Thread: Tung oil finish for walnut brush and scales?

Originally Posted by turbine712

The question I have is: After applying the Tung Oil, is it a imperative to use a top coat? I would like to know what would be the best top coat after using Tung Oil. I see that floppyshoes uses shellac as a top coat. And by the term "wash coat", is that thinned out shellac? Why shellac?
Thanks,
Bill W

I am more of a woodworker than a razor guy although I have done some scales. Jatoba is a very oily wood and pretty dense and by itself tends to shed water. Tung oil by itself is good and has been used for centuries to waterproof wood but needs to be reapplied and does not give the durability of other coatings. Tung oil penetrates very well and "fills" the cells of the wood that it is being used on and hardens in the cells. This does actually harden the wood, to a certain extent. That being said it takes a lot of coats for the process to be completed and eventual, after about 5 coats, no more will penetrate. The reason that I like the mentioned top coat is that Poly is part of the mixture and really gives a very waterproof and durable finish. It will not be as shiny and plastic looking as Shellac or epoxy or CA but it is very nice and is very "goof" proof. If you put on enough coats it will fill in the grain and look very nice indeed and will exhibit the qualities of a Poly with the added benefit of Tung Oil.


Take Care, Hope it was not to wordy!

Richard