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Tung Oil and color


Aaron Newman

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Test on scrap first!!

I would assume you would stain it first, that is how you do furniture and I see no reason this would be different. I don't see the stain soaking in oiled wood.

BUT, never take anyone's word without testing it unless you really trust them! Since I have not oiled over stain I would test it before I dared do it one of my boats.

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The use of the word tung oil is very deceptive. Most products are tung oil finishes and are usually varnishes containing tung oil. I wouldn't use any of them on a boat. I doubt they have any UV protection. If you want a bright finish consider a good marine varnish, ext. urethane, or polyurethane. (urethane and polyurethane are not varnish, they are plastic coatings) Staining is a matter of personal preference, as I don't like to stain any wood, preferring their natural color I will leave this to your preferences. Staining light wood dark can yield a very blotchy finish. Consider a pre-stain to fill grain run out and such and avoid blotching.

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Think I will try the tung oil on some scrap see what it looks like first. I bought the expensive 100% pure tung oil, if it is not dark I thought of maybe darkening it somehow. I found a thread on another forum that mentioned adding TransTint to the tung oil but thought I would check here to see if anyone has stained 1st or tinted tung oil. Thanks for the replies.

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Real tung oil it fairly viscous, so you'll need to cut it a bit, at least for the first few coats. Tung oil is way better the linseed in regard to color change when exposed to UV. If you want more color add some tar to the oil (cut with spirits, then mix in good), the more tar, the more color and the more UV resistance too. Motor oil can be used instead of tar, with used motor oil making a much faster impression then clean. Yep, it will smell like a garage floor for a while, but it's an old trick and does work, within the limitations of the concoction.

This said, oil finishes, even those darkened with tar just absolutely suck at most things: such as waterproofness, UV resistance, gloss retention, etc. or in general, all the things we expect from a clear finish. I completely agree with Dave in that you need a good alkyd or polyurethane finish. Even the new acrylics are far better then the oils.

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I echo Dave's about using a pre-stain/sealer if you are going to stain. My stains always came out blotchy before I started using a pre-stainer.

I didn't put any stain on my boat. I used a polymerized tung oil on cedar which I thinned with a citrus solvent 1:1 for the first coat. After 4 coats the wood turned pretty dark on its own, and there was no blotching. I'm okay with the way it looks. I probably should have put on more coats, but I didn't. I think on my next boat I'll just use a polyurethane, which will be pretty quick and easy and because I ran out of tung :rolleyes:

Now if I could only get back to the shop to get the painting done. All this real life stuff keeps getting the way of the important things in life... like building a boat. :D

Jerry

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