Question for Tung Oil Users

[Jim Evans]

What kind of finish to use?
I've been trying just about every combination, trying to see what I like.

I have a bowl with 3 coats of 100% tung oil - been applying coats over the past 3 weeks. It has made the wood a bit darker but it has no luster.
Anyone else using 100% tung oil and what have the results been? Do you buff after the oil dries?

So far the tung oil is not making the cut - unless I'm doing something wrong.
Thanks for any help.

[Chris Hayes]

Jim --

I'm a relatively new turner (just over a year now). Most of the pieces that I've turned I've used Tung on. Like you said it does darken the wood a bit and doesn't have any luster to it. However, I think it does a great job of bringing out details on pieces that you may not see even when done sanding.

However, only 1 piece that I've done was left with just the natural patina of the tung oil. (We use this to hold tail feathers that my Macaw drops and consider it a 'birdy bouquet') So what I've found that works for me -- and this is only my opinion -- I give the piece a good saturation of tung and let it sit for a couple of hours before I rub out excess. I may do this two or three times. Then I'll let the piece sit for the better part of a week (or two -usually given my hectic schedule). Then I start to layer on coats of spray lacquer. After about the 5th coat of lacquer, I start using a 1200 grit sand paper to take out bumps and imperfections. After about 12 coats I get the finish I'm generally looking for too.

That's what I do...I like Tung -- and have just started playing with BLO, so far I'm not seeing that much in difference -- may just a bit lighter on the BLO than Tung, but that's about it. Then again, I'm just a hack filling time between grad-papers.

[Jim Becker]

It would take a great many coats of the tung oil to get any kind of luster, per se, since it doesn't build a finish like a varnish will. Buffing and waxing after the tung is fully cured will help with that, however. You could also top coat with a film finish, but with tung you MUST wait until it's fully cured to avoid problems, such as white spots, etc.

BLO looks almost identical, is far less expensive and cures much quicker than tung. It's fine as combination oil/wax finish or as an initial step in a finishing process where you want to the oil to bring out some figure before moving on to additional finishing steps.

If you want the oil look plus a build with luster, try using Minwax Antique Oil Finish...many turners really like it, including myself. It's non-poly so it buffs out wonderfully.

[Gary Max]

100% Tung Oil????????????
Never seen the stuff and I have been doing this for a long time.
Plus ------what Jim said

[Bernie Weishapl]

Gary Woodcraft carries pure tung oil. I agree with Jim. Tung Oil take forever to dry if it ever does. I have a bowl sitting on the shelf that I tried tung oil on 2 yrs or so ago. I think it is still not dry. I use minwax Antique Oil and General Finishes Seal-A-Cell followed by Arm-R-Seal. Have had excellent luck with both. I use both on show pieces to utilitarian pieces. Ernie Conover wrote me that he uses nothing but Antique Oil on his utilitarian pieces.

[Matt Hutchinson]

I haven't used pure tung oil, but I tried pure mineral oil once on a utility bowl. Not my recommendation for finishing! I had the same type of problems. If you are looking for sheen and build, you will have to go with an oil containing varnish or another finish altogether.

Some people combine beeswax and oil for utility bowls, that way the wax can give it a touch of sheen. I have no personal experience with this finish either, but will soon (I have a chunk of beeswax doing nothing but gathering dust). But I also want to try antique oil for untility bowls. For the show pieces I just completed I used only General Finishes Arm-R Seal, no sealer. The result was excellent! I have only tried the gloss Arm-R-Seal, but I might try the semi-gloss or satin out of curiousity. But for figured woods and striking grain I recommend a finish with no wax in it.

Hutch

[Jim Becker]

Matt, Mineral Oil is not a drying oil and will never cure...it's fine for cutting boards and salad bowls (especially in a formulation with melted paraffin), but not for something that you actually want a finish.

[Matt Hutchinson]

I know that now. I knew it wouldn't cure hard, and it was for the finish of a salad bowl, but I still didn't expect it to come out the way it did (this was over a year ago). Good thing it wasn't on a special piece of wood! Thanks! :)

Hutch

P.S. Jim, I like your updated avatar.

