I just finished off an oak bookcase with some high-gloss tung oil over a basic red oak stain (which is not really red, but that’s another thread). The majority of the bookcase is oak ply with veneer with a face frame of solid oak.
The solid oak looks/feels like hard candy, where as the ply has some shine, but its not the same. I’m assuming the ply absorbs more of the oil than the much denser oak.
What could i use to balance the finish, or should i just apply more tung oil coats to the ply versus the oak?
Replies
What "tung oil" are you using? Is it a real, 100%, pure tung oil or one of the faux "tung oil finishes"?
If it is real tung oil, what you see is basically what you got. If is one of the faux tung oils, then another coat may even out the gloss, if that's the question.
The reason for differing look between solid wood and ply wood can be that the plywood is rotary cut and the solid wood is either flat or quarter sawn. How the wood is cut has an affect on how a finish will behave and how it will look. Also wood that comes from different trees will have a different look even if they are both of the same species. And, there are at least a hundred different species of red oak.
I used Formby's Tung Oil Finish. Which upon further inspection looks like it's not a pure tung oil, but a blend of different oils and secret herbs and spices.
Forby's, in spite of it name, is a thinned wiping varnish. It contains no real tung oil. In the small lettering on the label says it's a varnish. It's a product designed to mimic a tung oil finish.That said, it's a better more protective product than pure tung oil. Pure tung oil is not much of a finish. It has virtually no water or watervapor resistance nor does it impart any abrasion resistance.Now to your problem. If all you want to do is even out the sheen, apply another coat. Then let it fully dry for a couple of weeks and then rub the surface using a gray scotchbrite pad. Rub in the direction of the grain. This will give you an even satin finish.Howie.........
Thanks for the clarification on the "tung oil" and for the tip on matching the sheen. In your experience, does veneer generally take after the solid wood or the ply when applying a varnish?I find it rather amusing that they can have tung oil on the bottle, but not contain tung oil. Boy, am i going to make a million dollars when i market my bottled "Shark/Tiger/Bear Repellant". I'll just have to put "just plain water" in very small letters somewhere on the bottle.....
Listen to Howard. You will eventually get a similar sheen with more coats of the varnish, lightly sanding between coats with 320 grit.
And the Formby's doesn't label the product "tung oil" it gives it a name--"Tung Oil Finish" just like Behlen calls varnish "Rock Hard" or McCloskey names its "Heritage". At least that's the excuse.
>> does veneer generally take after the solid wood or the ply when applying a varnish?Not quite sure what you mean. Plywood is veneer. It's not unusual for hardwood plywood veneer to color and react differently from solid wood. Todays veneers are very thin. The plywood veneer obviously comes from a different tree than the solid wood. They probably even come from different areas of the country. Woods of the same species are not equal.Howie.........
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