Tacky tung oil

WOW, I got more than I bargained for on this post. Tons of great advice.

I gave a minimum of 24 hours between coats. Usually three days. I did wait to long after on one coat. The Tung oil was partially set up by time I went to wipe it down. It smeared rather than buffed out.

I did slathered it on rather than light coats. It wiped down nicely except for the one I let sit to long. I did set it out in the sun for a day. No real noticeable difference.

I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the pellet gun stock yet. I will be following the recommendations on my next stock project.

Thank You Gentlemen
 
may seem unconventinal

try spraying it with armor all and see if that dries it. Alternating coats of birch wood casy true oil and armor all work well the armor oil seems to work as a hardening agent to the BWC oil and otherwise the humidity around here traditional oil finish dry's slowly
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55 years ago I was putting linseed oil on gunstocks.

25 years ago I was buying Tung oil in 5 gallon buckets. That was for base boards I was making on a moulder planer.

Now I finish wood gunstocks like a salad bowl or cutting board; mineral oil followed with beeswax.
 
The tables did look nice, but it was the finish that really impressed me. I thought maybe it was a professional secret, but he said it was Waterlox Original. He said to put down a primer coat first, and he used Watco Danish Oil for that. Then 4 coats of Waterlox should be all you need.
Click to expand...

As always, finishing wood comes down to your own favorite methods and recipes.

Waterlox recommends thinning the first coat to allow it to penetrate, or using Waterlox Sealer (a thinned version of Waterlox Original) as a base coat.

I prefer thinning Waterlox Original with 30% turpentine for the first coat as the method I use is to "feed" the wood (adding more finish to dry spots) for 30-40 minutes - and then wiping the wood almost dry.

For subsequent coats I like to thin it 10% because I find the consistency of Waterlox Original too thick to easily wipe evenly. The thinned oil wipes far more easily and, I find, results in a more even coat.

I am, however, a bit stumped as to why anyone would use Watco Oil as a base coat for Waterlox as Waterlox application instructions recommend not using any type of oil or other finish as a base for Waterlox.

Watco Oil is linseed oil, vegetable oil, gilsonite, dipropylene glycol monomethyl ether (an oxidizer), resin (probably alkyd), and stoddard solvent.

That would not be the best base coat for Waterlox as the ingredients in Watco Oil result in a relatively soft finish when compared to the tung oil / phenolic resin in Waterlox.

But, as always with a wood finish - it's what you can make work and have had success applying.

The fact he sells things for $6K is impressive, however, I've varnished boats that cost in excess of $80K and have required special staining techniques, and up to 12 coats of varnish plus individually filling each screw plug with a drop of varnish for 4-5 coats to level the surface.

I rarely pull out bona fides, but I've had a little experience in finishing expensive things for a lot of money myself - and I take what I do for other people very seriously and try to learn as much as I can about the products I'm using so that I can guarantee the performance of the finish.
 
For reference see attached photo's.

Thanks for your help.
 

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Buckhorn, the pro told me that The Waterlox primer or thinned Waterlox worked great as a first coat, but it was expensive. The Watco is relatively cheap, and all any of them accomplish is to seal the wood. Only problem I can see is that the Watco is slow to dry. Minwax Antique Oil works just as well as a primer and dries much faster. I use the Watco because it seems to penetrate better, though I can't prove that, even to myself. As long as the finishes are compatible, I don't think it matters much, or at all, which you use as a primer, though I may be wrong.

I just turned a big walnut bowl a week or three ago. Used the Watco and put Waterlox over it and it is without doubt the best finished bowl I ever made. Beautiful. Hated to give it to the nephew I had promised it to.

But ya GOTTA be sure that Watco is dry, or the top coat won't dry. You can guess how I know that.
 
Tung Oil Finish

I use tung oil on all the furniture I make and on my own gun stocks. Make sure that you use a tung oil that has been thinned with an additive for the first coat so that it fills the pores of the wood. Then go to the pure tung for 3 coats. I like to just use my hands for all applications, rubbing it in. Keep the coats thin I can't emphasize it enough. You don't need to GLOB it on. Let each coat set for at least 2 days. You are making a masterpiece so don't rush it... longer is gooder.
Get in touch with me if you have more questions. I live in the Northwest and the oil is great for our wet winters. Tung oil is easy... just add another coat at the end of your hunting season after the wood has had a chance to acclimate to your indoor temp.

Larry
 
I won't argue the merits of the old school oil finish.

I will suggest using oil is not like putting on a coat of paint or varnish.

There are ways to fill the pores of the wood before applying finish.A pretty direct way is using a gunstock wood filler such as is sold by Brownells.

No argument with thinning,striving to get a little penetration,etc..

I read something once written by the author of "Recreating the ?Pennsylvania??? Long rifle,John Bivens.He spoke of marinating the stock in a plastic lined trough full of Woodlife...but then you wipe it all off.

But its better to think of putting an oil finish INTO the wood,rather than ON the wood.

Some may disagree,but I use only a few drops of oil on my hands.My hands are the tools that rub it in.Rub till its hot,rub some more.Only use enough oil to have something to rub..I'm not a chemist,but I get the idea that you are tangling up molecules when you do it.Cross-linking.

If the idea of picking it back up in 15 min,or an hour,or two makes you worry about fingerprints,you had it too wet.

It should be a patina,not a coat.Over time,the patina will "grow"

Its a little like seasoning a cast iron pan.
 
Back in the day, when Tru-Oil was in the small glass bottles, we used those for applying the finish, and bought pints to refill them. The small bottles are plastic now. Anyhow, the small bottle holds enough for several stocks, and you can dip a finger in it, to the bottom.

The way I applied the finish was just that, by dipping a finger in, then rubbing that oil into the wood, applying a thin coat all over. Now, I wear Nitrile surgical gloves, to save on the cleanup. Another way, is to pour out a small puddle onto the stock, and work it in by hand, until the coat is thin.

After the first coat dries, rub it smooth with 0000 steel wool or 600 grit paper. Keep doing this with each coat that feels rough after drying and using the steel wool, until the final coat, if you want a shiny finish. It generally takes about 4+ thin coats to do it. If you want to dull that finish, use the 0000 steel wool, or rotten stone with a felt pad. When done, I used some Johnson's wax, and a wool buffer.

You can use pre-made stock filler, if you want the pores filled. There are some formulas for making a filler too, but it is much easier to buy it. I used French Red filler.

Last, sanding is the key to a super-smooth finish, and I went all the way to 600 grit screen-cloth, where the wood was so smooth that it looked to have finish on it, when it didn't. The grain will still raise a little, after the first coat, but either 0000 steel wool or 600 grit paper, will smooth that out before you apply the next coat. You want it super smooth before the final finish coat, and allow it to dry in a dust-free place.
 
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