 minutes to dry. My RH fluctuates but the coats are super thin. When I used the cloth to wipe the o it left an I smooth surface. Your fingertip leaves it much smoother. Imho

[Lonnie B]

I'm sorry but right there at the end my wording was bad as I was rushed. The cloth to me leaves the surface of the wood splotchy. You wipe out all splotches with your finger. This was the method taught to me. I guess old dogs type of thing.

[Ray Ussery]

FWIW...I use a folded coffee filter, no contamination and a great smooth surface. .02 :)

Great Job Lonnie B.!!