What is the most sustainable finish to use on a guitar?

[guitaardvark]

Hey all,

My dad and I are getting into building guitars for fun. I feel very strongly about climate change, so our challenge is to use as much reclaimed wood as possible and make everything sustainably sourced and non-toxic.

We've located some good wood to use, but we're considering our options on how to finish it. Obviously, nitro and poly are out because of the toxins and aerosols. Are there any sustainable stains or anything that would work well on a guitar?

 

[budda]

How is tru oil made? Definitely nice to read about sustainability options.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

You could go old school and French Polish your instruments, all it is is shellac in alcohol.

How is tru oil made? Definitely nice to read about sustainability options.

It's mostly linseed oil and mineral spirits.

 

[LiveOVErdrive]

I think shellac. My favorite finish, personally. Partially because of the sustainability factors.

I cut shellac flakes with Everclear (95 percent ethanol) and spray it. I don't know how harmful evaporating ethanol is for the atmosphere but I suspect not very. And shellac is just bug poop so that's fine.

Also it looks beautiful when you polish it up.

 

[spudmunkey]

I'd say shellac, too. Almost everything else needs solvents in their production (like cellulose finishes, even though the cellulose might come from wood or cotton) or as a liquid to carry the finish and then evaporate.

While 1kg of shellac can take 50,000-300,000 insects and many of them die because it's just not cost-effective enough to be careful around the larvae, it's still got a very small ecological footprint. Most of it comes from asia, so it does have to travel a long way, but because it's almost always dried, it's much more efficient than shipping a liquid.

Shellac is also safe enough that it's used as a food coating, like for pills, candy, and on fresh apples to help them store better and better survive shipping (although, there are newer "vegan" shellacs made from Corn that supposedly are able to have a smaller eco footprint, however they are currently just meant for food, not wood, from what i've read).

 

[odibrom]

I think shellac. My favorite finish, personally. Partially because of the sustainability factors.

I cut shellac flakes with Everclear (95 percent ethanol) and spray it. I don't know how harmful evaporating ethanol is for the atmosphere but I suspect not very. And shellac is just bug poop so that's fine.

Also it looks beautiful when you polish it up.

Post some pictures of it so we can dig it?...

 

[Thep]

Linseed oil is an option you might consider.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Linseed oil is an option you might consider.

It's really finicky, and will need to be reapplied regularly. I've worked on linseed sealed (it's more of a sealer than a true finish) instruments and I wouldn't recommend it. Very delicate and readily permeable. Linseed needs another component to help coat and protect.

I'd compare pure linseed to wax finishes.

Tru Oil, which is linseed based is a much better option.

 

[KR250]

I'm an Odie's Oil fan. Food grade safe, looks amazing, and super easy to apply (rubbed in by hand).

 

[spudmunkey]

It's also worth noting that "lindseed oil" and "boiled lindseed oil" are quite different things.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

I'm an Odie's Oil fan. Food grade safe, looks amazing, and super easy to apply (rubbed in by hand).

Yeah I love odie's oil. super easy to use, smells like orange blossoms. Only downside is cost and durability of the finish.
For durability none of the natural options cut it.

 

[LiveOVErdrive]

You might also look at some of the resin/epoxy products out there. I don't know what their manufacturing processes look like but some of them harden without releasing VOCs and such, so I assume they are quite environmentally friendly (once you get them. Again im not sure what goes into making them in the first place)

 

[ElRay]

You could go old school and French Polish your instruments, all it is is shellac in alcohol.

... and bug secretions. That said, I love shellac finishes. They're "easy" to repair, which is good because they don't do so well with alcohol spills. Plus, the phrase "bio-adhesive polymer" is just too cool.

Urushi lacquer is another 100% natural finish. That's the lacquer traditionally used for Chinese lacquer bowls.

 

[Lemonbaby]

You could go old school and French Polish your instruments, all it is is shellac in alcohol.

This.

Linseed oil is a major PITA to work with. Takes weeeeeeeeks to fully dry out, I'd prefer literally ANY other finishing oil.

 

[I play music]

Is shellac more expensive or labour intensive or why is it not used in production guitars?

Yeah I love odie's oil. super easy to use, smells like orange blossoms. Only downside is cost and durability of the finish.
For durability none of the natural options cut it.

There are a lot of people buying used-look guitars or guitars with nitro finish that is also not durable. So this might even appeal to some.

 

[KnightBrolaire]

Is shellac more expensive or labour intensive or why is it not used in production guitars?

There are a lot of people buying used-look guitars or guitars with nitro finish that is also not durable. So this might even appeal to some.

oh don't get me wrong lots of people like thinner easily wearing finishes, but I figured I'd mention the durability issue with natural finishes.

I really like odies/mineral oil because I can apply it year round, which I can't do with shellac or tru oil (gets too damn cold in the winter and takes forever to cure in the cold). Plus they don't stink up my basement like tru oil or tung.

 

[MaxOfMetal]

Is shellac more expensive or labour intensive or why is it not used in production guitars?

There are a lot of people buying used-look guitars or guitars with nitro finish that is also not durable. So this might even appeal to some.

Yeah, labor and durability mostly.