Read the article below. Then watch the video at the bottom of the page for clarification. Okay, so you've steamed out dents, sanded the instrument smooth, and filled the pores. Now we can finally get to the coats! Hang the instrument and blow or brush off any remaining wood dust. Be critical and make sure you get it all! Any dust left on the surface will remain there beneath the finish for all of time! (Or atleast for the life of the instrument) Wipe the whole instrument down with naphtha. The naphtha degreases the instrument, removing the oils left by your fingertips and also can help remove dust particles missed in the previous step. Now we are ready for the first coat! Wear latex, nitrile or vinyl gloves from here on so as not to contaminate the finish with oils from your skin. For applying the Tru-Oil, I use white flannel wrapped in a lint-free white cotton cloth. This gives me optimal results. This cloth within a cloth will be referred to as the "mouse." Apply a dab or 2 of tru-oil to your mouse and then tap the mouse aggressive several times on a piece of scrapwood in order to spread the Tru-oil on the outside of the mouse and to allow it to work its way into the cloth inside your mouse. Apply more Tru-oil and tap again if necessary. My order of Operations (see video below): Peghead The coat hangar gets in the way a little bit in the peghead section. For that reason, I remove the guitar from the its hanging apparatus in order to apply Tru-Oil to the peghead. I have to awkwardly hold the guitar by the neck in open space while doing this, but the peghead area is small so the application is relatively quick. The Sides Next I tackle the sides. I start at the neck-to-body joint on one side and work my way down to the endwedge. Then I do the same on the opposite side. The neck-to-body joint usually needs some specially attention as it is quite easy for finish buildup to occur there. The Soundboard Now I begin vigorously rubbing with the mouse on the soundboard with one hand and supporting the instrument from the back with the other hand. Focus on one area of the soundboard at a time. Work an area of approximately 5 square inches. Generally, I start on the left upper bout, then I work my way down to the area between the bridge and the soundhole, then the left lower bout, then the right lower bout and finish on the right upper bout. Find your own sequence and stick with it! Once the soundboard is complete, take a moment to check the surface for globs or runs of Tru-Oil or areas that need more attention. Especially near the edges where oil tends to build up. The Back Next I move onto the back. Because there is wet, uncured Tru-oil on my top, I do not support the instrument with my free hand there. Rather, I grip the neck with my free hand, since we have yet to apply Tru-oil there. Again, as with the soundboard, I vigorously apply Tru-Oil onto the back in sections and give a quick check for runs or oil buildup on the edges when I am done. The neck and heel Finally I reach the neck shaft and heel section. I start at the top of the neck shaft and work my way down to the heel, finishing in the corner of the neck-to-body joint. This time, with my free hand, I grip the piece of coat hangar that I have placed in the E string holes of the bridge. This way, I do not have to touch other parts of the guitar that I have worked the oil onto already. Once again, check the entire instrument for runs and finish buildup. If everything looks okay, then you've completed your first coat! You have 12-18 more of these to go! Hey, nobody said this was going to be easy!! Hand rubbed finished are work, but they are worth it! Let the coat dry for 2 hours. Throw out the mouse you just used and make a new one for the next coat. Note: Oils can be volatile and so the mouse should be disposed of in a metal can, in a bucket of water, or simply away from other combustibles. You should be able to get 3 - 5 coats a day in, with 2 or more hours between each coat. Keeping the coats very thin ensures a level surface. Every morning, after the guitar has had time to cure overnight, "scuff sand" the instrument down gently with steel wool. The goal is to remove dust and lint clinging to the finish, not to level the finish! If you get aggessive with the steel wool you can easily go right through your coats! If you don't see dust in the finish then skip this step. Now proceed as you did on day one with 3 - 5 coats. Continue each day as above until you've accumulated 12 - 18 coats. The following video demonstrates my sequence for coat application:

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Applying Coats

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