Replies

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Jan 21, 2009 01:05am | #1

   A soft satin is the best you are going to get with 100% tung oil--if you have a uniform sheen over the full surface that's about it.  It's not supposed to build a film on the surface.  If it did that film would be soft and almost gummy.  Your technique seems right--plenty of time between coats (assuming it's not too cold), sanding with fine paper between.  You might have sanded to 400 before applying the first coat, but I strongly doubt that makes any difference at this point. 

1. 
   SpecialK | Jan 21, 2009 01:15am | #2

   I'd give a kidney for a soft satin right now.  That's actually just the finish I was going for.  All I am getting is more dull (the finish, that is.)  I feel like I'm going to die an old man with this table still needing more coats.

1. 
   SteveSchoene | Jan 21, 2009 01:35am | #4

   Give what you have a week or so in a warm place to become more completely cured, sand lightly with 320 grit and apply a wiping varnish.  Waterlox Satin, thinned just a bit if it seems too thick, would work fine for that application.  If you want a higher sheen, Waterlox Original/Sealer won't need thinning.  

2. 
   Wingdoctor | Jan 21, 2009 01:30am | #3

   David's show is a bit misleading. He does not use pure tung oil. I guess the director does not want to show David using a product that is not a sponsored product so on most of the shows it is in a glass jar. On a few shows the back of the can is shown and it is a General Finishes product. On his website David explains what finish he uses. Click here. Hope this helps in the future.

   Bruce

   "A man's got to know his limitations." Dirty Harry Calahan
3. 
   WillGeorge | Jan 21, 2009 01:53am | #5

   Drew..

   Sorry about you problem. I use pure Tung Oil often but not always. It will never have a 'luster'.. I apply just about how you described your application.

   That said, you may want to try some quality wax and a wool buffer to bring up a shine to your liking.

   I usually use wax on everything I make though. If an issue occurs when the object is used it is 'sort of' easy to remove the old wax, apply new oil, and re-wax. Like new then.

   Or maybe a wipe on Poly. I do use a Poly top coat on occasion but it is much easier to 'fix' oil and wax...

   My opinion only.

4. 
   flairwoodworks | Jan 21, 2009 05:45am | #6

   Polymerized tung oil produces a very high sheen and dries much more readily than pure tung oil.

   Chris @ www.flairwoodwork.spaces.live.com
   (soon to be www.flairwoodworks.com)

    - Success is not the key to happines.  Happiness is the key to success.  If you love what you are doing, you will be successful. - Albert Schweitzer

5. 
   SpecialK | Jan 21, 2009 05:48pm | #7

   Thanks, all.

   Drew

1. 
   VinceG | Jan 22, 2009 04:01am | #8

   I'm certainly no finishing pro, but some of the contributors here are. There's a guy here semi-regularly who once posted pictures of his work finished strictly with pure tung oil. The sheen was amazing -- soft and satiny but a bit more than just satiny. Rich and deep. I've forgotten his exact method, but it generally consisted of soaking the piece in tung oil and then letting it dry for a long time -- several weeks, if memory serves. Then he began sanding tung oil directly into the piece starting at 220 and then working up through each grade to about 1500 or 2000. I gave it a shot on a small box, using BLO instead of tung oil, and stopping at about 1200. It worked well. I didn't get quite the same quality of sheen, because I'm an amateur, but a sheen there was, and the box felt unbelievably smooth. At higher grades, sandpaper soaked with oil turns into a burnisher and polisher.

   Anyway, if that poster is still around, it'd be great if he published his method again.