DaBear Posted July 5, 2011 Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 Some questions regarding tung oil's drying properties.. Some background: I've used BLO on a few projects, and feel 'reasonably' comfortable with its basic properties. Of late, I've tried using 'pure' Tung oil from Lee Valley, as I'm looking for something food-safe. My questions are around drying time. How long should it be? I found that even after a week, it didn't seem completely dry. Also, the rags don't seem to dry either. I was expecting them to be like plastic (as with BLO) after a couple days.. Note they were laid flat, or hung in the open to dry.. Neither seemed to make a difference.. The viscosity of the oil was thicker than motor oil, thinner than molasses. No skin or lumps as far as I can see.. Oil looks clear as well.. Is this normal, or do I just have a bad/old batch of tung oil? Thanks to all David Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TimV Posted July 5, 2011 Report Share Posted July 5, 2011 I've never purchased Lee Valley's Pure Tung Oil so maybe someone who has may contribute to the conversation. But, I've used other pure tung oil and it never seemed to dry also. I had to mix it with a solvent to get it past the tacky stage. Tim Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmykx250 Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 I have purchased the PURE tung oil from the milk paint company and have had the same results. This is how PURE tung oil acts. I did a butcher block walnut kitchen table with it and it did take some time to dry. You will get to the saturation point and you will know bacause the oil will just pool on top of the wood instead of soaking in. So far around 7 weeks the table has held up really well nothing soaks in. The only thing i question is it doesnt form a film or layer like poly would so it will scratch but im thinking it will add to the character over time. You can always re-apply as often as you like to renew the look as well. The turned table legs look really nice with the oil finish on them. I did notice they sold dark and regular oils which did you get? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DaBear Posted July 6, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 LV only has one version of the 'pure'. It's roughly honey coloured, so I'd say that's 'light'.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jimmykx250 Posted July 6, 2011 Report Share Posted July 6, 2011 LV only has one version of the 'pure'. It's roughly honey coloured, so I'd say that's 'light'.. Thats the same stuff I used. I think you will be happy with the results. One thing I did notice is that a little bit of this stuff goes a long way. I personally dont think you can beat it for it's natural finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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