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View Full Version : Arm-R-Seal over Tung Oil



Matthew Poeller
09-07-2005, 3:57 PM
I will try this out on my own but just wanted to see in anyone has done this before.

I like the way that Tung Oil really pops the grain. Unfortunately I really do not make any fine furnature. All the stuff that I make gets used.

I would like to still use the Tung oil but I was hoping that I would be able to put something more durable over the top.

Any suggestions?

JayStPeter
09-07-2005, 4:21 PM
The finishes on my last few pieces have been Arm-R-Seal over BLO. I'm not 100% satisfied with the Arm-R-Seal as I think it looks a little plastic when built up. But most people who see the stuff say nothing about the woodworking and tell me how good the finish is. It's certainly easy and nearly foolproof.
Arm-R-Seal didn't do spectacularly well in ?wood? magazines test of poly finishes. But, one of my pieces sits inches in front of my inlaws kitchen sink and regularly gets wet and splattered. It gets the heck used out of it and looks great after a few years. It's definitely passed my personal durability challenge. I don't know about a dining table used by kids, but just about anything else :D .
I did an experiment with a piece of scrap where I did half BLO and half without before the Arm-R-Seal. There really wasn't much difference after a few coats, but it may be noticeable on a large surface.
If your question is compatibility, Arm-R-Seal is oil based and will be compatible with tung oil. In fact, if I remember right it may have some tung oil in it (which may explain why I didn't see much difference in my scrap).

Jay

Howard Acheson
09-07-2005, 4:38 PM
Are you referring to real, 100% tung oil or one of the faux "Tung Oil Finishes"?

If real tung oil, the problem is that it takes almost forever for it to dry. It's about the same as raw linseed oil in that regard. BLO will dry much faster and will similarly "pop" the grain.

Once fully dry, either can be overcoated with a film finish like varnish or poly varnish.

Steve Schoene
09-07-2005, 10:09 PM
I've never found that a straight oil, either Tung or BLO, "pops" the grain significantly better than the first coat of a oil based varnish.

Matthew Poeller
09-08-2005, 12:32 AM
The tung oil that I was refering to was miniwax, definitely not a pure tung oil.

The reason for my question is that the minwax Tung oil that I used really "popped" the grain on a particular batch of mahagony that I had. However, I did not feel as though the finish was a durable as I would have liked.

Out of the same batch of mahagony I finished another project with Seal-A Cell and then top coat of Arm-R-Seal. This did not "pop" the grain as much as the tung oil that I used.

So I guess in short what I am looking for is something that will show off the grain like the tung oil but have the durability and ease of application of the Arm-R-Seal.

Has anyone used a combination like this before successfully? Tung Oil (faux) with a top coat of something similar to Arm-R-Seal.

Jim Becker
09-08-2005, 9:07 AM
Matthew...the Minwax product is an oil-based wiping varnish, so applying Arm-R-Seal over it is merely adding varnish over varnish. It would be less expensive to use common BLO to oil the piece and after it cures for about a week, top coat with the Arm-R-Seal. I also prefer a de-waxed shellac layer between them, personally, as it is a great universal barrier layer and also sometimes adds some additional "shimmer" and clarity, especially under a non-polyurethane varnish. (Alkyd or phenolic resin varnish) This gets you the effects of the oil with one finishing product over it. (aside from the shellac sealer if you choose to use it)

Howard Acheson
09-08-2005, 10:07 AM
Matthew, the Minwax is a fairly thin linseed oil and varnish product. It's thinness allows it to be more readily and deeply absorbed than some other oil/varnish mixtures. In fact, thinning BLO 30-50% with mineral spirits will give you a good "pop" to the grain. It's the amber color of real tung oil or boiled linseed oil that highlights the grain. As Steve has said, the oil in most varnishes will do as good a job highlighting the grain as will a coat of BLO or a real or faux tung oil finish.

Of course, the "depth" of the finish comes from overcoating with a clear film finish whether you use the Minwax of just plain old linseed oil.

Finally, the different look of your various coatings on mahogany my have more to do with the wood than the finish. Even wood from the same tree can frequently color differently. Certainly, wood cut from different trees at different times will almost always look different. It's just the way wood is.