# Old Masters tung oil varnish problem



## Littlefield (Sep 2, 2018)

I finished a black walnut table with several coats of tung oil finish waiting a day between coats. It’s been about about 3 weeks. The table water stains terribly and the stains won’t wipe off. Thinking I need to apply a top coat of something. 
Is this normal? The finish is advertised as water and alcohol resistant.


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## John Smith_inFL (Jul 4, 2018)

*could you please go through the process of applying this product ??
from start to finish.*
water and alcohol resistant is not the same as waterPROOF.
try to refrain from placing wet objects on the table for any length of time.
a good marine spar varnish is _highly_ water resistant. (think of wooden boats).
if you have some woodworking skills, make some coasters and trivets for people
to place their wet things on - and save your table that you have put so much of
yourself into.

here is another forum post of the same issue.
https://www.finewoodworking.com/forum/old-masters-tung-oil-varnish-wont-dry

is this what you used ?


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## sgcz75b (Mar 16, 2019)

Is the table top the least bit tacky? What was the relative humidity when you applied the finish?


With many wipe-on/wipe off finishes, I err on the side of a long wait, particularly if there's high humidity.


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## Littlefield (Sep 2, 2018)

I applied the tung oil varnish by wet sanding with 220, 400 and 600 grits then put on 3 more coats. Fine steel wool between coats.
Think I’ll let it dry a few more weeks as it still smells a little of the finish. May end up putting on a protective coat of spar varnish as protecting it is not in the cards.


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## Krawler (Apr 15, 2019)

Hi Littlefield,

I bet the problem is the fine sandpaper. The varnish has nothing to cling too when the wood is that smooth. I typically only go to 180 before applying a finish. 

Good luck!


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## sgcz75b (Mar 16, 2019)

Was this a refinish job or applied to "new" wood?


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Littlefield said:


> I finished a black walnut table with several coats of tung oil finish waiting a day between coats. It’s been about about 3 weeks. The table water stains terribly and the stains won’t wipe off. Thinking I need to apply a top coat of something.
> Is this normal? The finish is advertised as water and alcohol resistant.


Keep in mind that any finish that contains tung oil is going to dry really slow. 24 hours drying time may not be enough. If it was 100% tung oil it could take a week for a coat to dry. The best way to tell if a tung oil finish is dry enough for another coat is to briskly rub the finish with a clean dry cloth and see if the smell rubs off on the rag. If any varnish is rushed, being coated over before it dries it takes a very long time before the finish achieves it's full hardness. 

If you are looking for waterproof then coat the table with 100% tung oil. It sounds like there is too little tung oil in the finish. Tung oil finish is a blend of different hardening oils which tung oil is only a part. Another option would be polyurethane. 

Even with several coats you may not have enough. Is there a thickness of finish about the thickness of a lawn and leaf trash bag? This would be 3 mils of finish and it takes that thickness to be waterproof.


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## Tony B (Jul 30, 2008)

Water and alcohol resistant in the practical sense means if it gets wet, wipe it up immediately and that means really immediately.
These old-timey finishes are attractive to people that want to stick to tradition.There is nothing wrong with sticking to tradition for tradition's sake but keep in mind that If the old ways were better, we would still be doing it that way. 

Now back to your situation........... applying more coats or waiting longer for it to dry will not really solve the problem. if it were me, and it once was, i would/did strip it off with a good stripper and start all over again. This time use polyurethane since you are new I figure spraying is not an option. If you have to explain the stripper to your wife, just blame it on me.


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