# tung oil (temp and purity) -question



## music321 (May 29, 2012)

is there a minimum temp. above which tung oil should be applied? I've heard 55 degrees F, but don't know if there's any truth to this.

Also, what's the advantage of pure tung oil? I have some tung that contains "petroleum distillates". Is it a question of the final color, or something more?

finally, how long should I wait between applications?

thanks.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

I don't work with tung oil enough to give you advice. Give me a day or two and I will find out from someone that does.


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Steve Neul said:


> I don't work with tung oil enough to give you advice. Give me a day or two and I will find out from someone that does.


You could just ask the same question on another forum. Try WoodNet.









 







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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

cabinetman said:


> You could just ask the same question on another forum. Try WoodNet.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


That was exactly my plan and this is what Chemmy said:
Steve, it's not whether or not it can be, but more so how it will dry at lower temps than that. Below 55 the natural contained volatiles that would normally evaporate off, do so much more slowly. where as on a 70-80 degree temp application with good ventilation, you could expect it to be dry enough to recoat or put into service in 7-10 days at minimum, at say 50 or 40, it could take and would take a month or more per coat to reach the same degree of surface oxidation. If your use of it in cold whether is small object, i would advise you to build a room big enough to house the item you plan on doing and keep the temp above 75 degrees ok?


Also, what's the advantage of pure tung oil? I have some tung that contains "petroleum distillates". Is it a question of the final color, or something more?


Depends on what tung your using. polymerized, requires less time, straight pure tung alot longer, i usually wait as said 7-10 days minimum for the upper oil to be oxidized well enough so that when i rub it briskly with a dry rag for a minute or so, i can detect no tung odor either on the rag or in the immediate surrounding air. It will be a much longer time before the rest of the oil reaches that point. Again you really want fresh polymerized oil for wood finishing not behlens pure tung or others. polymerized is capable of being a good surface film finish if you know what your doing, which few do. Enough said. 




fredhargis said: Pure tung oil is, well, tung oil. Anything with additives isn't..sounds simple but with today's marketing there are several products labeled tung oil that have nary a drop of it in them. I think of "real" tung oil as about the same as BLO, only a lot more expensive. When using that I seldom (never) apply more than one coat, and have never used it in temps below 50°. Not saying you can't, just that I haven't done it. Most commercial "tung oils" are little more than danish oil, or maybe wiping varnish.


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## music321 (May 29, 2012)

Thanks for the help. I just ordered some pure polymerized tung oil, which was surprisingly difficult to find. If I understand you correctly, I should wait until a coat is without odor and seems "dry" before adding more, but this doesn't mean that it's dry underneath.

how does the oil not being dry underneath affect things? should I take this into account when waiting to do something else? for instance, in this case, I'll be using a top coat of tough marine varnish. should I wait a few extra weeks before doing this? thanks.


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

music321 said:


> Thanks for the help. I just ordered some pure polymerized tung oil, which was surprisingly difficult to find. If I understand you correctly, I should wait until a coat is without odor and seems "dry" before adding more, but this doesn't mean that it's dry underneath.
> 
> how does the oil not being dry underneath affect things? should I take this into account when waiting to do something else? for instance, in this case, I'll be using a top coat of tough marine varnish. should I wait a few extra weeks before doing this? thanks.


 If you are going to topcoat with a marine grade varnish I would have just used that and not the tung oil. Tung oil is a good product but it will seal the wood giving you a lesser bond to the wood with the marine varnish especially if the project is used outdoors. It can be done but if you want to but I would limit the tung oil to one coat and let it dry for a couple of weeks. Then sand it with 220x paper and coat with the varnish.

You might want to go to woodnet.com and read the post I made on your behalf. There is a great deal of information that has been added since I posted this message here. Look for tung oil question and my name in the finishing section.


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## music321 (May 29, 2012)

hey steve, 

i appreciate the amount of effort you put into getting me answers. thanks!


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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

music321 said:


> hey steve,
> 
> i appreciate the amount of effort you put into getting me answers. thanks!


 Tung oil is just something I don't really use. It was good for me to bone up on the stuff. There's no telling when someone may wish for me to finish something with it so I would hate to find out the hard way.


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## Purrmaster (Jul 19, 2012)

I just got some pure tung oil from Woodcraft. It says to thin it with paint thinner for the first few coats. Where I live it's going to be cold and wet for the next 6 months or so. I'd like to try out the tung oil. I'm testing out different finishes (that don't require spraying) and tung oil and boiled linseed oil are next on my list.

Do you have to wait a long time between coats of tung oil? Or can you slap on a coat, wait a day, and slap on another coat and then give the oil a long time to dry?

I've also heard of filling grain with tung oil. How could you fill in grain with oil?


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## cabinetman (Jul 5, 2007)

Purrmaster said:


> I just got some pure tung oil from Woodcraft. It says to thin it with paint thinner for the first few coats. Where I live it's going to be cold and wet for the next 6 months or so. I'd like to try out the tung oil. I'm testing out different finishes (that don't require spraying) and tung oil and boiled linseed oil are next on my list.
> 
> Do you have to wait a long time between coats of tung oil? Or can you slap on a coat, wait a day, and slap on another coat and then give the oil a long time to dry?
> 
> I've also heard of filling grain with tung oil. How could you fill in grain with oil?


Depending on where you are, and the temperature, it will take longer than a day. Figure 3-5 days or longer.









 







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## Steve Neul (Sep 2, 2011)

Purrmaster said:


> I just got some pure tung oil from Woodcraft. It says to thin it with paint thinner for the first few coats. Where I live it's going to be cold and wet for the next 6 months or so. I'd like to try out the tung oil. I'm testing out different finishes (that don't require spraying) and tung oil and boiled linseed oil are next on my list.
> 
> Do you have to wait a long time between coats of tung oil? Or can you slap on a coat, wait a day, and slap on another coat and then give the oil a long time to dry?
> 
> I've also heard of filling grain with tung oil. How could you fill in grain with oil?


Tung oil is something that each coat needs to dry 100% before applying another coat. Depending on the tung oil and the weather it may take a few days or a month. The way to tell if the coat of tung oil is dry is to briskly rub the surface with a clean solf cloth and smell the rag. If there is a tung oil odor on the rag then it's not dry yet. A polymerized tung oil will dry faster. Linseed oil will dry faster than either. Another option is a Danish oil finish which is a oil/varnish blend.


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