# Tung oil nightmare



## Bravo25 (Sep 5, 2011)

I have a desk that I am restoring and I want to get a high gloss tung oil finish on it. I have applied enough coats that I can sand absolutely smooth with 800 grit on an orbital sander. I have tried wiping and brushing a final coal. Wiping does not get me a uniform coat. Brushing with even the best brushes causes micro bubbles. I have tried full strength and thinned. I am using miniwax tung oil ( I know it is not pure, but it is what I have). So I am wondering if sanding and buffing can give me the same high gloss as a fresh coat of oil and if so what would be good products for this?
Thanks


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## Bravo25 (Sep 5, 2011)

For the benefit of someone else with this question I can now answer it. Several attempts at buffing and polishing tung oil do not return the same high gloss as a fresh coat. This would bring me to another question....
Will pure tung oil go on better and will it return a high gloss finish?

Thanks for any suggestions....


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Bravo25 said:


> For the benefit of someone else with this question I can now answer it. Several attempts at buffing and polishing tung oil do not return the same high gloss as a fresh coat. This would bring me to another question....
> Will pure tung oil go on better and will it return a high gloss finish?
> 
> Thanks for any suggestions....













What you applied was not pure Tung oil, but a mix of varnish resin, BLO (boiled linseed oil), and mineral spirits. There was likely no Tung oil in it at all. Could have been soy oil. 

A pure Tung oil application would have to be 100% pure Tung oil from the beginning. Applying pure Tung oil on top of what you already have will do little to nothing. 

With enough applications of what you already applied, it can be wet sanded and polished out.












 







.


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## Bravo25 (Sep 5, 2011)

Thank you for your reply. Could you tell me if varnish can be added to pure tung oil? The effect I am looking for is a high gloss glass like finish and from what I have read pure tung oil will not build up.

Thanks


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## Manuka Jock (Jun 27, 2011)

It is next to impossible to get a glass like finish with an oil/poly mix , (especially so if the wood is an open grained one ) . 
Shellac and then lacquer might be the only way to achieve the look you desire .

I apply the final coat ( in fact all ) of rubbing oil with a brush , lay it off as per a varnish , let it level out and then polish it dry . 
Its' not a french polish glass finish , but it is a glossy one .


shaking the can rather than stirring the mix can create bubbles


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## davesplane (Apr 26, 2010)

try using waterlox, it comes in a satin or i high gloss finish and it is a true tung oil product.


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## RyanLincoln (Jun 25, 2011)

Tung oil is very easy to maintain. You can always sand back a bit and reapply if needed, or just use 0000 steel wool to buff out any glossy areas. Just make sure to remove or cover the pickups with something because steel wool sheds and the fibers will stick to the magnets and are very hard to remove. The tung oil Carvin uses is Minwax Tung Oil Finish.


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## scribesf.com (Sep 23, 2011)

*high gloss.*

First you can add varnish to tung oil. It simply gives you a harder n potentially more brittle finish. 

However if you're like me n want an all natural finish. Four coats of pure tung oil cut by 50% with ...I use citrus solvent but u can use mineral spirits if u don't mind chemicals. Wait at least 18 hrs between coats, always wipe the excess oil off the top of the wood about 45 min after application, depending on the wood. Just let the wood drink as much as possible. You don't want the oil to end up covering the wood, you want to fill it. Where the tung oil acts unlike any other oil and actually hardens. Then you have some choices, polish/burnish to desired sheen. Or add a few coats of wax, n polish it to desired sheen.


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