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Thread: Tung oil opinions

  1. #1

    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    26

    Tung oil opinions

    I was about to buy tung oil the other day & noticed on the can it's was called a "varnish"
    To me a varnish is something that dries hard & glossy. So i thought it better to ask here first.

    I'm not really restoring the Century 7, I'm trying to get it to be a working camera. I've used lemon oil on it but using tung makes me believe that once it's on if i wanted to remove it I'd have to use a stripper.

    Am I just misinformed ?

  2. #2
    Drew Wiley
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
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    SF Bay area, CA
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    18,318

    Re: Tung oil opinions

    You can't really tell until you ask more questions from the oil manufacturer or preferably do a test on a wood scrap. Unfotunately, these terms tend to get used
    very loosely nowadays, and except for marketing purposes, often border on meaningless. Most commercial tung oils do incorporate a small amount of urethane
    varnish; otherwise they'd be difficult to apply. But whether a hard film develops
    depends on just how much solids is incorporated, and how many coats you use.
    Some oils on the market are excellent, some are crap.

  3. #3

    Join Date
    Nov 2008
    Location
    Atlanta, GA
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    669

    Re: Tung oil opinions

    Tung oil is a finish for bare wood. I used it on the 2D I restored a few years ago. To apply you rub it into the wood with a cloth and let it dry. You then buff with a 0000 steel wool and apply another coat. The finish gets smoother/glossier the more coats are applied. So, it's not a product you would apply while dusting like lemon oil.

  4. #4
    Bob
    Join Date
    May 2006
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    Maryland
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    Re: Tung oil opinions

    Did it say 100% tung oil or polymerized tung oil? Polymerized comes in various stages of gloss from satin to high gloss and dries fairly quickly. 100% can be much harder to work with and may or may not dry well depending on the oil you get from my experience with it on furniture. I tend to avoid the 100% as a result and use satin on most of the furniture I make. Steel wool (0000) adjusts the level of gloss and gives a nice finish. Dispose of rags carefully.

  5. #5

    Join Date
    Sep 2010
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    26

    Re: Tung oil opinions

    well one said "danish wood oil" the other said tung but i can't recall what % was pure.

    So since it's mentioned it's a finish for bare wood & this isn't bare wood should i just get on with reassembly & keep using my lemon oil in the future ?

  6. #6

    Join Date
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    Re: Tung oil opinions

    When I did the 2D I stripped the old finish using a Formby's product, applied an oil base stain, then started with the tung oil. I think I did about 8 coats of the tung oil. Whether you refinish depends on what state the finish is in. It's quite a bit of work.

  7. #7

    Join Date
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    Re: Tung oil opinions

    Quote Originally Posted by Jim Michael View Post
    When I did the 2D I stripped the old finish using a Formby's product, applied an oil base stain, then started with the tung oil. I think I did about 8 coats of the tung oil. Whether you refinish depends on what state the finish is in. It's quite a bit of work.
    Once upon a time I finished a piano with 100% tung oil and the technique Jim mentions. Not only is it quite a bit of work, but it takes quite a bit of time. Each layer of tung oil dried in 24 hrs but was better to work with (meaning "steel wool" the pieces) after 72 hours or so. I found out why many restorers prefer laquer finish. It was almost as challenging as the time I refinished a rifle stock using the classic technique of pure linseed oil. In both situations the final finish was fantastic, but the time/energy investment was huge.

  8. #8

    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Westport Island, Maine
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    1,236

    Re: Tung oil opinions

    In my experience, tung oil-finished pieces will darken a lot over time. More than other finishes.

    I use an equal mixture of satin polyurethane, boiled linseed oil, and mineral spirits. Mix it in a small coffee can. Wipe on with paper towels, wipe off the excess after 30 seconds or so. Two coats (let dry a day in-between), sanded with 400 grit in between, and then a 600-grit buffing followed by a coat of good wax.

    I'm told that's what Sam Maloof, a wonderful furniture maker, uses. I learned it at a furniture-making workshop in a really fine woodshop (sadly, now out of business) that made Shaker-style stuff. It's an easy, pretty foolproof finish (I like the foolproof part, being the fool who has to do it).

    You can do more coats for more build, and substitute glossy poly for satin. I like what I use, which buffs out to a rich luster. Especially nice on cherry.

    Pure tung oil will also dry in the bottle before you have a chance to use it all, which irritated me. Sorta like Gorilla Glue.
    Bruce Barlow
    author of "Finely Focused" and "Exercises in Photographic Composition"
    www.brucewbarlow.com

  9. #9

    Re: Tung oil opinions

    You can always go the easy route and use Waterlox which is an easy apply tung oil finish. The problem is you only need a 1/2 cup to coat your camera 3 times. The Satin Waterlox is amazing. If you lived close I would give you some to use.

  10. #10

    Re: Tung oil opinions

    Quote Originally Posted by Bruce Barlow View Post
    Pure tung oil will also dry in the bottle before you have a chance to use it all, which irritated me. Sorta like Gorilla Glue.
    The trick is store the containers upside down.

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