[Leo Van Der Loo]

I use 100% pure Tung oil, and 100% pure Polymerized Tung oil.
I'm not much for high sheen plastic looking finishes, so I use the Tung, I get it from Lee Valley.
Yes it gets hard, especially the Polymerized oil get hard very quickly and builds fast to a thicker shiny finish if that's what you like.
I'll add a couple of pictures from my pieces that have a Tung oil finish on them, so you can see the results for yourself :).
And if you want more examples, I do have many more ;)

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Hi Jim Maybe this will help you to decide which tung oil you should use, t does give you the difference between the two, you also can read up on the use instructions at the link if you please.

http://www.leevalley.com/wood/page.aspx?c=1&p=20049&cat=1,190,42942

[Jim Becker]

I'm going to have to try the polymerized tung product when I get a chance to get back on the lathe, Leo. Thanks for bringing it up.

[Frank Drew]

I really don't like a flat finish, such as you get with Watco. I've used a lot of Mohawk's (Behlen's) pure Tung Oil on furniture (when appropriate) and it develops a very nice luster, certainly bright enough for high-end work even if not a glossy film finish like varnish or lacquer. Leo's pictures are consistent with my experience.

On turned work, Behlen's Salad Bowl Finish gets bright with a couple of coats but recoating can be tricky, I've found.

[Tom Steyer]

I almost always finish with a modified tung oil - can't recommend pure tung oil. I have used MinWax tung oil finish, and also the Formby's tung oil finish. Of the two, I prefer the Formby's by a slight margin - it is available in low and high gloss. With these finishes, you can also easily control the sheen by varying your application strategy. Each coat can be applied, then wiped within 5-10 minutes, depending on the wood. This will give a nice build-up, and a low to medium sheen. You can also apply a final coat by wiping it on and then letting it dry without a wipe-off - this will result in a high sheen. You have to experiment to get what you like.

Another advantage of tung oil finishes is that they can be easily re-done if you want a different appearance. Just rub down with steel wool or fine paper, and add another coat. Frequently I will vac-chuck finished bowls after a couple coats of T.O., buff with steel wool or the like, and apply the final coat after that.

[Jim Becker]

Neither the Minwax Tung Oil Finish nor the Formby's Tung Oil Finish are tung oil based. They are wiping varnishes. Those are marketing names. But they are practically the same product in a different can. Both are owned by Sherwin Williams, too.

[Jim Evans]

Thanks for the replies - very informative and helpful. Looks like 100% tung oil is not the best is you want any luster.

Leo - Do you do anything as the final coat on your 100% tung oil finishes? I notice in the pictures there is some luster/shine on most of the pieces. The one I've finished is really dull compared to yours. Hopefully you can see what I'm talking about in the attached pictures. I really would like to salvage this one - I think its fairly decent.

**Critiques welcome**
Here is what I'm working on, I wish I could tell you for sure what kind of wood this is. I am almost certain it's cherry but thinking I could remember what I put up to dry is not working for me. I'm doing a lot better keeping track of what I have drying in my paper sacks.

Thanks again
Jim

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Hi Jim, nice bowl, did you try to polish and buff ??, I suppose you don't want to use the bowl as a salad bowl ??, if you do it will always be a flat finish when oiled.
However if you want it more shiny, you will have to use the polymerized tung oil, and if your oil is dry now, you can coat with polymerized tung oil, don't take too long,as it does set up in about 5 minutes, (depending a bit, temp, humidity) use a very fine steelwool or synthetic steelwool, let dry and a couple more coats should do, you still can polish after that and buff, but make sure the oil is hard, so wait a week or better before polishing.

No I don't use anything over my tung oil, except some wax occasionally, I do polish and buff if I like a shiny finish.

[Greg Savage]

Add a bit of Japan Drier to pure tung oil to speed up the curing process.

