Thread: Tung oil finish for walnut brush and scales?

Originally Posted by claytor

Not to discount gssixgun's advice, but I think I'll give floppyshoes' method a shot. I really like the look of tung oil and i want to see if I can get it to work. Since shellac works with oil coats and poly I think this will be my road of travel this time. Worst case is it doesn't work and I have to take it back to an acetone bath.

I would do epoxy but the person I'm making this for doesn't want a shiny finish. Granted, I could cloud the resin haha.

Make sure the oil's cured first, or nothing will adhere properly, not even shellac. If it's not curing, you'll have to remove it with acetone as glen says. My method assumes the oil is cured before you go on to the topcoat.

Are you not rubbing it off enough? Are you not leaving it enough time to cure between coats? If it's a "Tung oil finish" then there are likely dryers and maybe even varnish in the mix, so if it's not curing in a few days there's a problem.

Originally Posted by floppyshoes

Make sure the oil's cured first, or nothing will adhere properly, not even shellac. If it's not curing, you'll have to remove it with acetone as glen says. My method assumes the oil is cured before you go on to the topcoat.

Are you not rubbing it off enough? Are you not leaving it enough time to cure between coats? If it's a "Tung oil finish" then there are likely dryers and maybe even varnish in the mix, so if it's not curing in a few days there's a problem.

Pure Tung and I let it cure for a while. I was rubbing the heck out of the the oil applications the first trip around. I wasn't sure how to tell when it was fully cured but I did the next application when it didn't have an oily feeling, didn't smell really strong of tung oil, and overall felt dry/had a slight sheen. I'm guessing I gave at least 24 hours between coats and then about 3 days on the final application.

Last night I sanded down to the initial coat of tung oil and reapplied. I went a bit heavier on the application then I did the first time. Rubbed it in with my palm, let it sit for 10 minutes, then rubbed it dry with a cloth. I'll give it 24 hours, hit it with sandpaper, and repeat.

There is a product that I have been using lately that is a combo of Polyurethane and Tung oil. I give it a lot of coats till it builds up then steel wool in down and then apply coats with a rag and let dry. I then buff it down with a rag. It gives a very durable finish with the advantages of Tung oil which is that it penetrates the wood and fills in the cells of the wood.

Later,
Richard

Originally Posted by riooso

There is a product that I have been using lately that is a combo of Polyurethane and Tung oil. I give it a lot of coats till it builds up then steel wool in down and then apply coats with a rag and let dry. I then buff it down with a rag. It gives a very durable finish with the advantages of Tung oil which is that it penetrates the wood and fills in the cells of the wood.

Later,
Richard

And what would the name of the product be Richard?

Sorry I was thinking it was available at all wood stores and not really brand specific. It is made by "General Finishes" ARM-R-SEAL. It comes in gloss, semi-gloss and Satin.

The site for this product is- Oilbased wood stains, out door oil,salad bowl oil from General Finishes

and I use the stuff in the green can.

I get it at a Woodcraft store near Sacramento,CA.

Take Care,
Richard

Has anyone used Tru-Oil by Birchwood Casey on wood scales? It has a base of linseed oil marketed for gunstocks. I have used it on a shotgun stock I refinished with great results. I'm not sure how it would hold up as a finish for a brush but for scales, I would think it would be as good or better than any oil finish.

Having refinished gunstocks for 25 years, I would tell you that an oil finish is best treated with an occasional coat of paste wax.

If I was finishing a brush handle, I would seal the bare wood with 2 or 3 coats of shellac and steelwool it smooth before applying any finish.

For a satin finish, I would take the final gloss off of whatever finish you decided to use with #0000 steelwool and then apply some Old English furniture oil to the dulled surface.

If you need further help, pm "cannonfodder" for advice. He makes the brushes for Lynn and Don at SRD.

Good Luck.............

JERRY
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