How to apply my Tung Oil finish?

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Flintski22

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I'm currently in the process of preparing to finish my first ever pen. It's made of red heart wood. I obtained some 100% pure tung oil and CA glue, but I'm wondering what I should do with these to finish the pen.

Google thinks I should apply all the tung oil coats and then CA glue later on, but I was wondering if I really should use both or if just 1 is my best bet.

Also, for those familiar with tung oil, am I okay to pick up the pen pieces and transport them after the oil has been drying for an hour or so? That's when the bottle says I can buff out the excess, but the bottle says to not apply another coat for 12 hours.

I'm really just looking for any advice in general. Thank you!
 
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No experience with either on red heart . Sometimes use a tung oil sealer on wood when I want a low sheen finish . Pure will give a glossier finish . Based on a couple times I`ve tried it , handling them after an hour or two shouldn`t be a problem , but red heart may be different . At worst , I think fingerprints should wipe off .

CA is my go to high gloss finish , but it has a significant learning curve . Many of us have different methods , but each of us has developed a process that works , and once found , don`t deviate from it too often . Your location can be a factor , as temp and humidity swings with the seasons may affect results .

If you click on the search button on the top right hand side of your screen , enter CA finishes , a large number of threads will come up , dealing with different viewpoints on the subject . A lot of reading , but good background knowledge . Have fun !

Don`t think much to be gained by applying CA over tung oil . CA is more durable , but I wouldn`t worry about it on a first pen . Just remember to save that pen , as a marker of how much you have learned , in a month , or year , or two , or five .
 
There's no one answer - everyone has his/her own favorite approach and thinks that everyone else is totally wrong.

One approach that used to be very popular for applying a CA finish was to put a bit of BLO on a piece of paper towel, and then add a drop of CA on top of that, and then wipe quickly on the pen body as it rotates on the lathe. I don't think there is any reason you could not use Tung Oil instead of BLO in that method.

The best explanation I ever heard for that approach was that the oil had a lubricating effect that prevented the CA from curing too quickly and 'grabbing'. My experience with that method was that the heat from friction as the pen body spins against the paper towel causes the oil to polymerize, leaving a 'hard spot' on the paper towel. The method does require repeated applications to build a finish, and you want to use a fresh bit of paper towel for each application so that 'hard spot' doesn't scratch the previously cured finish.

As to the drying characteristics of Tung Oil - I use it a lot, both alone and as part of a shop-made wipe-on varnish. I also make my on friction polish from Tung Oil and lacquer. In my experience, you can certainly pick up the item after an hour. Pure Tung oil (or better yet, Tung Oil thinned with a solvent such as turpentine or limonene) penetrates into the wood, so you want to flood the surface with enough to actually feed that penetration process, and then wipe off the excess. I usually wait 45 minutes or so (it ain't rocket science) before wiping. Moving it at that point is not a problem, but I do like to let it cure for a couple of hours with the piece oriented such that it not resting on the finished surface. So I've fashioned a number of jigs that I use to position pieces so that the finished surface doesn't rest against something that might leave a mark after the oil has cured.
 
I have experienced tung oil from Japan and US and most tung oils were not perfectly clear, but had a slight amber color. ANY amber color finish will cause reddish woods to have a slight orangish or burnt orangish look after applying. IF this is not a problem for you, go ahead. But if you want the red heart wood to be its brightest red, you need a clear finish. CA and clear lacquers will do this as will water based clear polyurethane.

Tung oil looks great on oaks and maple and beige, tannish and brown woods,

Tung oil: I am a fan of tung oil in finishing some woods. But on pens, the curing time does push me into other finishes. Tung oil to be properly cured takes time. AS Louie above notes, mixing TO with lacquer or other finishes works well, but do a research on the different mixtures before trying it,
 
1080Wayne said:
No experience with either on red heart . Sometimes use a tung oil sealer on wood when I want a low sheen finish . Pure will give a glossier finish . Based on a couple times I`ve tried it , handling them after an hour or two shouldn`t be a problem , but red heart may be different . At worst , I think fingerprints should wipe off .

