# Formby's Tung Oil Finish (low gloss) replacement?



## ioinva (Dec 29, 2020)

I have a half-finished project where I used Fornby's Tung Oil Finish, Low Gloss, and my can is now empty. I see it available online for about $90 - $100 / pint, and the company was bought by MinWax who has their own "Tung Oil Finish" which builds up glossy.

What is the closest I can get to the original finish? Buy a pure Tung Oil product (and how do I apply it?) or buy some other product?

My project started by refinishing an oak kitchen cabinet and placing it in the dining room (furniture-like finish which we really loved) and now we are trying to extend that in the kitchen, on refinished and new cabinets. This is. DYI project, we are home owners. I am concerned that as we are working through our project, we will eventually fail to find the product, even at exorbitant prices. (My job in the project is finishing the cabinets)

Thank you,

Ioana


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

You could use the minwax tung oil finish or the pure tung oil and add a flattening agent to it. Interlux makes a flattening agent that could be added to the finish. Another option would be to purchase a can of satin or flat polyurethane and without stirring it gently pour off the liquid part of the finish until what is left is the goo in the bottom which is the flattening agent. Then fill the can with the gloss tung oil and stir it. The outcome of the sheen will be unknown so try it on some scraps first and see if you like it. You may need to flatten it more or add more gloss.

The poly that you pour off should be good to use but should be a high gloss.


----------



## Jay_L (Oct 16, 2020)

Waterlox original or Sutherland Welles PTO, hard oil, or wiping varnish...


----------



## ioinva (Dec 29, 2020)

Steve Neul said:


> You could use the minwax tung oil finish or the pure tung oil and add a flattening agent to it. Interlux makes a flattening agent that could be added to the finish. Another option would be to purchase a can of satin or flat polyurethane and without stirring it gently pour off the liquid part of the finish until what is left is the goo in the bottom which is the flattening agent. Then fill the can with the gloss tung oil and stir it. The outcome of the sheen will be unknown so try it on some scraps first and see if you like it. You may need to flatten it more or add more gloss.
> 
> The poly that you pour off should be good to use but should be a high gloss.


Flattening agent!!! wow, i have some reading to do... 👀


----------



## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

ioinva said:


> Flattening agent!!! wow, i have some reading to do... 👀


A flattening agent looks like baby powder in dry form. The way it works is the powder floats to the surface of paint as it dries and interrupts the sheen. The more of this powder that is added to the finish the flatter it is. Before the lawyers started going after the baby powder companies you could if you had to use talcum powder as a flattening agent. I would be really apprehensive in trying corn starch in a finish. That is why I recommended using the goo in the bottom of a can of a can of polyurethane. In a satin varnish it may be as much as 20% of the can of finish so it takes a lot.


----------



## ioinva (Dec 29, 2020)

Steve Neul said:


> A flattening agent looks like baby powder in dry form. The way it works is the powder floats to the surface of paint as it dries and interrupts the sheen. The more of this powder that is added to the finish the flatter it is. Before the lawyers started going after the baby powder companies you could if you had to use talcum powder as a flattening agent. I would be really apprehensive in trying corn starch in a finish. That is why I recommended using the goo in the bottom of a can of a can of polyurethane. In a satin varnish it may be as much as 20% of the can of finish so it takes a lot.


This is a pretty fantastic idea. I have both a satin polyuretane and a high gloss Fornby's... hmmm... I knew I would learn something on this forum.. Thank you!


----------



## ioinva (Dec 29, 2020)

Jay_L said:


> Waterlox original or Sutherland Welles PTO, hard oil, or wiping varnish...


I will look at these ... right after I crash and burn through the flattening agent idea.... Thank you!


----------

