Hard Shellac coverage +

[rsser]

IIRC there is a difference between pure and raw tung oil. And it would surprise me if $15 could buy you a litre of the real stuff, presumably the raw given the price you were quoted, and in any case the real stuff goes off fast once the tin is opened.

But go for it and see how it comes up.

As I said, just my 2c worth.

[Ben from Vic.]

Right you are Ern, and due to my unlearnedness I got a little mixed up. The people at the paint shop said most people who bought the tung oil also bought a drier (Terebine I think) to mix with it, making the tung oil a "raw" not "pure" if the article in AWR No56 is correct.
Perhaps not having driers added could knock a few dollars off the price.
When I rang Sceynes they also said that compared to there wholesale price Paintright was offering it at a good price.

Sceynes (of Sunshine, Vic, number is in yellow pages) also offerd to send the oil to me direct if required.


Young Grasshopper Ben.

[rsser]

Terebine used to be added to Raw Linseed way back when to help it dry; haven't heard much about it since.

Yeah, Sceneys produce a useful range of stuff for the finisher.

This is the only Oz source I know of for Pure Tung: http://www.thewoodworks.com.au/produ...ING/C2891.html

... but to say again, in a thread on this some time ago the comment was made that it goes off quickly once opened, so buy in small quantities if this is the way you want to go.

[Ben from Vic.]

... but to say again, in a thread on this some time ago the comment was made that it goes off quickly once opened, so buy in small quantities if this is the way you want to go.

Will do Ern, good to know before I go out and buy ltrs of the stuff.

While looking around I've found that you can also get tung oil from Howards for about $33 ltr and Timbecon.

Would I be right in assuming that varying the amount of poly in the mix helps the coats build, gives more protection and perhaps helps with the gloss?
Just trying to understand the different ratios.

Ben.

[rsser]

Good finds Ben.

Re your question, I'd guess so. You'd get a quicker build and more gloss. Wouldn't say 'more protection' in every case ... yes to liquids but not really to scratches. You'll have seen how easily a poly only coated surface scratches, and can't be repaired. (That said, I used it over shellac on a Queen Anne dining table cos the kids were young, redid it completely once after 10 years and now it needs it again about another decade on. If it weren't for those flowing legs I'd happily strip it all back and apply Rustins DO now that the kids are grown up.)

Another way of getting some grain filling is to wet sand with an oil finish. See the Organoil website - there are prob instructions there, not that I'm recommending their products btw; been there, done that.

[rsser]

Just to add, and this is on turnings - never used an oil finish on furniture - my experience with commercial oil finishes is this:

Organoil Hard Burnishing oil: I was taught to use this but over time both my teacher and I gave up on it. Uses a wet-sanding process, and will take wax over the top buffed up (in our case, with a lambswool bonnet on a 5" rubber disc in a drill). Prob: it would raise the grain after sitting for a few weeks. Other forum members have posted that they did not get this.

Rustins DO: penetrates nicely, will like other oil finishes on the right timber really 'pop' the figure. Does not build to a gloss if instructions are followed but buffing and/or wax + buffing will bring a higher shine. Downsides: goes off in the can, and is not particularly durable. On a fruit platter, there were 3 stains left after a year or so of use. My guess is the fruit was citrus.

Scandinavian Oil by Feast Watson: haven't really given this a lot of use; seems to have a higher proportion of resins than the others, and I've just resanded the fruit platter and used this product instead; 3 coats yielded a high build and fairly high gloss (despite the stuff being labelled matt finish) but the platter is Blackwood which at a guess tends to gloss more than other timbers, other things being equal.

Organoil DO: fairly boring matt finish. Upside is that it's not sposed to go off in the can. Nice smell too.

Well that's my brain dump. 4c worth today ;-}

Woops, there's more ... IMO oil finishes don't work too well on light coloured timbers; they darken them too much, which when added to the usual darkening that UV does can produce a colour that is too far from the original. For mid and dark coloured timbers with a bit of figure, they can enrich the colour nicely and increase the contrast.

[Ben from Vic.]

Thanks again Ern, all good useful information which is always welcome.

I've used Hard Burnishing Organ oil before and still have the deep but dull surface to show for it. But to be fair I was pretty green and didn't follow the instructions. Skipped the 'hard burnishing' bit with predictable results.

Have also used Rustins danish oil on this hall table and was very impressed with the easy of use and the results. I used to live 5 mins from a supplier, but he and I both moved. I like trying something different, but results much like the Rustins would be great. Perhaps with a little more gloss, but as you say that can also be improved after.

As for the colour, the Sceneys tung oil is actualy an orange colour and so shouldn't darken as much as linseed oil does. Besides I don't mind if the Tas Oak darkens a bit.

Ben.

[rsser]

Wow, hall table is a lovely bit of work. Great combo of timbers.

[Ben from Vic.]

Thanks for that Ern, I'm a little pleased with it too.

Thought I'd come back and update on my efforts/learnings.

Went and got some Timbermate to fill a few cracks, there directions for colour matching were to match the colour of the filler to the timber when the filler is wet as it will dry to a lighter colour then go back to the wet colour when you finish it. What they don't say is that you should match the wet filler to wet (or finished) timber. I matched the wet filler to dry timber and ended with a minor colour miss match.

Had a little more learning to do when it came time to mix the poly/tung/terps mix.
I figured the best order of adding ingredients was (satin) poly first cause I'd have to dip the measuring cup into the tin as I know what a mess it makes trying to pour from a paint tin, followed by tung, followed by turps so it can clean the last two out of the cup.
As soon as I poured the tung into the poly covered cup the leftover poly started to go a bit funny, but I didn't think much of it, put the lid on the container and went and had lunch. Came back and found I had a nice layer of clear goo sitting on the bottom of the container. After much stiring followed by a bit of shaking with only minor improvement I got on the phone and was given the good advise that the good was most likely to be the additive that makes a gloss into a satin (didn't realise they added cloudyness to a gloss to make it satin!), and that I'd probably be OK if I let it settle and poured the ok looking mix off the top and used that. Oh and next time try adding the poly to the tung/terps.
Went back to the shed and found that the mix had mostly fixed it's self (!) and decided to use it as is. Five days and four more coats later and everything is looking quite nice.
For the second thicker mixture I added the ingredients in the advised order and the poly whilst stiring and this time no curdling.


Getting there.

Now for a quick question, as I'm doing quite a big surface the old hand towel I'm using to wipe the mixture off with has gone a bit crusty and isn't absorbing much, what do other members do at this point, chuck out the towel, or do you have a way of cleaning them?
I'm thinking the washing machine is not a good idea.

Ben.

[rsser]

Thanks for that. Something to file away.

As to your question ... fresh rags always. Old or undyed flannel is my pref for turnings.

Can hear Neil's voice over my shoulder .. ;-}

[Ben from Vic.]

... but to say again, in a thread on this some time ago the comment was made that it goes off quickly once opened, so buy in small quantities if this is the way you want to go.

I can now report that Raw Tung oil (no driers or any other additives) will last at least 3 months after opening, even over a record breaking hot summer. Sceneys said it would last ages if kept out of the sun. But the stuff I mixed with poly and turps went funny in under half the time. The mix was stored in 1kg square plastic honey buckets that may not have been as air tight as the screw top bottle the Tung oil was in.

Ben.