Where to get Tung Oil?

I believe David uses General Finishes. You can find it at Woodcraft and Rockler.

-- Mike - http://inquisitivewoodworker.blogspot.com/

ya but i don’t think that they make Tung Oil. I’ll have too look into it though. Thanks!

Dennis,
I’m not sure of the brand but I have seen it at Lowe’s.
Lew

I use formbys tung oil and it seems to create a nice glow to whatever you want to use it on. I will say though that it is not a pure tung oil and it is a mixture of tung oil and varnish. The reason being that you can have a better seal and protection on the wood with a great look. I want to get some pure tung oil and try it but you could try formbys because I have found it pretty nice. Plus its low priced and you can find it at just about any hardware store.

-- Tyler, Illinois

thanks everyone. I emailed David Marks also about it but i just wanted to see what everyone else though while i wait for a response. I think that it may have been Formbys at my hardware store too. I could have sworn that it said “pure tung oil” though. I’ll have to go and check that out tomorrow.

Any hardware or paint store should have it. I don’t suppose brand name really matters. I use it all of the time and my projects all come out about the same. I have two different brands here in my shop right now and I can’t tell any difference between the two…

-- --Chuck

thanks grovemadman. That helps a lot. I think that I’ll just go with the stuff at my local hardware store tomorrow. It’s pretty inexpensive and a small bottle to hold me off until Mr Marks gets back to me. Thanks for the help everyone.

I bought Formbys Tung Oil at Wal-Mart.

-- Doug, Cass City, Michigan

You might try regular Linseed oil too… In my experience they seem both about the same in their pure form. I like linseed oil because i use it with different pigments to make my own oils. try experimenting a little here and there – just wear a mask, gloves and eye protection; and don’t blow up the house!!! always read to see if one mixture is compatible with another and if not sure then don’t try it!!!

Craft stores such as Micheal’s often have pure tung oil too!

-- --Chuck

so i guess that I’ll go with the Formbys. Thanks everyone.

Thanks grovemadman. I have some Linseed Oil which I mix with Arm-R-Seal to extend working time (with good results) but i have never used it as a finish. I’ll have to try that. Thanks for the hint!

You might try regular Linseed oil too… In my experience they seem both about the same in their pure form. I like linseed oil because i use it with different pigments to make my own oils. try experimenting a little here and there – just wear a mask, gloves and eye protection; and don’t blow up the house!!! always read to see if one mixture is compatible with another and if not sure then don’t try it!!!

-- --Chuck

If you go with linseed oil, make sure you are using boiled. The “regular” unboiled linseed oil goes rancid. Formby’s and Minwax Tung oil finishes both have solids in them. You can probably get “pure” tung oil at Woodcraft or Rockler but it won’t build as quickly as the ones that say “finish” on them. Usually, and this should bring an onslaught of people with evidence to the contrary, if it says “pure” tung oil, it has no solids. If it says tung oil “finish” is has some sort of solids mixed in. At one time those solids were real varnish but I think today they’re most likely some sort of poly. Good luck.

-- Chuck Bender, period furniture maker, www.acanthus.com

Hello teenagewoodworker;
—-what you have asked can be a confusing question

Let me elaborate and ask some questions so I know what you are looking for? Do//did you know that what is sold by some folks as ‘tung oil’, has little to maybe no-tung oil in it at all? A lot of the big box store company’s sell tung oil as labeled finishes when in truth, what you are buying is an oil//varnish mixture. These are more common;y sold as …. ... finishes and such, but they are tung oil mixtures with polys and varnish added. What does this mean….well, they will seal the wood after the first coat and all coats put on afterward will only build up more layers of coats….this is not pure 100% tung oil.

So if you are wanting an oil//varnish finish that is called tung oil….well go and pay for what being sold as such.

Pure 100% tung oil can be bought at Rockers and Woodcraft stores and it will say on the bottle….100% pure tung oil.

