Finishing Stock with Pure Tung Oil

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Thanks Flinter Nick, that is helpful.
Dave I read in one of your threads about how you use the polymerized Tung oil. I am just about out of the Real Milk Paint Co. Half and Half ( 50% Pure Tung oil with 50% citrus solvents). The stock soaked up so much! So I need to order more. Any thoughts on switching to a polymerized Tung oil to finish the stock. Or just push ahead with what I started with? Do you wait a full 30 days before shooting?
Aaron
 
Hi,
If you can not scratch the surface of your finish with a finger nail, it is probably cured enough for another coat. Polymerized tung oil will be far superior to the raw oil regardless of its mix with solvents. You should be able to switch. Sutherland-Welles makes a polymerized tung oil with a citrus base as well. The citrus thing is that it is more environmentally friendly. I do not wait 30 days before shooting. Generally my finishes are cured in a week depending on humidity and temperature.

dave
 
So I know this is a few months old! But hey it’s still 2021!! I’m using Real Milk Paint half and half on my first stock. It’s a traditions Kentucky long rifle with a Birch stock. I have used this product on knife handles but that is a different situation. The knife handles are exotic hardwoods that are sanded up to 1500 grit. This Birchwood is soaking up the tongue oil like nobody’s business!! In reading through this post somebody mentioned wet sanding the tung oil. Is that a standard practice on rifle stocks?
Keep rifle out of reach of house Cat, could lick off finish! :)
 
Dave and others,
Been speaking on the phone with representatives of both Sutherland Welles and Real Milk Co. So I can go over the existing pure tung oil with Sutherland Welles polymerized tung oil. The catch is I have to let the stock dry for 30 days for the pure tung oil to cure before aplying any of the Sutherland Welles.
 
Dave and others,
Been speaking on the phone with representatives of both Sutherland Welles and Real Milk Co. So I can go over the existing pure tung oil with Sutherland Welles polymerized tung oil. The catch is I have to let the stock dry for 30 days for the pure tung oil to cure before aplying any of the Sutherland Welles.
Hi,
I would follow their advice. Your mistake was using the Milk Paint stuff and you may have to pay the price. I don't know who advised the Milk Paint pure tung oil product but it was not good advice. The standard polymerized tung oil is fine just choose the gloss. I prefer the medium gloss. One thing to always consider on this forum is never trust the advice of anyone who does not at least post photos of their work, particularly those recommending finishes.

dave
 
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Hi,
I would follow their advice. Your mistake was using the Milk Paint stuff and you may have to pay the price. I don't know who advised the Milk Paint pure tung oil product but it was not good advice. The standard polymerized tung oil is fine just choose the gloss. I prefer the medium gloss. One thing to always consider on this forum is never trust the advice of anyone who does not at least post photos of their work, particularly those recommending finishes.

dave
I chose to use the Real Milk Paint Co tung oil. Reasoning: tung oil has been used on many gun stocks, I had it on hand and they sell a top quality tung oil. So I majorly miss calculated the amount that the stock would soak up. I thought I had more than enough on hand. If I had realized I would’ve needed to order more I might have looked into a different product. Live and learn. Weather I finish it with Sutherland Wells or not I still have to wait the 30 days for it to cure.
 
DSCN1040.jpeg

A Tung oil finish as described. It takes a licking and keeps on ticking.
Robby
 
Hi,
Here are some facts to consider:
1. Minwax and Formby's tung oil finishes contain no actual oil, rather oil derivatives used to make a wiping varnish. In fact, Minwax "tung oil finish" may be derived from linseed oil, whereas Formby's at least uses derivatives from actual tung oil.
2. Pure tung and linseed oils dry very slowly and may not ever really cure. Tung oil has better water resistance than linseed oil but both are poor when applied as pure oil. Linseed oil darkens with age but tung oil does not.
3. Mixing tung oil (or linseed) with Japan driers, or varnish (urethane, spar, etc), creates a much improved finish that dries quickly and cures within a few days. It is a finish that can be built up on the surface and is much more weather resistant than pure oil.
4. Polymerized tung oil (or linseed) is pure oil heat treated and mixed with solvents such that it dries and cures quickly, and forms a pretty good weather resistant finish (but much less than modern alkyds, urethanes, and phenols). It seals wood quickly, and can produce a gloss. It can also be built up on the surface but it requires many very thin coats. It is critical that you wipe off all excess finish that pools on the surface before drying or the finish will be soft and gummy. Tru Oil is polymerized linseed oil mixed with solvents.
5. Linseed oil and linseed oil based varnishes was used by old time gun makers because it was available and cheap, not because it was a very good finish. The oil varnishes were a big improvement over the pure oil.
6. Fine finishes and sophisticated finishing methods are a late 19th to 20th century thing. Woodworkers during the 17th and 18th centuries did not fuss with finishes very much and did not spend much time doing them.

dave

^^^ That right there!
 
If you are interested in historically correct and commonly used finishes you should investigate violin varnishes. Violin varnishes are derived from common oils, are hard and tough and can be readily stained with traditional stains and pigments. You can easily purchase very historically accurate and carefully produced violin varnish from a luthier supply house.

If you are interested in making it yourself PLEASE do your research! Boiling linseed, tung, walnut or grapeseed oils produces large amounts of volital and very flammible gasses, is odorous and is quite dangerous.

Personally, I prefer a natural oil finish.
 
I shoot it quite regularly. It is a nice shooting and very accurate gun that even sees' inclement weather at the deerfield's.
Robby
 
If you are interested in historically correct and commonly used finishes you should investigate violin varnishes. Violin varnishes are derived from common oils, are hard and tough and can be readily stained with traditional stains and pigments. You can easily purchase very historically accurate and carefully produced violin varnish from a luthier supply house.

If you are interested in making it yourself PLEASE do your research! Boiling linseed, tung, walnut or grapeseed oils produces large amounts of volital and very flammible gasses, is odorous and is quite dangerous.

Personally, I prefer a natural oil finish.
To my knowledge quality violins were finished with shellac dissolved in alcohol. Point was to protect and beautify the wood without penetrating it which would change it’s tone. The shellac alcohol dries VERY quickly an minimizes penetration.
 

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