Rubbing out Minwax Tung Oil finish

[Dan Mitchell]

I've made a box out of Lignum Vitae, Curly Maple and Walnut. I've finished it with 4 coats of Minwax "Tung Oil Finish", which I've had decent success with in the past. This time though, the finish is not so even (some areas of higher gloss, for example) and there are some nibs. What would be the best way to rub out this finish to a more even, smoother appearance? I am thinking of paste wax afterward, as I would like a bit of gloss in this piece.

TIA

Dan

[Steve Schoene]

You have, unfortunately, not applied the Minwax tung oil finish properly. This product is a mixture of oil and varnish and it's doubtful that much if any of the oil is even tung oil. As with all oil/varnish finishes they should be applied, allowed to pentrate for a short time, and then they should be thoroughly buffed off. There should be no finish left on the surface, to collect nibs, for example.

It's hard for me to say where to go from here. Stripping off the finish with chemical stripper and starting over would be the best, but that sure is a PITA. I suspect I would work over the finish vigourously with fine steel wool moistened with mineral spirits to see if any build up of finish on the surface can be removed. Then a final coat applied and well buffed to even the sheen. Let this cure for a week or so before applying wax. (Avoid wax with toluene such as Bri-wax Original)

[Scott Holmes]

Minwax Tung oil finish is an oil/varnish blend... It is an in-the-wood finish and high gloss is not really an option with an oil/varnish blend. 65% mineral spirits 35% split between the linseed oil and the varnish of their choice. You can make your own buy mixing equal amounts of BLO, MS, and varnish.

FYI - Tung Oil Finiish is just a name; the oil in it is linseed oil.

[Scott Holmes]

Skip the steel wool; use synthetic steelwool it wont leave tiny shards of steel behind that will rust some day.

[Dan Mitchell]

I did apply the finish as directed, wiping it off after it sat briefly. As I said I've used it before with no problem on pieces the size of a table, I think it might have been more troublesome because of this object's size and many surfaces/"crannies". Though I wore nitrile gloves, it's a bit hard to manipulate the piece to wipe all the areas without leaving the odd slightly wetter "fingerprint".

I'll try the synthetic steel wool.

Thanks for the replies.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Dan,

I use tung Min-Wax tung oil and Antique oil. I have found that some woods and the grain involved will initially seem to absorb the oil but later will sweat it back out. These were on one piece wood turnings. This produces the exact effect you describe. On my turnings, I will buff those shiny areas out with my Beal buffing system using the tripoli compound. It is about the same as using steel wool or steel wood substitute.

[Prashun Patel]

Is it possible you haven't applied enough coats? When I make OV blends, it sometimes takes several applications to achieve an even sheen.

I don't know how to explain 'nibs', though. I have seen the sweating that Ken speaks of on opengrained woods like oak. If your nibs are only on the walnut parts, then perhaps this explains it. But on the lv and cc, you shouldn't have much sweating at all.

[Dan Mitchell]

I don't know how to explain 'nibs', though. I have seen the sweating that Ken speaks of on opengrained woods like oak. If your nibs are only on the walnut parts, then perhaps this explains it. But on the lv and cc, you shouldn't have much sweating at all.

Ken and Shawn - Sweating may explain it partially. I have 4 coats to this point. I guess I'm using the term "nibs" generically/incorrectly to mean rough spots, rather than actual bits of dust in the finish.

Thanks for the replies, glad to know I'm not the only one who's encountered this.

[Scott Holmes]

FYI-

difference between Minwax's Tung oil finish and the Antique oil finish?

Nothing... they have identical MSDS sheets.

[Steve Schoene]

I'm not sure we can say the products are really fully identical, though we know they are similar. The MSDS shows a very minor difference in volatile compounds, with one at 72% and the other 71%. More importantly, the Minwax MSDSs are so skimpy that they say nothing about which resins and which oils, or about any other non-reportable additives. In my mind, such lack of info is just another reason to avoid the low end consumer grade products from Minwax.

[Prashun Patel]

"In my mind, such lack of info is just another reason to avoid the low end consumer grade products from Minwax"

Waterlox's MSDS is similarly not so forthcoming.

I don't believe any of the manufacturers would report things they don't have to. The resins are proprietary and a point of differentiation.

My business is chemical blending and manufacturing. To the extent that we need to protect the public's or transporter's safety, we disclose good and proper all things on our MSDS's. However, if there's no safety issue, I don't believe we (or Minwax) is under any obligation to disclose more.

[Steve Schoene]

There isn't an obligation, but to take your Waterlox example, Waterlox discloses in various places that there base line of products are varnishes made with phenolic resin and tung oil. Most commercial lines disclose resins and thinners, etc., in technical data sheets. It's only the low end that disclose almost nothing. Some manufacturers also include the New Jersey right to know, etc. data on the MSDS. I suppose there is some filing somewhere from Minwax, but it isn't readily available.

These aren't really proprietary--any good lab could do a decent job of determining the ingredients. They are only hiding the information from consumers. It lets them dilude customers into thinking they are buying something "special".

[Prashun Patel]

These aren't really proprietary--any good lab could do a decent job of determining the ingredients. They are only hiding the information from consumers. It lets them dilude customers into thinking they are buying something "special".

All companies do this. Read a couple of bottles of your wife's shampoo from the venerable P&G. A lot of 'variants' have exactly the same base formulation. The only difference (and even THAT's not in all cases) is the fragrance. I know that because we manufacture those fragrances and work with those bases.

Do you like Vitamin "Water"? The energy boost you feel has nothing to do with vitamins in it. It comes from caffeine. I know that because we did gas chromatographic analysis on all the variants.

Manufacturers in every industry make 'different' things that offer no actual benefit. Much of it is just to appease customer perception. To hold Minwax to a higher standard is a little unfair.

[Scott Holmes]

Shawn,

Waterlox tells you right on the can that it's varnish made from phenolic resin and tung oil! MSDS are more safety oriented... Spec sheets or Tech sheets tell you what's in it.

[Pete McMahon]

Manufacturers in every industry make 'different' things that offer no actual benefit. Much of it is just to appease customer perception. To hold Minwax to a higher standard is a little unfair.[/QUOTE]

Interesting analogy and justification. Of course truth in advertising is a well known oxymoron. Why bother holding Minwax to a higher standard, they don't.

[johanes purnama]

You can try to rub your finish to fix your problem.
Use 400 grade sandpaper put in a hand block to sand your finish. sand it until all your nibs is gone and you get a smooth and even surface.
After that you can rub your finishing with steel wool to bring up your sheen. Then you can apply a paste wax to polish the surface.
If you sanding process cannot give you a even surface then you need to re coat with your oil.

Rubbing and polishing for wood finishing (http://www.wisnofurniturefinishing.com/2010/06/rubbing-and-polishing.html)

Good luck

Johan

[Ronald Kot]

If you put wax over a tung oil finish, doesnt the wax stop you from putting more tung oil on later?

If you do want to touch up the tung oil finish, now wit wax on top of it, what do you have to do?....remover the wax first with some kind of wax stripper?