tongue oil finish dilemma

[fretman88]

Hello, I have a very detailed fretwork pattern on walnut that i would like to put a finish coat on. Is it possible to put tongue oil on such a detailed piece? Tongue oil seems too thick to dip this into.It appears the small holes would get gunked up. Any advice out there? Thank you.

[CanadianScroller]

Tung oil comes from the tung nut tree.
There are many variations of it, some with driers and some without.
I use it for my fretwork and I am quite happy with it.
I will let someone who uses finishes all the time to tell you the pro's and cons.

[MacS]

If you feel the tung oil is too thick, you can "thin it out" with some mineral spirits.

The more you thin out the tung oil, the less "solids" will remain on the wood, this might mean you would need an extra applications to build up the coating.

[SonjaRaquel]

Hi,
I used "Tung Oil" for the first time this past weekend. I seem to like "Danish Oil" better.

[guitarman]

I use tung oil on most all my projects. The oil will get into the small fret holes but I use a paper towel to blot the backside of the holes and the oil come right out. Does a great job. I'm a big tung oil fan. David

[MacS]

There are some differences between Tung Oil and Danish Oil, in fact on most "drying oils" you really need to know what is added to the oil, the names are very deceiving, and in some cases may not contain Tung Oil, on the other side there are Oil Finishes that have the same exact chemicals as the Danish Oil, but will use different names.

Unless, the container list "100% Tung Oil" then it is not pure Tung Oil. It may say, "Tung Oil Finish" and have none or very little Tung Oil in the can, and you maybe paying a premium without any or very little pure Tung Oil in the can.

When in doubt, ask for a MSDS (material safety data sheet) it will list the materials in the products. You as a comsumer are entitled to know, so ask for them if you buy the product, you might have contact the company to get one, but today many companies are now listing their MSDS right on their web site for you to download.

[unixpro]

Just a note to remember to properly dispose of the rags you use with any of these oil finishes. Spontaneous combustion can and does happen! A fire can is a small investment compared to the rest of your shop, or your house.

I got my fire can as a present from the contractor who rebuilt the part of our house that burned down.

[MacS]

Sorry to hear about your misfortune, and I thank you for posting to make others aware of the dangers.

Your right, every one who uses any one of the "Oil Finishes" must be made aware of the dangers of the "oily rags" they will be using.

You could also keep e a container of water in the shop and throw the rags into soak, and then dispose of them, another safe method is to open the cloth, and then stretch it out without touching another oily cloth, you can then let the rags dry out, and then dispose of the cloths.

You may need a posted reminder in your shop as a reminder to keep you aware of the dangers of oily rags in your shop.

[Dragon]

After reading all about this rag disposal I was aware of the danger and so when I started using tung oil I make sure to wipe with paper towels and put them right in the garbage outside.

[PuzzledMoose]

Originally Posted by Dragon

After reading all about this rag disposal I was aware of the danger and so when I started using tung oil I make sure to wipe with paper towels and put them right in the garbage outside.

Mmm - I can see the headline QUEBEC FIRE DEPARTMENT CALLED TO GARBAGE BIN INFERNO .....