Replies

1. 
   DougF | Jul 01, 2005 04:58pm | #1

   Walnut is a fairly porous wood and the problem may be that you are judging the results based on the first coat.  I have not used T & T but similar wipe-on oil/varnishes require many coats before you start to "feel" the finish.  Can you provide a little more detail describing the problem.

   
   

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   Edited 7/1/2005 10:00 am ET by Doug

2. 
   user-343246 | Jul 01, 2005 09:54pm | #2

   T&T takes a very long time (30-60 days) to cure up.  The hotter / dryer the climate, the better.  Leaving the work in a cold, wet basement isn't going to help matters. Something that you could put on it is Boiled Linseed Oil (BLO / linseed oil with chemical dryers).  The dryers in the BLO may help speed up the process.  Since T&T is just linseed oil, it shouldn't change the appearance too much (read: test on scrap first).

   Another mix that works great over the T&T is the "maloof 2nd coat".  Take 8 oz. BLO, 8 oz. PURE tung oil and a couple of handfulls of shredded beeswax and melt it over a double boiler (electric and outside).  Just wipe on, let sit for a few minutes, and wipe off.

   -Matt

    

3. 
   Rich14 | Jul 02, 2005 12:15am | #3

   Bubinga,

   If you do a search of this site you will find many, many posts about this kind of thing. The people who have trouble with T&T swear it will not harden. The "True Believers" accuse the ones having problems of not applying it per instruction, of applying it under the wrong temperature and humidity conditions, etc.,  and the messages go on and on about heating the mixture to apply it, applying it very sparingly "as per instructions," yadda, yadda, yadda.

   I tried and tried to make it work. I bought three different batches from three different suppliers. It never worked. It didn't harden on the wood. It didn't get stiff on the used rags. It never did anything but wet the wood. I have a (long) lifetime of wood finishing experience and believe I do know how to apply an oil finish, or at least to follow direction on a can of the stuff, or an article in FWW.

   I don't doubt those who say the stuff works for them. But T&T must have a really horrible quality control issue, because it appears that there are lots of batches out there that have no ability to harden. And the nonsense about its safety due to absence of driers is just hype.

   Don't waste any more time with it. Oil finishes are supposed to be (technically) easy. Plain ol' Boiled Linseed Oil or any commercial oil/varnish preparation will work no matter how you try to screw them up. T&T is snake oil.

   Rich
1. 
   bubinga | Jul 02, 2005 08:53am | #4

   I checked out past postings. Not encouraging.
   What happens if I put some Varnish over it?
   What happens if I put a "standard" oil varnish on it?
   Thanks to all for the responses.
   Cheers
   Joe

1. 
   Rich14 | Jul 02, 2005 06:37pm | #5

   Joe,Give it at least 2 weeks, then rub it down well with mineral spirits or naphtha to remove any persistent unpolymerized T&T.I think a subsequent oil-based varnish or an oil/varnish preparation will have enough drier in it to take care the residual polymerization that needs to complete in the T&T layer.Rich

4. 
   sharpblade | Jul 04, 2005 04:49am | #6

   I got my latest FWW issue a couple weeks ago (#178) but didn't get to look at it till yesterday at the beach:-) Article about wipe-on finishes, author compares ~17 finishes based on desirable characteristics..... getting  to the point, guess which ones fares worst. Yup, T&T varnish oil. "hard to apply, hardly penetrates the wood, has no sheen, is expensive, and - worst of all- doesn't dry."  You got yourself a winner :-)

1. 
   bubinga | Jul 04, 2005 06:58am | #7

   The issues always arrive a couple of weeks too late! ;-)
   Joe

1. 
   WhitePower88 | Jul 17, 2005 10:00pm | #8

   I just put Tried and True Danish oil on a pine project last week and have already built up two coats. I'm no expert, but I've buffed each coat with 0000 steel wool, and as per FWW, found it to be dusty like a dry oil should be. I heated the oil in a pot of simmering water before applying, and I've made sure my humidifier has been running constantly since I applied it. It seems to be ok.

1. 
   troys | Jul 18, 2005 06:57am | #9

   I used this product on a cherry china cabinet and it took a long time to dry. I live in the San Francisco bay area and my garage is a bit cool. It took several weeks to cure all the way. I honestly don't see to much difference between this product and watco for the end results. Smells better though.