Which tung oil to use?
Tai Morris
I saw some of the posts recommended tung oil as a good finish
instead of polyurethane. I'm starting to agree because I had
so much trouble with applying polyurethane recently. But
which tung oil should I use? I've seen many posts saying
pure tung oil is the best, but one person said the stuff
Minwax makes has better protection than pure tung oil.
What's the general feeling about this?
Thanks
Tai
Michael Koster
t...@physics.utexas.edu (Tai Morris) writes:
>Thanks
>Tai
According to the book "Understanding Wood Finishing" there is a range of
products which are called "Tung Oil". Products which are 100% Tung Oil
are labeled as such.
100% Tung Oil takes at least 24 hours to dry, and in my experience sometimes
several days, and builds a film very slowly (many coats). It's also somewhat
softer than the other types.
Polymerized Tung Oil is one kind on gunstock finish that hardens better and
also seems to build a film more quickly.
Tung Oil Varnish (Jasco, Formby's "Tung Oil *Finish*") is a regular varnish
made with tung oil. It acts pretty much like any wiping varnish, with about
12-24 hours curing time and good (for a wiping varnish) film building.
There is also a mixture of Tung Oil and varnish which I haven't tried but is
supposed to be in between 100% Tung Oil and pure varnish in properties.
I have had trouble with polyurethane wiping varnish also, but only in the
same conditions that cause any varnish to cure slowly (temp., humidity).
I suppose the varnish provides the best protection of all the Tung Oil
products, but I think the polyurethane may be best in this regard.
Good Luck, and I do recommend the book "Understanding Wood Finishing" by
Bob Flexner.
Michael.
Steve Knight
t...@physics.utexas.edu (Tai Morris) wrote:
>I saw some of the posts recommended tung oil as a good finish
>instead of polyurethane. I'm starting to agree because I had
>so much trouble with applying polyurethane recently. But
>which tung oil should I use? I've seen many posts saying
>pure tung oil is the best, but one person said the stuff
>Minwax makes has better protection than pure tung oil.
>What's the general feeling about this?
Pure tung oil adds little protection Just like linseed oil. Looks
great. Then everything else will be mostly like poly. Do you want a
hard finish or a oil finish?
GeneK
On May 25, 1996 03:20:18 in article <Re: Which tung oil to use?>,
on your local weather conditions, I'm talking about months here); that's
the reason the commercial tung oil finishes blend the oil with other
ingredients to speed polymerization. Straight tung oil is usually
purchased by woodworkers who prefer to blend their own formulas, and is
seldom used by itself.
But to answer the original question, I like the Jasco formulation.
Gene
wa...@vnet.ibm.com
In <4o65on$k...@news2.h1.usa.pipeline.com>, gki...@usa.pipeline.com(GeneK) writes:
>On May 25, 1996 03:20:18 in article <Re: Which tung oil to use?>,
>'Ste...@locally.com (Steve Knight)' wrote:
>
>
>>>I saw some of the posts recommended tung oil as a good finish
For really nice hardwood like cherry or walnut, I can't bare the thought
of polyurethane. For simplicity, tung oil is the best.
>>>Minwax makes has better protection than pure tung oil.
>>>What's the general feeling about this?
My impression of the Minwax was very bad compared with, say Formsby's or
pure tung oil, or some "Tung n Teak" formulation I tried from Home Depot.
The Minwax Tung Oil finish left shiny looking flakes down in the grain that
I thought looked like shit. The satin version of the Fornsby finish is my favorite
so far.
>Problem with "pure" tung oil is that it takes forever to dry ...
Dry is a very relative term. A final cure may take a month or two, actually
the percent uncured probably decreases exponentially with time. I've had
good luck with pure tung oil by waiting a couple of days after the first coat.
Apply a second coat, wait another couple of days and then buff with paste
wax.
>
>But to answer the original question, I like the Jasco formulation.
>
>Gene
Gene,
Where can one get teh Jasco formulation?
Walt
gki...@usa.pipeline.com
On May 25, 1996 13:17:22 in article <Re: Which tung oil to use?>,
'wa...@vnet.ibm.com' wrote:
>
>>But to answer the original question, I like the Jasco formulation.
>>
>>Gene
>
>Gene,
>Where can one get teh Jasco formulation?
bottles at my local lumberyards, hardware and paint stores.
Gene
Bruce & Charlotte Marson
> >
> >Gene
>
> Gene,
> Where can one get teh Jasco formulation?
well rubbed out. Mix it one to one - try it on a piece of scrap. You'll find that it builds a
finish very much like tung oil. I like it better because the result is a finish that is as
deeply beautiful but more durable than tung oil.
