# Tung Oil mixed with Mineral Spirits



## riverb (Jan 29, 2011)

I am finishing a crib for my daughter with tung oil and have mixed it 50/50 with mineral spirits. Will mixing it allow me to put coats on faster? When I was using pure Tung Oil it would take 24+ hours between coats.


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## ocwoodworker (Mar 5, 2010)

Actually I have done just that. The 50/50 is a great way to start the first coat. It lowers the viscosity and allows a deeper penetration via capillary action. It does dry quicker but the caviot is that there is less tung oil applied therefore more coats are needed. It's a six in one hand & half a dozen in the other. The only upside is the deep luster it gives over a standard application. Also just to keep in mind, the tung oil already is semi-diluted. So more than 50/50 is just wasting mineral spirits.


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## docholladay (Jan 9, 2010)

It should dry faster after thining like that, but the trade off is that the coats will also be thinner and therefore more coats will be required to achieve a finish build. My personal favorite mixture for a wipe on finish is 1/3 tung oil, 1/3 oil based polyurethane and 1/3 mineral spirits. I builds a finish in about 4 or 5 coats and still dries fairly quickly. Depending on humidity and temperature, it will dry within 3-6 hours.

Doc


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## Bearpie (Feb 19, 2010)

I am not sure if I would use that mixture on a baby crib! I recall my own 2 daughters with their mouths on the rails and bars working their teeth and gums on the wood. I think I would do more research and come up with a safer solution. Just my 2 cents!

Erwin, Jacksonville, FL


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## MOJOE (Jun 13, 2009)

If I recall from reading similar posts with concerns about the safety of various finishes, I think viturally all finishes are safe as long as they are fully cured…..probably still worth a little research since the kiddos are involved though.


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## beckerswoodworks (Dec 26, 2009)

For a baby crib I'd use something food safe, like shellac or anything designed for cutting boards.


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## Cornductor (Feb 5, 2011)

I've been using Danish oil from triedandtrue and that stuff is great. I recently used it on some chess boards and it turned out really well. The dry time was a few hrs but all in all I really enjoyed using there product.


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## bobsmyuncle (Jan 12, 2011)

Take a look at Popular Woodworking, July 2005 issue titled "FINISHING &
REFINISHING." In this issue is an article written by Bob Flexner, "The Folly of Food-safe finishes" 
Two quick excerpts from the article:

1. "The issue of food safeness in finishes is a classic case of the concept
"validation by repetition." Consistent, long-term repetition in woodworking
magazines of a food-safeness issue, despite the complete lack of supporting
evidence, has lead to a widely held belief in the woodworking community that
food safeness is an issue."

2. "But, based on FDA regulations, the way finishes are made, the complete
lack of any evidence to the contrary, and the countless other untested
objects food and children come in contact with, there's no reasonable
argument for avoiding the use on any finish."


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## Cornductor (Feb 5, 2011)

Huh?


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## beckerswoodworks (Dec 26, 2009)

My "reasonable argument for avoiding" certain finishes with something that a child will chew on is that I don't need proof that it's not safe, I need proof that it is safe. Shellac is edible, Tung oil is not. If I build a crib for my own child I'm using shellac, not Tung Oil.


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## tenontim (Feb 24, 2008)

I used pure tung oil (not tung oil finish) on my grand daughters crib. Pure tung oil is food safe, once the mineral spirits evaporate. Start out with a 50/50 mix to speed the application, like previously mentioned. As you add more coats, reduce the amount of mineral spirits(or you can use citrus solvent, if you want to go totally food safe). You might want to give it more than 24 hours between coats, unless you're in a hot, dry place. You will probably want to get about 8 - 10 coats on it.


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## hObOmOnk (Feb 6, 2007)

Some water is drinkable, therefore *ALL* water is drinkable.


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## docholladay (Jan 9, 2010)

I think it could be argued that Boiled Linseed Oil is not "food" safe. Boiled Linseed Oil, as opposed to Raw Linseed Oil, has drying agents added that are definitely considered to be poisonous (this is also true of some other natural oil based finishes including tung oil and danish oil). These "drying" agents are made from heavy metals and they do NOT evaporate away during the curing process. However, the opposite argument could be made that it is safe because with BLO, the finish primarily penetrates into the wood and does not build a film on the wood. Also, in order to reach a toxic level in most humans, you would almost have to drink the uncured finish so, it probably is safe enough.

Doc


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## tenontim (Feb 24, 2008)

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


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## MarioF (Feb 6, 2009)

You don´t need to thin tung oil with MS, just warm it up in a double boiler setup, it will readily penetrate the wood and dry a lot faster 
I agree that shellac is more suitable for a crib, being a film finish it will seal the surface and make cleaning a lot easier.


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## BillWhite (Jul 23, 2007)

"Food safeness?" What the he(( has happened to the English language? Those are the most "unreadable" statements I encountered in quite some time.
Bill


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## misbeshavings (Feb 28, 2011)

I'm with Don. While other finishes may be safe, I know that shellac is definitely safe. Plus, it is easy to redo/repair.


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## johnnation (Jul 5, 2011)

Tung oil does come from a nut, and if kids have severe nut allergies could it be a problem?


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## Tootles (Jul 21, 2011)

At the risk of diverting the original question, can I ask a related question? Does anyone know what mineral spirits might otherwise be known as in other countries? Two possibilities that I can think of are methylated spirits (a form of methanol) or mineral turpentine (a cleaner / thinner for oil-based paints and varnishes)?

Thanks


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## RussellAP (Feb 21, 2012)

just for future reference, I know this is an old thread, but thin tung oil with citrus oil, not mineral spirits.

tung oil is food safe. 
all cured finishes are food safe unless they contain lead.

There are many better finishes for indoor fine furniture that will last longer.


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