# Using a hair dryer to dry tung oil??



## JL2556 (Feb 8, 2014)

Hi folks, 1st post here. I'm reshaping the back of a guitar neck and want to tung oil it afterwards. I have done a few before this way and hate the dry times. My question is, after I wipe down the excess and if I'm REALLY careful with a hair drier and don't stay in 1 spot too long, and keep my distance, would this help speed up the drying process without damaging the neck or causing blotching etc.? I think my wife's hair dryer has a button to kill the heat so I could do that if it's safer.
I have quite a bit of experiance behid a heat gun that I use at work so i think I should be O.K. but want to make sure.


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## Fred Hargis (Apr 28, 2012)

Most finishes that react with oxygen ( real tung oil as well as other stuff labeled "Tung Oil" among them) will cure faster with some air moving over it. But you could also just use a small fan set back a little bit, or any other device that moves air and doesn't require you to hold it. But I'm talking hours, not minutes and I suspect most hair dryers aren't built for continuous service.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

I would be reluctant to force air dry the oil. You may change the MC in the wood causing movement issues.









 







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## Brian T. (Dec 19, 2012)

Fred Hargis got the biochemistry correct. This isn't an issue of some solvent drying/evaporating. There's the chemical combination, oxidation, of the components with the oxygen in the air.

Do the guitar the right way. That's where bragging rights come from.

I do not like the idea of forced air. Maybe you're a far better housekeeper that me but there's always some pocket of dust that gets stirred up, even pet hair, that can and will garnish your finish.

I have a big, 12 drawer print drying rack left over from my B&W large format days. Using a lot of MinWax Tung Oil Protective finish on my wood carvings these days. I tuck the carvings into the drawers (screen bottoms) and move onto the next project.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I don't like the idea of a hair dryer. You can force dry it to touch and what is underneath is still soft and needs more time. Then if you apply another coat then you have wet tung oil on wet tung oil. The most I would suggest it putting a window fan blowing on it to accellerate the drying time. Tung oil is just a slow drying finish that needs a lot of patience. When a coat is dry enough to recoat you can briskly rub the finish with a clean cloth and the tung oil smell doesn't rub off on the cloth.


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## Quickstep (Apr 10, 2012)

I think I don't like the idea of the hair dryer or the tung oil. I think tung oil will make for a neck that for all your work may be hard to move your hand back and forth on and may not provide much in the way of wear resistance. Also, applying heat to a guitar neck is a risk not worth taking. The guys on my banjo making forum like Tru-Oil on their banjo necks when they want an oil finish.


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