The wood is very hard. So there isn't a lot that soaks in which is actually good. I don't want a lot of oil percolating up to mess up the CA finish. I learned my lesson with that! I destroyed a beautiful Walnut crotchwood pen that went south 5 days after it was finished. Now I take pure tung oil cut it 50/50 with Mineral Spirits and then put in a small amount of Japan Drier to speed the drying.
I use the minimum amount that will coat the wood and pop the grain. Then I always let the tung dry overnight. Now the tung that I use with the CA... that is over the initial coat of CA... that I am probably a bit more liberal with since it is working with the CA versus working with the wood. I still don't use very much.
I just like it because it helps the CA smooth and dry and it keeps the finish from looking like a mirror which is a bit much for my taste. I don't know exactly why it tones down the shine but it seems to work well at softening it just a bit. I buff them up on the Beall triple buffer anyway to get rid of any imperfections. They shine but not too much.