GeneK
On May 26, 1996 16:59:48 in article <Re: Which tung oil to use?>, 'Bruce &
Charlotte Marson <BE...@pop.erols.com>' wrote:
>You can achive almost the same finish with a number of light coats of
satin
>urethane and turpentine
>well rubbed out. Mix it one to one - try it on a piece of scrap.
You'll
>find that it builds a
>finish very much like tung oil. I like it better because the result is a
>finish that is as
>deeply beautiful but more durable than tung oil.
If you like the results, that's really all that matters.
Gene
wa...@vnet.ibm.com
>finish very much like tung oil. I like it better because the result is a finish that is as
>deeply beautiful but more durable than tung oil.
Doesn't the turpentine smell linger for a while? One of the things I like about
pure tung oil is (it is said) that it is non toxic on wood. So concievably you
could use it in food contact applications(!!! disclaimer: this is speculating. don't
try this at home!!!). Anyway, I stopped using the Watco Danish oil because
of the smell. One nice maple chest I finished with Watco got a bad reception
because it took a month or so for the lingering smell to die out. I've not had
the same problem with tung oil.
One other "finish" i'm just starting to experiment with is lemon oil. On first blush
it seems to produce a tung oil like finish, though there must be some reason
why its not used.
This effort is so my furniture is "friendly" right from the beginning... touch, sight,
and smell.
Walt
GeneK
On May 27, 1996 15:08:57 in article <Re: Which tung oil to use?>,
'wa...@vnet.ibm.com' wrote:
>Doesn't the turpentine smell linger for a while? One of the things I like
>about
>pure tung oil is (it is said) that it is non toxic on wood. So
concievably
>you
>could use it in food contact applications(!!! disclaimer: this is
speculating.
>don't
>try this at home!!!).
means you can use it on wood toys and children's furniture and it won't
cause serious problems is it's mouthed. Food contact, which often means
exposure to alcohols and acids that may dissolve the finish and comingle it
with the food, is another matter.
Anyway, I stopped using the Watco Danish oil because
>of the smell. One nice maple chest I finished with Watco got a bad
reception
>because it took a month or so for the lingering smell to die out. I've
not
>had
>the same problem with tung oil.
>One other "finish" i'm just starting to experiment with is lemon oil. On
first
>blush
>it seems to produce a tung oil like finish, though there must be some
reason
>why its not used.
probably the reason.
Sheldon Dingwall
> Doesn't the turpentine smell linger for a while? One of the things I
like about
> pure tung oil is (it is said) that it is non toxic on wood. So
concievably you
> could use it in food contact applications(!!! disclaimer: this is
speculating. don't
> try this at home!!!)
Same disclamer - I'm pretty sure Lee Valley wrote that 100% pure tung oil
is edible.
> One other "finish" i'm just starting to experiment with is lemon oil.
On first blush
> it seems to produce a tung oil like finish, though there must be some reason
> why its not used.
True lemon oil is an extract of lemon grass. I've read that common lemon
oil is mineral oil with lemon scent. The warning on the label reads
"contains hydrocarbons". I believe that a strictly lemon oil finish would
evaporate over time, leaving no finish at all.
--
Sheldon Dingwall
Dingwall Designer Guitars
ding...@cyancorp.com
http://www.cyancorp.com/dingwall/
John Darlington
Sheldon Dingwall (user...@mail.quadrant.net) writes:
>
> Same disclamer - I'm pretty sure Lee Valley wrote that 100% pure tung oil
> is edible.
>
Directly from the 1996 Lee Valley (US) catalogue (Whoops! Sorry-I meant
catalog):
"100% PURE TUNG OIL - Also known as China wood oil, tung oil is a non-
toxic, hard-drying oil that forms an elastic film resistant to
abrasion and moisture. It penetrates well and builds a transparent but
matte finish on wood, emphasizing the grain and colour. It is a good
general-purpose finish and is approved for food-contact items. This
product contains no thinners or driers."
FWIW, many pills are coated with TUNG OIL to make them easier to swallow.
Regards,
JD
Lee Valley Tools
Ottawa Showroom
lo...@communique.net
wa...@vnet.ibm.com wrote:
>>> My impression of the Minwax was very bad compared with, say Formsby's or
>>> pure tung oil, or some "Tung n Teak" formulation I tried from Home Depot.
>>> The Minwax Tung Oil finish left shiny looking flakes down in the grain that
>>> I thought looked like shit. The satin version of the Fornsby finish is my favorite
>>> so far.