CA is my go to high gloss finish , but it has a significant learning curve . Many of us have different methods , but each of us has developed a process that works , and once found , don`t deviate from it too often . Your location can be a factor , as temp and humidity swings with the seasons may affect results .

If you click on the search button on the top right hand side of your screen , enter CA finishes , a large number of threads will come up , dealing with different viewpoints on the subject . A lot of reading , but good background knowledge . Have fun !

Don`t think much to be gained by applying CA over tung oil . CA is more durable , but I wouldn`t worry about it on a first pen . Just remember to save that pen , as a marker of how much you have learned , in a month , or year , or two , or five .
Click to expand...
Okay! Thanks that's good solid advice. The reason I'm considering applying CA over the tung oil is because the specific CA I have has UV inhibitors. Red heart is a very light-sensitive wood and fades to an orange with enough UV exposure.
 
monophoto said:
There's no one answer - everyone has his/her own favorite approach and thinks that everyone else is totally wrong.

One approach that used to be very popular for applying a CA finish was to put a bit of BLO on a piece of paper towel, and then add a drop of CA on top of that, and then wipe quickly on the pen body as it rotates on the lathe. I don't think there is any reason you could not use Tung Oil instead of BLO in that method.

The best explanation I ever heard for that approach was that the oil had a lubricating effect that prevented the CA from curing too quickly and 'grabbing'. My experience with that method was that the heat from friction as the pen body spins against the paper towel causes the oil to polymerize, leaving a 'hard spot' on the paper towel. The method does require repeated applications to build a finish, and you want to use a fresh bit of paper towel for each application so that 'hard spot' doesn't scratch the previously cured finish.

As to the drying characteristics of Tung Oil - I use it a lot, both alone and as part of a shop-made wipe-on varnish. I also make my on friction polish from Tung Oil and lacquer. In my experience, you can certainly pick up the item after an hour. Pure Tung oil (or better yet, Tung Oil thinned with a solvent such as turpentine or limonene) penetrates into the wood, so you want to flood the surface with enough to actually feed that penetration process, and then wipe off the excess. I usually wait 45 minutes or so (it ain't rocket science) before wiping. Moving it at that point is not a problem, but I do like to let it cure for a couple of hours with the piece oriented such that it not resting on the finished surface. So I've fashioned a number of jigs that I use to position pieces so that the finished surface doesn't rest against something that might leave a mark after the oil has cured.
Click to expand...
Okay! I might have to make some of those jigs myself. The idea of using the oil with the CA really appeals to me and I'll be looking more into that. Thank you!
 
leehljp said:
I have experienced tung oil from Japan and US and most tung oils were not perfectly clear, but had a slight amber color. ANY amber color finish will cause reddish woods to have a slight orangish or burnt orangish look after applying. IF this is not a problem for you, go ahead. But if you want the red heart wood to be its brightest red, you need a clear finish. CA and clear lacquers will do this as will water based clear polyurethane.

Tung oil looks great on oaks and maple and beige, tannish and brown woods,

Tung oil: I am a fan of tung oil in finishing some woods. But on pens, the curing time does push me into other finishes. Tung oil to be properly cured takes time. AS Louie above notes, mixing TO with lacquer or other finishes works well, but do a research on the different mixtures before trying it,
Click to expand...
okay, I'll make sure to experiment and see how I feel about the potential Hues that tung oil could add. Thanks for the advice!
 
I use tung oil and CA on my pens. I coat the pen liberally and let it sit to soak in. After a while (variable ...) I go back down & check. If there are dull spots where it's been absorbed, I recoat. Eventually I wipe off any excess & start with CA. No waiting to cure, but doesn't seem to weaken the finish. I've got carry pens that are years old and finish still fine.

Tung oil before CA seems to bring out the grain better than CA alone.
 
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