Thread: Sealing after tung oil

Originally Posted by Maximilian

Are we talking 100% real Tung oil or Tung oil finish like miniwax or Formby's tung oil finish. There's a huge difference in 100% pure Tung Oil compared to the commercially sold Tung Oil which is actually a generic term which has been liberally borrowed by paint-and-varnish makers to describe the expected result of using their preparations — which may or may not actually contain any tung oil at all..

Good point Max,
I found this to be quite helpful in explaining a lot of the commercially available " Tung Oil finishes"
Linky

So from that article, I gather that oil/varnish blends aren't all that bad. I've been using Minwax, cuz that's what I've got, and knew it wasn't pure, but it seems to do a nice job.
I've read that cutting the first coat with a virgin lacquer thinner will help carry it into the grain better.

wdwrx, you might find this interesting to read also if you are using poly.

Originally Posted by burns420

I'm making various sets of wood scales and have a question about what to use, if anything, after applying tung oil. I'm thinking of CA, but want to put the oil on first because I like how it penetrates the wood and brings out the figuring. Will CA penetrate as well or just coat the surface? The first set will be padauk and I sanded it to 800grit. Next sets will be yellowheart, zebrawood, bubinga, amboyna Burl, wenge, and ziricote. So a formula to use that would work well on all of these would be great. Thanks.

Any time you finish with tung oil, it's good to let it dry for 4-5 days. Again, make sure it is 100% pure tung oil...not a blend. Once it hardens, and this is something you will not find on any of the forums, seal it with wax. Any furniture wax will do. Just put a glob of it in a piece of an old t-shirt and simply apply it in short circular strokes. Allow it to dry and then buff it with a soft cloth. It will preserve the satin sheen of the tung oil but give you a smooth, hard surface that will be water repellent. Good luck!