Replies

1. 
   Danford_C._Jennings | Feb 06, 2001 11:15am | #1

   *
   Jerry,

   I'm just a tad confused about your question. IMO, tung oil is a "wiping varnish". FWIW, when I was in jr. high,(mid to late 60's) the only way I would apply tung oil was to wipe it on. Now, there have been huge advancements in finish technology since then. I mean, you practically have to have an advanced degree in chemistry to understand labels any more. I have to admit to not being familiar with Arm-R-Seal.

   The questions I have for you are: 1). What type of use is the table going to see, 2). Were the first 3 coats full strength, 3). What brand tung oil, and 4). What kind of finish are you looking for; satin, gloss, high gloss?

   Dano

1. 
   Dave_Arbuckle | Feb 06, 2001 07:06pm | #2

   *Tung oil is a drying oil, like linseed oil but a bit whiter. Theoretically a bit more protection, but twice as much as almost none is still almost none. Dano, I think your confusion is probably with "tung oil finish", which is very thin wiping varnish that is probably indistinguishable from "danish oil". Tung oil finish has about as much to do with tung oil, it seems, as Danish oil has to do with Denmark.Jerry, no sweat. I've done exactly that, with exactly those products. If your tung oil hasn't cured yet, it will increase the cure time of the Arm-R-Seal.Dave

1. 
   Jerry_Robinson | Feb 06, 2001 09:59pm | #3

   *Thanks for your response. I should have made clear that I was distinguishing between pure tung oil and a tung oil finish. Based on Dave's response and his experience, I will probably proceed with the Arm-R-Seal.

1. 
   Jerry_Robinson | Feb 06, 2001 10:00pm | #4

   *Mr. Jennings--Thanks for your response. I should have made clear that I was distinguishing between pure tung oil and a tung oil finish. Based on Dave's response and his experience, I will probably proceed with the Arm-R-Seal.

1. 
   CStanford_ | Feb 07, 2001 03:36am | #5

   *If you are willing to take the time, a properly applied tung oil finish (pure tung oil thinned with mineral spirits) is a perfectly fine and durable stand-alone finish. It occurs to me that one truncates the finishing process by using some sort of varnish over what started out as an oil finish. Oil finishes do quite nicely with only a wax topcoat.Properly applying an oil finish is hard work. But, you will be rewarded greatly. Don't get impatient and decide to "slap poly" and go with it.

2. 
   Jerry_Robinson | Feb 16, 2001 07:09pm | #6

   *CStanford--Thanks for the advice. I understand your point and it is a good one. I think what has happened here is that I am bastardizing the oil process by trying to correct what I think was a mistake to begin with. This is our breakfast table and gets a lot of use. While I generally like tung oil on cherry, I put the sugar bowl on three cured coats of table top and immediately scratched the surface. At that point it seemed to me that I would have been better off using something that contained some varnish, and thus my question relating to switching processes in mid-stream.Having said that, I think what I will do is put on another two or three coats of thinned tung oil and see how that works. I know the scratches are easy to fix, and maybe I'll be able to accept the trade-off. I guess I can always add a top coat later if I decide the tung oil doesn't provide enough protection for me.

3. 
   CStanford_ | Feb 16, 2001 11:14pm | #7

   *Jerry, if you stay with the oil (start sanding it into the surface at about the third application - 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper will work fine) I promise that it will be durable enough for your breakfast table. It's okay for furniture that gets used to develop some signs of wear; a natural finish will actually show slightly less wear because varnish finishes turn whitish when they are scratched. I can assure you that if the sugar bowl scratched the wood, the poly would have scratched too and probably would have looked worse.Use Liberon Professional Wax as a topcoat and you'll have no problems. It's available from Star Finishing Supply - http://www.woodfinishsupply.com