Bulk Tung or other Oil

[kenji]

Hi all, my first post. First, Thank you for all the knowledge I have leached so far without posting.

I am looking to sand and oil some old floorboards in the house I'm moving into. I prefer the look of oiled wood rather than polyurethane or the like, so am looking to use an oil, such as Tung or Linseed.

So far it seems that raw Tung oil (from looking online) is around $26/L, I think I'm looking for about 20L. Interestingly, food oils, such as Macadamia and Flax (Linseed?) are much cheaper, at around $8.90 and $11.20 respectively.

My first question then, is (and I hope this isn't a violation of forum rules), can anyone recommend a supplier for bulk quantities of Tung Oil between Port Macquarie (preferred) to Sydney? The house is quite close to Wauchope, which sounds like it was a good place to look once, but not sure about now.

My second related question is, has anyone had any experience with mixing up their own oil blends? I understand Danish Oil is a blend, so I was wondering if I could cut the Tung with another oil such as the Flax or Macadamia mentioned above (if you can even use these on wood).

I have sanded a small portion of the wood back, I'm not sure what it is, but it is pale, some friends say it might be tallow wood. I'm not even sure if it's all the same wood at this stage, but would like to have the oil ready before I sand it back.

Any advice or comments much appreciated.

[rustynail]

Have used Peerless floor finishes for many years. Their tung oil finish comes up a treat. Very easy to apply and their mop over polishes keep it looking good.

[ian]

Hi Kenji
I'll think you'll find that a commercial tung oil blend, formulated for floors, will give you a lot less grief than trying to manufacture your own or using a raw vegetable oil.
For starters, most food oils will go rancid pretty quickly
then there's the small matter of drying time -- for comparision, it can take some weeks for raw linseed oil to cease to be "sticky", the processed variety usually ceases to be "sticky" within 48 hours.

[ian]

Further to the above, just found this (My emphasis)

Tung Oil is very easy to apply: just wipe it on. It is basically a non-filling finish, so the texture of the wood remains. Rub out the finish between coats using 0000 Steel wool.
Figure on applying about 3-6 coats for a great deep finish. The dried finish is very sturdy. Minor scratches can be repaired just by applying another coat. The only down side is that dry time is about 25 hours and final curing time, after all the coats have been applied is about 1 - 2 weeks.

[kenji]

Thanks for your help guys, I'll go with a commercial product. Sounds like it'll be much easier and probably give a better result.

Cheers

[Claw Hama]

Yep Tung oil with driers and you can walk on it the next day generaly. Easy, the only down side with Tung oil is if you have pets inside, urine can lift it so be prepared to do a little patching. But its pretty easy to do anyway. Other than that its pretty bullet proof.

[cadmangaz]

Hi
I have been mixing raw tung oil, BOILED linseed oil and satin poly-urethene for many years, this is part A of a special mix. I am in Port Macquarie, let me know if you want the recipe... it gives a wonderful, warm finish that people can't take their hands off..

[MICKYG]

Kenji

Have used Wattyl tung oil in a shop. Is easy to apply and has been down for two years and still in very good condition, worth looking at.


Regards Mike

[Kootenai]

G'day All
I may be a little late on this one but I've just joined and hope it may still help.

I have some pure tung oil left over from a project I've just completed and am willing to let it go at cost.( half market price )

With regard to drying time, this can be reduced by diluting with orange oil or wood turpentine and because it penetrates further will bring out the natural colour and beauty better.

Many of the commercial brands of "Tung Oil" are modified with sythetic polymers which overpower the tung oil. Suggest you check out the ingredients in the manufacturers MSDS declaration and decide from there.

Good luck