I buy my 100% pure tung oil from Hopes and you will need to call them at the number on the bottom of the page for the 100% pure tung oil. To tell the truth I’ve never figured out why they don’t advertise their product on their site but then….? The reason I buy from them is that I can get the tung oil in gallons and it’s cheaper that way when buying many gallons, but even if buying one gallon, the price would be worth it over buying many quarts.

You must also understand that 100% pure tung oil is meant to be cut 50:50 with mineral spirits or gum turpentine….and to speed up the drying//curing process I will also add a couple of drops of Japan dryer which can be purchased at paint stores and hardware stores. I will usually mix a batch up, 1/2 gal. tung oil and 1/2 gal. gum turps and store in plastic white orange juice gallons which I save for this purpose.

If you are wanting a oil//varnish mixture with tung oil in it, then instead of paying for some company to make it and charge you for what is high price….why not make it yourself. I again use Hopes 100% pure tung oil, cut 50:50 with gum turps, plus the few drops of Japan dryer, (and yes, the recipe is on the bottle for cut) along with a good pure varnish such as coming from Benjamin Moore. You can by this in quarts….and again take the varnish and tung oil and mix together at a 50:50 cut. This will make a very nice wiping tung oil//varnish finish….dries fast so that you can do multiple coats in a short time. Just remember to wipe on with a lint free cloth rag….and if you’ve got to wipe of the excess, your putting it on too heavy. And yes, a little bit goes a long way, with other coats following.

I know I’m writing fast here, so if I’ve confused anyone, ask me some more and I’ll try and re-fine my elaborations….

Thank you.
GODSPEED,
Frank

rusticwoodman@gmail.com

-- --frank, NH, http://frank.wordpress.com/

Here’s the link to David Mark’s FAQ on the subject.

http://www.djmarks.com/stories/faq/What_is_the_mix_ratio_for_the_Linseed_Oil_Tung_Oil_and_Urethane_46687.asp

-- Gary, East TX -- The longest journey begins with a single step.

Frank is right on the money. If you read the list of ingredients on the Tung oil container and it lists petroleum distillates or mineral spirits then this is simply a wiping varnish not tung oil. Here is a list of of finishing products compiled by Bob Flexner, who has written extensively on finishing techniques, that are simply wiping varnishes:

Formby’s Tung Oil Finish
Zar Wipe-on Tung Oil
Val-Oil
Hope’s Tung Oil Varnish
Gillespie Tung Oil
Waterlox
General Finishes’ Sealacell
General Finishes’ Arm R Seal
Daly’s ProFin
Jasco Tung Oil

-- With God's help all things are possible- even woodworking. Woodworking is not just a hobby, it is an (expletive deleted) expensive hobby.

Thanks for the help everyone. now i see that there are so many of these different finishes out there. I guess that the best way to figure out which one to use will be just to try them all over time. So thanks again for the help.

I have been very happy with this product.

http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oil.html

The page is also informative on tung oil. The source was given to me by tenotim a while back for a white oak project.

-- There is no such thing as scrap wood!, http://www.saltrivergallery.com

thanks BrianM, that looks like a good product. I’ll have to try it out when i get some time.

Go with the one BrianM posted. I’ve been using it for years. It’s 100% pure tung oil. There’s nothing in it to peel up later. You can build as many coats as you want and it can be reapplied without sanding the whole piece down. If you want any kind of shine, you’ll either have to top coat it or wax it.

-- Tim -- http://tmuli.com

I’m with BrianM also, RealMilkPaint has good Tung Oil. I mix it at least 50:50 with their orange solvent to provide a food grade finish on my turned bowls. Plus I just like the smell of oranges. The first coat I will usually make a little heavier on the solvent 55:45 to penetrate deeper into the wood and since my dispenser is not air tight the solvent will flash off some giving me abotu 50:50 for the later applications. You won’t get a high gloss with this, but you can buff on some bee’s wax to get a little more shine.

-- Charlie in TN, looking for his tools...

thanks for the help everyone. I’ll go with the stuff at my hardware store for now but when i run out of that i’ll order some of this. Thanks everyone.