The LIES and confusion of Tung Oil wood finish

[NavyDoc76-80]

I had to chime in. In keeping with the confusion part of this title. There is very little mention of the brand Sutherland Welles polymerized Tung oil on this forum with the exception of Dave P. It is my choice for my new/old rifle project. In 50 years of playing with different wood finishes, this product beats them all. Is this for every wood finishing project, no, so don’t misunderstand. But for application, how it’s dry to the touch in 2-3 hours without feeling tacky, wood, smooth as glass, easily sheen adjustable etc etc, this is an excellent finish. And no, I’m not reapplying after 3 hours, I’m just saying. For me, I’ve used the minimum 24 hour rule. 2-3 more coats, I think, and done. Waiting to hear from the fat lady first though.

 

[wiscoaster]

.....There is very little mention of the brand Sutherland Welles polymerized Tung oil on this forum with the exception of Dave P. .....

Never heard of it so thanks for bringing to our attention. I'm going to try to find it and if I can will give it a try.

 

[NavyDoc76-80]

So I had to chime in. I just had an experience with pure Tung oil I wasn’t expecting. For the record, I used Walrus pure Tung oil. So, have this meaty knife from the 90’s. It’s marked Lifetime Cutlery Japan and Santa Fe Triple X Stainless Steel. I wanted to test the oil, so chose it. Maroon Scotch Brite rub down then smoothed up with 320 grit sandpaper. Bottle said wipe on, wipe off excess in 12-24 hours. Well, after an hour and a half, it was dry enough that no residue on fingers when rubbed. That goes against almost everything I’ve read. Just one more thing to consider.

 

[wiscoaster]

...... Well, after an hour and a half, it was dry enough that no residue on fingers when rubbed. That goes against almost everything I’ve read. Just one more thing to consider.

Was it because it soaked in?

 

[dave_person]

Hi,
Walrus tung oil generally leaves a low gloss or almost matte finish. Those "in the wood oil" finishes are not authentic looking on 18th and early 19th century firearm stocks at all. See if you can build up the Walrus tung oil to a satin sheen that completely fills the pores of the wood.

dave

 

[NavyDoc76-80]

Was it because it soaked in?

Well yes, no doubt that was the reason but my expectations were not as fast nor as easy (?). Thought there would be a wet layer to wipe off after so many hours. I get it, in comparison to a larger hunk of wood, it may or may not react similar. Also species of wood etc can effect results. Like most adventurers. Try it, you may like it. Or hate it. Gonna add a second coat after this. Will be interesting to see what it does.

 

[NavyDoc76-80]

Hi,
Walrus tung oil generally leaves a low gloss or almost matte finish. Those "in the wood oil" finishes are not authentic looking on 18th and early 19th century firearm stocks at all. See if you can build up the Walrus tung oil to a satin sheen that completely fills the pores of the wood.

dave

Challenge excepted.

 

[NavyDoc76-80]

Moving on to the stock. I have decided, last nights coat was the final coat needed using Southern Welles. Very pleased with results. Being a bit of a rebel, I did 2 coats 50/50, 3 coats 75/25, 1 coat at 100%

 

[PeteStevens]

I had to chime in. In keeping with the confusion part of this title. There is very little mention of the brand Sutherland Welles polymerized Tung oil on this forum with the exception of Dave P. It is my choice for my new/old rifle project. In 50 years of playing with different wood finishes, this product beats them all. Is this for every wood finishing project, no, so don’t misunderstand. But for application, how it’s dry to the touch in 2-3 hours without feeling tacky, wood, smooth as glass, easily sheen adjustable etc etc, this is an excellent finish. And no, I’m not reapplying after 3 hours, I’m just saying. For me, I’ve used the minimum 24 hour rule. 2-3 more coats, I think, and done. Waiting to hear from the fat lady first though.

Just ordered some.

 

[NavyDoc76-80]

Just ordered some.

You should check out some of Dave Person posts on here. He has a lot of experience using this brand.

 

[Philip Lebow]

We use polymerized linseed oil in bulk, mixed with Japan drier. Looks good, dries fairly quick, but we do a lot of
old and modern wood stocks.. I like the spray on urethane-oil finish for fast one-off jobs.

 

[NavyDoc76-80]

Going off topic but here’s a pic of a Thompson Center 50 cal Hawken, my next project, cause I am not a fan of the poly urethane look.

 

[Rifleman1776]

The Ped. BB kit I built I finished with pure tung oil. It dried fine and provided excellent moisture protection.

 

[NavyDoc76-80]

The Ped. BB kit I built I finished with pure tung oil. It dried fine and provided excellent moisture protection.

I’d love to see a pic

 

[PeteStevens]

You should check out some of Dave Person posts on here. He has a lot of experience using this brand.

Yup going by what he says, he’s the master.