Tung oil

[Keye]

How long would 50/50 mix of tung oil and solvent take to dry?

 

[Mike Davis]

I was going to say it depends on the weather but then I did a search to see what the manufacturers say.

Now my answer is it depends on who you ask...

Anywhere from 24 hours to two weeks.

Also is it pure tung oil? (very rare these days) or one of the many mixes that claim to be tung oil?

ALSO; which solvent? Turpentine drys fairly slow as well as mineral spirits, naptha is faster and lacquer thinner is much faster.

 

[Jeff]

I get "pure tung oil" from the Milk Paint Co.and they say it's partially cured in 7-10 days and fully cured in about 30 days. Tung oil cures by air oxidation and not "drying". Each coat has to be thoroughly wiped off after a few hours.

I've done several boards with the tung oil in solvent and wiped it off. They're usually dry to the touch in 24 hours and ready for the next coat.

https://www.realmilkpaint.com/shop/oils/pure-tung-chinawood/

 

[Bill Clemmons]

Keye, may I ask what you're trying to finish? There may be a better choice than tung oil. Just curious.

 

[Keye]

I get "pure tung oil" from the Milk Paint Co.and they say it's partially cured in 7-10 days and fully cured in about 30 days. Tung oil cures by air oxidation and not "drying". Each coat has to be thoroughly wiped off after a few hours.

I've done several boards with the tung oil in solvent and wiped it off. They're usually dry to the touch in 24 hours and ready for the next coat.

https://www.realmilkpaint.com/shop/oils/pure-tung-chinawood/

I tried the 50/50 mix on a small piece. I had read about the long cure time. The 50/50 mix sure seems dry to me after less than 24 hours. Right now the humidity is low and it is warm and I am sure this makes a difference.

 

[Keye]

I was going to say it depends on the weather but then I did a search to see what the manufacturers say.

Now my answer is it depends on who you ask...

Anywhere from 24 hours to two weeks.

Also is it pure tung oil? (very rare these days) or one of the many mixes that claim to be tung oil?

ALSO; which solvent? Turpentine drys fairly slow as well as mineral spirits, naptha is faster and lacquer thinner is much faster.

I bought 100% pure tung oil or so it says. The brand is Hope's. I bought D-Limonene citrus solvent. The reason I asked about dry time is this product says 12 hours but I read a lot of things which imply much longer.

I used citrus solvent because of what I read about odor. Citrus smells good at first but gets old quick. I should know. We used a citrus solvent to remove tile mastic in the basement of a building. We ended up evacuating all 8 floors because the odor became really sickening after a couple of hours. lol

 

[Keye]

Keye, may I ask what you're trying to finish? There may be a better choice than tung oil. Just curious.

I am trying it on a small piece made of cherry. This is just a text piece. I bought the Tung oil and citrus solvent to use on cutting boards. I have one I think is really nice and I know it will be used a lot. This is a gift so I really want it to be special.

 

[Mike Davis]

I use flax seed oil, like you get from the health food store, on all my food contact pieces.
Let it dry 24 hours between coats, three to five coats is plenty.

Anything you put on a cutting board is going to get cut up and scratched, Usually the dull finish shows less wear.
High gloss thick finish shows everything much more.

 

[Jeff]

Anything you put on a cutting board is going to get cut up and scratched, Usually the dull finish shows less wear.
High gloss thick finish shows everything much more.

Tung oil is not a high gloss finish and it's not a thick finish layer. Also, tung oil is FDA approved for food finishes.

 

[Roy G]

For a cutting board, you would want an oil finish. Some of the tung oils you see are actually wiping varnish. Nice if you want a shiny surface, like furniture. The oil finish is going to soak in and not give much of a build. You have to wipe off the excess or it gets really sticky.

Roy G

 

[Berta]

I use mineral oil on my food contact pieces. I sometimes add a thin coat of beeswax and mineral oil mix to the top of my cutting boards. They are made to be used, not just looked at.