Primitive Archer
Main Discussion Area => Bows => Topic started by: DC on August 03, 2020, 12:10:40 pm
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I'm not good at finishes. I use "Tung" oil. If I apply it like I think the can says I have to wait for a couple or three days before the tackiness goes away. If I put on a thin coat it's tack free in a few hours(weather dependent) but I wonder if the wood is getting any protection from such a thin coat. By thin I mean just applying enough oil to darken the wood. I use a makeup pad and I wipe it off quite enthusiastically. When I put it on that thin is the wood getting any protection or is there just a thin layer of cured oil laying on top of the wood? Any guesses as to how many coats it needs if it's that thin?
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Tung oil is a great finish. Probably my all time favourite for wood bows. It has superb moisture resistance.
The trick is to cut it with white spirit 50/50 for the first few coats.
Apply a coat, let it sit for an hour or so then rub off any excess.
Use the dilute mix for 3 coats.
Then do as many coats as you can be bothered with of pure oil.
Sunlight, low humidity, air movement and temeprature all affect drying time.
When all is good it takes around 12 hours for a coat to dry properly.
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When you wipe it off, is it quite tacky?
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What do you apply it with?
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If you mean pure tung oil you need to do multiple coats. Even Tung oil "'finish" will need multiple coats just like tru-oil.
Just be patient and add a coat every few days and wipe off the excess. Many guys using tru-oil use about 10 coats.
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I apply it with my thumb and index finger. Like this I get the best feel for spreading the oil evenly. Sunlight and air really helps to speed things up.
PS: Congrats!! I knew you will hit the 200 rather soon than later. Really hope your obsession is still driving you...love your work...
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It's the thickness of the coat that I'm having trouble with. When you say wipe off the excess does that mean just enough so it won't(hopefully) run or do you wipe it off thoroughly?
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It's the thickness of the coat that I'm having trouble with. When you say wipe off the excess does that mean just enough so it won't(hopefully) run or do you wipe it off thoroughly?
I've not used tung oil on a bow, but I have finished tool handles and other hardwoods with it. I just wiped on a heavy coat with a blue paper towel, left it for 15-20 minutes and then wiped all the excess off with a clean blue paper towel. It never took longer than overnight for the stickiness to dry. I was using Minwax Tung Oil Finish in this case, which has some drying agents and maybe polymers in it to help dry faster. I used 4-5 coats until a sheen built up and left it there.
Mark
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Is "Tung" the same as a tung oil finish like Mark mentions? 100% tung acts different.
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No Tung oil finish is a different thing. It may not even contain Tung oil.
With any drying oil you're better off overwiping it.
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It's Minwax that why I put Tung in quotes. I thought that if I had said Minwax Tung Oil the topic would have dissolved into how it isn't Tung oil. I guess I never thought that they would behave that differently.
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Natural pure oil has to polymerize with oxygen reaction over time. The mixtures are loaded with quick drying agents and likely some resin as well.
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Armour all is suppose to make tung oil flash cure....do a search....
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Apparently it will also contaminate your shop and give you glue-up troubles for eternity.
Patience is better.
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Don't know...always did my finishing out side
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I found a lot of variability in various tung oil products. I gave up and switched to tru oil. Watco tung oil is ok. Formsbys is better but the bottles dont seal well and its components separate if not used in a while. If in a hurry I go with wipe on poly. I have thought about trying wax for additional protection.
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I love the tru-oil when I have the time, I have put on some of the best finishes on some of my Banjo necks and a few gun stocks,, I try to let it dry but I always seem to start rubbing it out when its a still tacky. Then it takes a lot of elbow grease to rub it out, I use brown paper bag ,wax paper, leather, 0000 steel wool. Rub it hard heat it up under what ever material I grab, I have put blasters on the plum of my hand more then once, plus I have stayed up all night before between coats to rub them out. But when finished it looks like glass but not a high gloss. More coats the better if you can hold up.
Lately on my bows if I use tru-oil I will let it tack up then rub it out with a little oil, it may be olive oil, linseed oil,lemon oil what ever is close by I also rub a cake of bees wax over the bow and the rub it hard till it heats up and rubs in, and to boot I may add some spruce or pine pitch bees wax mix and again rub the heck out of it.
Boy this is making my arms hurt just talking about it PS I also will burnish the bow with a hardwood dowel,bone.glass bottle.
Take care , Chuck
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It's the thickness of the coat that I'm having trouble with. When you say wipe off the excess does that mean just enough so it won't(hopefully) run or do you wipe it off thoroughly?
Yes wipe it off throughly. I use a lint free cloth to apply. wipe off with a clean cloth. Too thick and it will take forever to dry and won't ever dry hard properly.
Just get pure tung oil and what I said will work very well :)
I would stay well clear of any mixes, they just don't cut the mustard :) Drying agents etc....my drying agent is patience, sunlight and air movement :)
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I use Danish Oil, wipe on, first coat dry in a few hours... overnight for subsequent coats. Then a beeswax polish.
Del
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Not trying to advertise for any company but Real Milk Paint co has a good pure tung oil. They have 100% pure and a 50/50 mix. I like the 50/50 mix very well.