Hello,

I am finishing what I am calling my first real woodworking project. It is
a mantle clock that I have constructed from Birch. I decided to finish
the Birch with Tung Oil. I ended up with Minwax Tung Oil.
Questions/Problems:

1. What do you use for application and buffing? I had some cheese cloth
which seemed to work ok, but even though I think I sanded this thing
really well, the cheese cloth seems to pull apart too easily. Trying to
buff, foget it. The tackyness of the finish just pulls it apart.

2. Should I sand at all between coats?

3. Hand protection: I didn'y want to get the oil all over me, so I wore
some heavy rubber gloves, but they had some previous finish on them and
the oil ate through this year old finish and started to transfere to my
work. I then tried some latex gloves. The latex gloves started to turn
green and again transfer to the project. What do you use?

4. Do you put anything on top of the Tung Oil? Wax? I know that the
Minwax Tung Oil is not pure Tung and is building up a glossy coat
already.

Thanks,
Dave

"David Patnaude" wrote in message

1. What do you use for application and buffing?

You can apply it with a sponge, foam brush, brush, fingers, rag.


I had some cheese cloth
which seemed to work ok, but even though I think I sanded this thing
really well, the cheese cloth seems to pull apart too easily. Trying to
buff, foget it. The tackyness of the finish just pulls it apart.

T shirts are very good for this. It should not be tacky though. Put on a
thin coat, let it sit for a short time, wipe off the excess. Let it cure
overnight



2. Should I sand at all between coats?

NO! Done properly, there is nothing to sand.


3. Hand protection: I didn'y want to get the oil all over me,
What do you use?

My hands. Tung and Danish oil wash off easily. There is noting harmful in
it.

4. Do you put anything on top of the Tung Oil? Wax? I know that the
Minwax Tung Oil is not pure Tung and is building up a glossy coat
already.

Nothing, but you can wax it.
Ed

Ed Pawlowski responds:

3. Hand protection: I didn'y want to get the oil all over me,
What do you use?

My hands. Tung and Danish oil wash off easily. There is noting harmful in
it.

Agreed, but for the guy who wants his manicure neat, nitrile gloves work very
well. If you're like me, you might not even wipe off the excess on the
hands--covers some of the age spots, donchano.

Charlie Self

"Say what you will about the ten commandments, you must always come back to the
pleasant fact that there are only ten of them." H. L. Mencken

It's just my own preference, but I thin the first few coats WAY down .. ..
probably 75% thinner .. .. .. this lets the limited suspended solids settle
into the pores due in part to lowered surface tension. It takes many more
coats, but they dry very quickly and you can apply 3-4 coats per day. I
hardly ever use less than about 40% thinner even in the final coats, but then
I normally use Waterlox which, I believe starts out a whole bunch heavier
than Minwax. I know the "super-thin" concept sounds like a lot of extra
work, but it's very easy and gives excellent results. give it a try & see
what you think.

David Patnaude wrote:

Hello,

I am finishing what I am calling my first real woodworking project. It is
a mantle clock that I have constructed from Birch. I decided to finish
the Birch with Tung Oil. I ended up with Minwax Tung Oil.
Questions/Problems:

1. What do you use for application and buffing? I had some cheese cloth
which seemed to work ok, but even though I think I sanded this thing
really well, the cheese cloth seems to pull apart too easily. Trying to
buff, foget it. The tackyness of the finish just pulls it apart.

2. Should I sand at all between coats?

3. Hand protection: I didn'y want to get the oil all over me, so I wore
some heavy rubber gloves, but they had some previous finish on them and
the oil ate through this year old finish and started to transfere to my
work. I then tried some latex gloves. The latex gloves started to turn
green and again transfer to the project. What do you use?

4. Do you put anything on top of the Tung Oil? Wax? I know that the
Minwax Tung Oil is not pure Tung and is building up a glossy coat
already.

Thanks,
Dave

--
I AM NOT PARANOID .. .. .. but EVERYONE thinks I am !! !! !!

__ Bob __

David Patnaude wrote:

1. What do you use for application and buffing? I had some cheese cloth
which seemed to work ok, but even though I think I sanded this thing
really well, the cheese cloth seems to pull apart too easily. Trying to
buff, foget it. The tackyness of the finish just pulls it apart.

Waiting too long before buffing causes tackiness. MinWax is notorious.

Try applying a light coat, waiting five minutes, then buffing. Re-oil
and buff any dry spots until the application looks uniform. Repeat
the next day as needed.