I have used Formby's Tung Oil for about 20 years. On the label it
states that it is a Tung Oil Varnish. This only means that 100% Tung
oil has been thinned to Varnish consistancy with petroleum
distillates. It will penetrate the wood deeper and dry faster in the
thinner consistancy.
I regularly use this on wood carvings. When I'm almost finished with
the carving I drench it with Formby's Tung Oil Varnish (thinned even
more with mineral spirits). I let it soak up as much as it can and
then immediately wipe all off the surface and continue wiping til it
stops seaping. I let it cure completely. I can continue to carve but
the texture of the wood has improved: no grain direction problems, no
fuzzing, details carve like butter. I buff it down and put a light
coat of tung oil on it as a final coat.
On furniture: I put a very deep multi-coat Tung oil finish on my
sister-in-laws dining room table. My brother told her if she could
ruin this finish, he would buy her a new dining room set. She tried
everything short of carving it up, and she never got a new set out of
this dare.
Tung Oil varnish does not fill grain even in multi-coat situations.
If you want a glass like finish you must first use a grain filler.
This is a very durable indoor finish but it does not resist UV
deterioration. The UV protective additive that was used by Formby's
for a short time did not do the trick. When exposed to the weather,
tung oil finishs breaks down and the wood bleaches over time.
>One other "finish" i'm just starting to experiment with is lemon oil. On first blush
>it seems to produce a tung oil like finish, though there must be some reason
>why its not used.
Lemon oil is a wood treatment -- it is used to rejuvenate dried wood.
It is lemon grass oil and will evaporate over time. THIS IS NOT A
PROTECTIVE FINISH!
I have used lemon oil to recondition antiques after removing the oil
finish. After a few days I start applying my Tung Oil finish. I buff
the finish and put on another layer. If ever I get too much gloss,
Homer Formby's tacky trick is used: Homer told me he puts down
another coat of Tung oil, lets it get to the tacky stage and then hand
wipes the tacky surface as evenly as possible. The result is a
semi-gloss to matte finish.
Tung Oil is down in the wood. To injest some, you would have to chew
the wood. It is my understanding that Tung oil is non-toxic ONLY in
this dried, thoroughly cured state. Never drink any form of liquid
Tung oil!
Jean Lotz
Robert Klein
In article <tai-230596...@moose.ph.utexas.edu>,
t...@physics.utexas.edu says...
>
>I saw some of the posts recommended tung oil as a good finish
>instead of polyurethane.
=================================
I would like to add one note to this.
The moisture excluding effectiveness of tung oil are low. Sucessive
coats
helps but it still low. In other words, if you want the finish to
slow
moisture absorbtion and desorbtion then you must apply a great number
of
coats and preferably of something else. If this doesn't matter then
go for
it.
Lacquer has a better mee than tung (almost everything does); poly (
which I
do not use ) better still, and oddly enough to most, shellac (both
orange
and clear) have a higher mee rating than all three. All the
comparasions
were with three coats.
--
Regards,
Robert Klein
Robert's Antiques and Restoration
2500 North T Street
Pensacola, Fl. 32505
Michael Edelman
Robert Klein (bobk...@gulf.net) wrote:
: =================================
: I would like to add one note to this.
: The moisture excluding effectiveness of tung oil are low. Sucessive
: coats
: helps but it still low. In other words, if you want the finish to
: slow
: moisture absorbtion and desorbtion then you must apply a great number
: of
: coats and preferably of something else. If this doesn't matter then
: go for
: it.
FW did a study of this a year or so ago. Tung oil is much better than
linseed oil, and interestingly was used by the Japanese in WWII to
finish gunstocks against the tropical moisture. Worked pretty well.
If you *really* want to exclude mousture, use a marine epoxy.
--mike
Lowell R. Reyher
Robert Klein wrote:
>
> In article <tai-230596...@moose.ph.utexas.edu>,
> t...@physics.utexas.edu says...
> >
> >I saw some of the posts recommended tung oil as a good finish
> >instead of polyurethane.
>
>
> I would like to add one note to this.
>
> The moisture excluding effectiveness of tung oil are low. Sucessive
> coats
> helps but it still low. In other words, if you want the finish to
> slow
> moisture absorbtion and desorbtion then you must apply a great number
> of
> coats and preferably of something else. If this doesn't matter then
> go for
> it.
>
> which I
> do not use ) better still, and oddly enough to most, shellac (both
> orange
> and clear) have a higher mee rating than all three. All the
> comparasions
> were with three coats.
>
> --
> Regards,
> Robert Klein
> Robert's Antiques and Restoration
> 2500 North T Street
> Pensacola, Fl. 32505
>
then I put a heavy caot of Simonize on it. That seems to hold out water
pretty well, and glue spills too.