Replies

1. 
   SWW | May 23, 2005 07:47pm | #1

   I see no experts have chimed in. I had one experience using Tried & True. I was finishing Poplar. I tried adding TransTint dye to it. The result was very uneven penetration of the dye into the wood. End grain and sapwood got very dark and muddy looking. Face grain and heart wood seemed not to absorb much of anything. Didn't look good at all.

   BTW The label says that Tried & True contains some kind of wax. If so, I think you might run into trouble putting another finish over it. Maybe the experts can comment on this.

   FWIW You might try using garnet shellac. I think that looks great over Pine. If you need a more durable finish, use dewaxed shellac and then put varnish on top. The varnish will make it a shade darker, too.

   Good luck.

2. 
   WillGeorge | May 30, 2005 02:50am | #2

   Tried En' True Oil...

   I think I have used that in my old Hot tub with the Ladies....

1. 
   troys | May 30, 2005 05:06am | #3

   I think cocoa butter works better with the ladies, I used tried and tru oil varnish on a cherry wood cabinet and it worked well but it took much longer to dry than advertised in the San Francisco bay area climate.
   Troy

3. 
   MatthewSchenker | Jun 13, 2005 05:42pm | #4

   Jimbo,
   I used Tried and true on a table project a while ago and was not very happy at all with the results. I used very thin coats, as the instructions said. But still, it took a week for the coats to dry. I wanted to put three coats on the table, and I had to delay delivery of the project by a couple of weeks. In the end, the surface looked fine, but nothing better than other finishes, with half the hassle, can provide.

   If you want, I have a full can of Tried and True that I would be happy to send you!

1. 
   Indigo1557 | Jun 16, 2005 12:38am | #5

   Ditto on Matthew's can of tried and true (I have a couple you can have too)...couldn't get it to dry, a lot of hassle for the ok finish I ended up with.  Maybe with some additional solvent mixed in it would have worked better, even thought of trying to spray it the other day...probably a disastor waiting to happen.

    

   Alison

4. 
   Bustos963 | Mar 29, 2011 11:41am | #6

   I realize that this is a necropost, but... I think:

   1) you missed the point of using Tried and True

   2) responders are off base too.

   No oil finish is going to magically transform your wood - that is the point of using oil: to let the beauty of the wood show through without a film finish. Oils do this amazingly well. Tried and True, like other "oils" (tung, linseed, lemon etc.) is an "in the wood" as opposed to a surface finish like varnish or lacquer.  The thing that seperates T&T from other "Danish Oils" is the fact it does not have any metallic driers like Watco etc. so it is going to take much longer to dry.  Of course you avoid the nasty effects of these other finishes by going with T&T.

   Second, if you have splotches and other issues you need to take other steps like sealing before you apply any oil.  If you want a darker finish, i recommend that you use some sort of stain or dye to get the color you want before the final finishing.  Oils will darken slightly, but if you want to really alter the color, you need dye/stain.  

   Remember that every coat of oil you apply is also going to dry slower than the previous coat.  Heat and pressure will help, so power buffing in between coats will really do wonders.  I also recommend a hard paste wax be applied after the project has really had time to dry.  Or you can use shellac.  

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Mar 30, 2011 02:22pm | #7

   There really isn't any point in putting up with finishes that take forever to cure.  Metallic driers do a good job, and in the end are well encapsulated in the "plastic" that is the result of the curing of the finish.  The regulations specifying what driers may be used are predicated on that encapsulation, and must meet a requirement that only an insignificant leaching from the cured finish would occur. 

   Busto is absolutely right in pointing out that oils have only a limited effect in darkening wood--essentially the effect of "wetting" the fibers, plus a small impact of the amber color of most oils and varnishes. 

   Adding TransTint to an oil finish isn't generally going to be successful, though Homestead Finishing does mention a product that would help it dispurse in such products.  But, in general it is better to apply dye to bare wood.  Using a toned finish can work quite well, but it is much more feasible if the finish is evenly sprayed not applied by hand.   .Pine is a challenging wood to avoid blotching.  Even dye can show some effects, though much less than ordinary stains in a can.  Busto mentioned pre-sealing.  That is correct but with an important caveat--the sealing must not be complete.  Only a wash coat--shellac under 1 lb. cut for example--will let enough dye, or enough oil, though the seal to work properly.   

   You could start with a dye to obtain the basic darkness, then seal more fully with a coat of shellac, and then apply a gel stain, which will adhere to a dewaxed shellac seal coat that has been lightly sanded to provide a "tooth" for the binder to grab. 

5. 
   swenson | Mar 31, 2011 03:32am | #8

   OP 2005

   Wow... eight comments in six years... I hope WP14 wasn't holding his breath.  I have never had a drying problem with T&T and I use it a lot.  It goes on thin, gets rubbed after an hour  and then burnished in 24 hrs.  Then you start the second coat and do it all over again.  The secret?  You can't use too little T&T.  If it looks wet you are using too much.  There have been FFW tests that misused the product and took weeks or months to dry.  They did it wrong.  If it isn't almost dry after the one hour rub you are using too much.  I love what it does to cherry.  Feel free to comment in 2017.

6. 
   Totekit | Jul 31, 2012 06:31am | #9

   More than a year since the last post -- building good quality I'd say. My question: is it OK to use Tried and True Varnish Oil over stain? I want to use a stain on walnut to preserve the dark colour against UV fade indoors, and then TTVO over that. Sound OK?

1. 
   HowardAcheson | Jul 31, 2012 11:27am | #10

   What stain do you plan to use?  A pigment oil based stain or a waterbased dye stain?

   Pigment stains will last longer but all stains can eventually fade.  While I have only used T&T on rare occasions, I have never used it over a stain.

   I suggest you test your finishing plans on some scrap before  you commit to the actually project.  T&T can be a problematic finish if not applied in strict accordance with their instructions.

1. 
   Totekit | Aug 01, 2012 03:00am | #11

   Is walnut fade an issue that should be anticipated? Can anything be done about it? Does TTVO tend to preserve a good look on walnut?

1. 
   HowardAcheson | Aug 01, 2012 01:10pm | #12

   Walnut Fading

   Totekit wrote:

   Is walnut fade an issue that should be anticipated? Can anything be done about it? Does TTVO tend to preserve a good look on walnut?

   Yes, walnut will fade over time.  How much and how long is a variable based on the intensity of the sunlight and the time of exposure.  It certainly fades less rapidly than cherry darkens.  I have a small walnut side table I made 20 years ago.  It was in the shade in my prior home and there was little change for the 15 years in that location.  When I had my new home built five years ago, it began to rapidly lighten as it now was sitting in front of a fully windowed wall that faced South.

   The only thing you can do is to slow the process.  Keep the item in a location that does not get direct sunlight.  You could also finish the item with a true, non-poly marine oil based varnish.  Go to a real marine store and look for exterior varnishes like Interlux, Pettit or, best of all, Epifanes.  But even these high priced finishes will eventually loose their UV absorbing properties.

   I don't use T&T so I really have no experiance.  It contains no UV inhibitors so it probable will not have much affect on sunlight bleaching.