Lee Valley tung oil polymerized tung oil or tung oil sealer?

MD

MD

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 100%
13   0   0
A friend was throwing a bunch of stuff out and I got some cans of Lee Valley tung oil. It is pure tung oil, polymerized tung oil (gloss finish) and tung oil sealer. I tried using the pure tung oil, but it is thick and gooey like honey and needed to be thinned. The other stuff is thinner.

I've applied many layers of the polymerized oil on several rifles but not the sealer. What does that do?

I started with Circa 1850 Tung/Teak oil before I got the Lee Valley tung oil but to be honest, that seems to be almost all paint thinner.

I also got some Miniwax tung oil in a can too, but that also seems very thin. It sure applies easily though. I'm thinking of using the Miniwax stuff as thinner for the thick tung oil. Any thoughts/

I discovered I had a bottle of BLO too. Would that be compatible with the tung oils if I applied some too? I might try it on another rifle that could use another application of oil.

What the difference in weatherproofing my rifles? I have two oil-stocked 1950s Husqvarnas that are my main subjects of repeated oil applications. I want to make them as weather resistant as possible
 
BLO and tung oil are not compatible products so don't mix the two. The Lee Valley sealer is very thin and will penetrate the wood - use sparingly in a few coats to seal the wood. for the top coat use the polymerized tung oil however thin it. Apply sparingly so you don't get a build up. You can polish out with rottenstone. Gives a good waterproof finish. Tung oil is more waterproof than BLO. BLO much easier to use. Better to use Truoil.
 
BLO is definitely inferior to tung oil as it is not impervious to water. It became utilitarian for military rifles because it was cheap, easy to apply, and easy to re-apply when degraded by weather, or hard use. Aside from military guns, it really doesnt have much use on modern hunting rifles.
 
Tung oil is a natural product with a finite shelf life, getting thicker with age, so there's that to deal with. I think the usual deal is to start with a thinned coat to fill pores in the wood and then switch to the pure stuff to build up a coat but I'm still somewhat shy of being able to call myself an expert.
 
Oil-based and poly-type finishes do not need a sealer - in fact, may not work at all with the wrong sealer... they basically seal up the wood themselves.

A sealer would be used before a water-based or lacquer type finish (which are not great at water resistance) sealers improve adhesion and also "seal" your work ... i.e. a penetrating oil will probably not work well over a polymerized sealer (if at all and keep in mind it is completely different than a sanding sealer or pore filler)

The Lee Valley poly-tung filler is designed to be used/mixed with their high luster poly-tung finish to tune the amount of gloss you get in the finish. So my assumption is that they are the same product with the sealer being thinner and matte.

If you want to do a pure oil finish or polymerized oil finish - you are probably wasting your time with a sealer. That being said, once your oil finish completely cures, you can hit it with a sealer though I doubt it will help any with weatherproofing.

If we are talking about cold weatherproofing, stick to pure oils, they are generally more elastic than polymerized stuff (though that is a function of the engineering in the polymer)

So you want a matte finish, use a pure oil finish, want it glossy - polymerized finish. Both will work about as well - for extra moisture resistance, wax. furniture wax, carnauba, pure beeswax... whatever you can wax on - wax off.
Carnauba waxes are probably the easiest and more resistant to elements than furniture waxes, beeswax is pretty spectacular but a grand pain to apply well.

I far prefer tung over linseed oil, looks better doesn't yellow, and it cures way faster.

Careful with the "repeated oil applications" once your first coat is in there and cured, you basically have a barrier (unless you have thinned it too much, then what's the point??), subsequent coats basically just sit on top - which is fine for annual touchups, etc, normal wear will expose raw(ish) wood, it will look better, which is really all you are doing. Wax will do the same thing (like your car, keep it waxed) but offer more protection.


went a little off the rails there :) basically, you don't need the sealer unless you want to tune the gloss of a poly finish.
 
oh - and spend some money on those stop-loss bags from lee valley.... they will increase the shelf life of your expensive oils by years. they look kinda expensive but if you have ever had to throw out a $30 can of oil ..... ;) (just do it!)
 
I have used the Minwax Tung Oil for decades to refinish gun stocks & furnature. Nothing but good results.
Remember : put on lots anyway you want & about 10 min. latter rub off all excess. When rubbing off it
becomes gummy, then just add some more Oil & keep rubbing off excess( whatever did not penetrate).
I have tried other makes but did not get good results.
 
Yep. Multiple coats Minwax Tung Oil finish. I waited 24 hours between coats. Cures better-faster in warmer temperatures. Heat of summer was my peak finish periods. If it needed smoothing out I used 400 grit sandpaper then wiped away the residue with a clean lint free dry rag very carefully and more hours of drying time between subsequent coats. Patience is key here.
 
At some point you will become a good judge of the amount of tung Oil finish you require for each coat. I myself found it works a little better if you can turn your project at right angles & you have a kind of tabletop for each coat. Be stingy with the wet finish and you will get much less drip marks you will desire to flatten out later. Before you know it you will feel like a summer student refinishing the Bluenose!
 
from Lee Valley's website. Yes you can use sealer to get the desired penetration then top coat with the Tung Oil. For low sheen - mix 2 part sealer with 1 part Tung oil. For medium sheen - mix one part sealer to one part Tung Oil. As I've mentioned - don't over apply as it will leave a "gummy" surface. Light coats and let it dry. To get a smooth surface "French" polish with a cheese cloth and a mix of rotten stone/sealer mix. Gives a waterproof hand rubbed finish you see on custom rifles. Easy to repair as well.
 
gaff said:
Truoil, is polymerized tung oil. The Leevally one is cheaper in a better container that doesn't dry out as quickly.
Click to expand...

it's actually mostly stoddard solvents, "proprietary" modified oils and linseed oil... the solvent is also toxic, yay.
 
I use the Lee Valley pure Tung Oil. I use it for guitar necks mostly. I apply with a soaked rag and work it into the grain. I wipe off excess with a dry cloth. I apply 5 coats waiting 24 hours between each one. I sand with 220-400 in between coats. Each coat will take less oil. It takes a few weeks to totally cure. I love the smell of the stuff. I'm finishing my whole workbench with it now.
 
There are many different approaches to finish wood to desired weather resistance and appearance. What works for one may not work for others. Trial and error until you find something that works for your application environment.
 
I've had good success with Circa 1850 tung oil, but I don't know how pure it is. It seems to create a durable satin finish on my projects.
 
Personally for first coat/layer on a wooden gun stock I use a thinner oil which will penetrate deep, e.g. natural danish oil. Depending on the grain of wood I'd add several layers of polymerized tung oil to desired sheen. TruOil imo is overrated. You can get the same results with other "stuff" at a fraction of cost.

After all, prep of your surface application area and drying time of the products you use will determine outcome.
 
The Kurgan said:
I've had good success with Circa 1850 tung oil, but I don't know how pure it is. It seems to create a durable satin finish on my projects.
Click to expand...

Same here... The Circa 1850 products are imo generally working good. Heck their gel furniture stripper takes less than 20 minutes to take a high gloss Browning finish off, lol.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom