# Turpentine vs Mineral Spirits



## Quickstep (Apr 10, 2012)

I've often thought that Turpentine was a better thinner than mineral spirits for things like varnish or tung oil, but I don't hear turpentine mentioned much anymore. I'm curious for everyone's thoughts; is one better than the other? If so, what about one makes it superior?


----------



## Toolman50 (Mar 22, 2015)

Quickstep said:


> I've often thought that Turpentine was a better thinner than mineral spirits for things like varnish or tung oil, but I don't hear turpentine mentioned much anymore. I'm curious for everyone's thoughts; is one better than the other? If so, what about one makes it superior?


I'm interested in hearing the replies on this topic. I've not used turpentine in years primarily because I hate the smell of the stinky stuff. 
I use mineral spirits almost exclusively for oil based finishes.


----------



## Woodenhorse (May 24, 2011)

They're pretty much interchangeable. My preference is for the low odor mineral spirits.


----------



## RandyReed (Jul 30, 2014)

Turpentine has a strong odor as said above. However, its one of the most compatible solvents for oil paint. Its has a pretty fast drying time, but its relatively aggressive in its solvent action. It is the distilled sap of a pine tree.

Mineral Spirits is good, but not quite as compatible with oil paint as Turpentine is and has a slower drying time than Turpentine......this is the main reason it is used more because you have more workability when using mineral spirits in a wipe stain, other than the strong smell of turpentine which most people dont care for. Mineral spirits is not as aggressive as Turpentine is. Mineral spirits is a distillation of petroleum.

Most companies opt to buy remanufactured mineral spirits due to its cheaper cost, and in some cases, its availablity. Ive never seen a factory use turpentine for as long as I have been on the finishing side......and I started in 1987.


----------



## ChiknNutz (Apr 22, 2011)

Personally I love the smell of Turpentine. I use it when making homemade "Danish Oil" which is equal parts of BLO or Tung Oil, Polyurethane or Varnish and Turpentine or Mineral Spirits.


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Turpentine truly is a better solvent for oil based finishes. It's just not as available as paint thinner or mineral spirits. I tried to buy some last year and none of the lumber companies had it nor did Sherwin Williams. The best I could do is buy a turpentine substitute called turpenoid at a art supply store.


----------



## zmusashi (Dec 31, 2006)

Someone recommended Linseed Oil and turpentine as an oil finish for butcher block counters. I wonder if there be'd any reason to try to locate real turpentine in this case, perhaps for it's food safe properties? Other Mineral spirits including Naptha and so on might not be food safe? But although Turpentine comes from trees, that might not mean food safe either? Since in this thread its been alleged to smell far worse? I also wonder about the properties of assisting penetration of the oil into the maple block, which could include a longer drying time...?

I should have been a lawyer >;-D


----------



## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

After 2 years, something tells me either the counters are plenty dry or the OP is dead from a toxic finish. Either way, there was no need to revive a dead thread other than to inflate a post count


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

zmusashi said:


> Someone recommended Linseed Oil and turpentine as an oil finish for butcher block counters. I wonder if there be'd any reason to try to locate real turpentine in this case, perhaps for it's food safe properties? Other Mineral spirits including Naptha and so on might not be food safe? But although Turpentine comes from trees, that might not mean food safe either? Since in this thread its been alleged to smell far worse? I also wonder about the properties of assisting penetration of the oil into the maple block, which could include a longer drying time...?
> 
> I should have been a lawyer >;-D


Linseed oil is safe. It is derived from Flaxseeds. It can be used as an oil finish but takes a lot of coats to make a finish. It's often used mixed with tung oil as the hardening oils in varnish. 

As far as being used in a finish, all oil based products will yellow as they age so might not be a good choice for light colored woods like maple. 

The bottom line is all modern finishes are food safe. 

Turpentine mixes with the finish easier than mineral spirits or naphtha because it is derived from the resin of pine tree. It's more of a thin oil rather than a chemical solvent. All of which will evaporate as the finish dries and when the finish dries it's food safe.


----------



## Quickstep (Apr 10, 2012)

epicfail48 said:


> After 2 years, something tells me either the counters are plenty dry or the OP is dead from a toxic finish. Either way, there was no need to revive a dead thread other than to inflate a post count



Hey! Don't write me off so quick! Still alive!!


----------



## epicfail48 (Mar 27, 2014)

Quickstep said:


> Hey! Don't write me off so quick! Still alive!!


Guess the tables dry then


----------

