Has anyone out there taken a cue with an oil finish and had it refinished to a standard finish.
Did you notice any real difference in feel and playability.
I am thinking about refinishing my Kenny Murrell sneaky. I put a slight mark on it that I am sure would not have been made on a more durable finish.
Thoughts and Opinions??
Thanks,
Don
When asking this question you must be aware that oilfinish can mean very much an different results.
- There are many different kinds of oils, and some of them behave different and give different results.
- Depending on the type of oil and the way you apply it you can have a wide range of final results. The final finish can be a very thin upto no film onto the wood, and with special oils and methods you also can get a finish very similar to a lacquered one.
- An oilfinish with little or no film on top of the wood feels very natural, warm and allows the sweat of your hands beeing absorbed into the wood pretty quickly. But it also dirtens pretty quickly because the pores of the woods are open and allows the dirt penetrate into the pores. At such kind of minimum finish the quality of sanding and the fineness of the wooden surface is very important because the dirt also settles in the striaes and not only in the pores.
- If you have a finish that makes an uninterrupted but very thin film onto the wood, in my opinion this is the best compromise of an oilfinish. It gives a good protection against dirt, allows the sweat to be absorbed much more than at a lacquered finish and it still feels warm an grippy. Such kind of finish feels still pretty natural and it gives you a more direct feeling and more intensive feedback, but all these differences are just nuances.
Also you have to consider that an oilfinish usually has some gramms less weight than a lacquered one. If you are used to playing with one special cue and replace the lacquered finish by an oiled one you should calculate a weight difference of at least 5-10 gr. less weight of the oilfinish.
These were my experiences with the oilfinishes.