Waterlox is a great tung oil based finish. Apply several diluted coats and then a few full strength....a little steel wool and a buff.....and you're done! This is what I use on my high end stuff.


Here is a table that I just finished with a Tazmanian Eucalyptus Burl top using Waterlox as the finish. The second photo has nothing to do with the top of the table, but it looks really cool!

[Jess Wetherhold]

Not super pics but these were all finished with tung oil (Minwax from HD.)
It only takes 3-4 coats for me to build this up. Great finish in my opinion.
96511

96510

96512

96513

[Jeff Langdell]

Great bowls by both Jim and Leo!
It is true that most "Tung oil finishes" are simply oil-varnish mixes and many do not even contain Tung. I like the way real Tung oil brings out the grain and gives the piece some depth. So I use "Masters Blend 100% Tung oil". I apply it with a rag or 600-grit paper while still on the lathe. The heat and wood flour create a nice glaze. When I want more shine, I apply wax while still on the lathe. But then, I'm lazy.

[Skip Spaulding]

I have good luck with Minwax tung oil when used on tight grain wood sanded 400 plus grit but still need 4 or more coats to get a good shine.

[Allen Neighbors]

Years ago, a well-applied tung oil finish on a piece of furniture meant that it would withstand a lot of abuse, and still be a nice finish. That is why Tung Oil has that 'aura' about it to a lot of people. It is a wonderful finish.
There is a big difference in Tung Oil Finish, and 100% Tung Oil, and Polymerized Tung Oil.
Tung Oil Finish, depending on the manufacturer, may or may not have tung oil in it. It may have about 5 or 10 % tung oil, but it's mostly a mixture of varnish and linseed.
Polymerized Tung Oil is almost a misnomer to a woodworker; not really, but almost. Without getting into technicalities, polymerizing is the joining together of two different moleculess, to make a better molecule. That's basically it. Polymerizing has become a word recognized in the wood-working world as meaning it sets up and becomes harder when cured. I'm sure that Polymerized Tung Oil has some tung oil in it, but I don't think its 100%, else where did they get the different molecule? And it may actually be harder than 100% Tung Oil; but I think just having Tung Oil in the ingredients list helps to sell a product.
100% Tung Oil is just that. Nothing added. It's hard to find. And will turn to gel in the can if too old and not kept air tight, in a container without airspace.
Applying 100% Tung Oil to a piece is easy; but to get a really good tung oil finish, is not. It requires patience and elbow grease. You should apply a very liquid (wet) coat, keeping it wet, for at least 15 minutes, so it has time to penetrate the wood fibers as much as it can. Then wipe off the excess. Then rub the tung oil into the surface, with a soft cloth or bare hand (which is also suggested for a boiled linseed oil finish) which helps the surface molecules to bond together. Then you can let that set for a few hours, and then do it all again. Repeating this process for three or four times, will get you a finish that looks a lot like those on Jim's and Leo's Bowls. You can buff lightly with 0000 steel wool between coats if you like. Doing all this on the lathe makes it easier. Then let that cure, usually for a week or more. Finally, buffing with Tripoli, White Diamond, then Carnauba, will put a nice shine on the surface. But the Tung Oil applied like this will be a harder, more mar-resistant finish than you can get with lacquer or ordinary varnishes. It's just a pain to apply it correctly. I might add, this is not the only way to apply it... it's just my way. :) Putting this finish on the outside of utility bowls makes a lasting beautiful finish... and it's food safe when cured... If you do this finish to the inside of a utility bowl, don't expect it to last there. :D
I hope I don't come over like a smart aleck... I just wanted to help others understand some of the misunderstandings about finishes containing the words Tung and Oil. I think it's the best finish you can put on a piece of wood.

[Jim Evans]

I hope I don't come over like a smart aleck... I just wanted to help others understand some of the misunderstandings about finishes containing the words Tung and Oil. I think it's the best finish you can put on a piece of wood.

Not smart aleck to me - Allen - what you've written is good information. I will have to give pure tung oil another try. I'm still trying all types of finishes to see what I like.

thanks for the help.