On Wed, 5 Nov 2003 21:52:08 -0500, "Mike G"
wrote:

Linseed oil being more moisture resistant then tung oil.

This has frequently been empirically true, but it's because of
different driers, not because of different oils

Linseed oil has fallen from favour and now tung is more popular
(broadly speaking). This has roughly coincided with fears over heavy
metals, and a shift from lead-based driers to manganese ones.

Now there may be some difference between the oils themselves, but
there's a _huge_ difference between the effects of these driers. Lead
becomes more effective in rising humidity and manganese becomes less
so. Above 70% RH, manganese barely works (one of the reasons not to
apply oil finishes in a damp atmosphere). If you study old
gunsmithing references (The Modern Gunsmith from the 1930s is a good
book and still quite common) you'll see much discussion of the effects
of either drier, or of mixing them, on gunstocking oil finishes. Bill
Knight (The Mad Monk) has also done useful research in this area.

Even after the finishes are fully cured, there are differences in
their resultant surface. A lead-dried oil finish _feels_ different -
it's often described as having a "leather-like" texture. It's also a
matter of historical record that the favoured recipe for waterproofing
oilcloth to make travelling chests etc. was a lead based drier. This
was seen as more resistant to water, and also as lasting longer when
exposed to water.

So there may be differences in the oils, and their relative tolerance
for water. But the type of chemical drier used is even more
significant.

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