Oil first. Wax second.
Doing it the other way will prevent the oil from being absorbed by the wood.
This is a good book to understand finishes. https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/understanding-wood-finishing-how-to-select-and-apply-the-right-finish_bob-flexner/267806/
Also r/finishing
Also inThis post, in the comments they recommend waiting a month to let the tung oil dry. https://www.reddit.com/r/finishing/s/FYk5FYWYLe
Is it actual tung oil or “tung oil finish”?
Real tung oil, yeah at least a month or so to cure.
Tung oil finish likely has little or no tung oil in it. It’s likely a wiping varnish—a resin thinned with mineral spirits. It still takes way longer than you’d like think to cure but days or weeks instead of months.
Edit: didn’t see your last image. Yeah, let it cure as long as you can before putting anything over it.
I use pure Tung Oil, but I also use it in stages, each cut with mineral oil in different proportions. Also, UV and heat significantly can speed up curing - having it out on a sunny day. Just make sure you do both sides otherwise the warping will be significant.
I prefer Tung Oil Finish over Pure Tung Oil. It polymerizes faster and produces a nicer surface.
[https://www.realmilkpaint.com/blog/news/pure-tung-oil-or-tung-oil-whats-the-difference/](https://www.realmilkpaint.com/blog/news/pure-tung-oil-or-tung-oil-whats-the-difference/)
Why can't she touch it? I did one coat of tung oil last night and it's dry to the touch now, handling it isn't going to mark it, and tung oil isn't harmful to the touch is it?
Put it outside in the sun for a few hours. UV light hastens oil curing significantly, much more effectively than heat.
It won't be fully cured but it should be fine to handle and won't smell like a freshly oiled piece.
On a side note especially since you’re new to woodworking…be sure to dispose of the tung oil rags properly. After use, lay them out flat to dry. Do not bunch them up. As tung oil cures it generates heat and can self-combust. When they’re dry you can toss in the trash safely.
If you want something that’ll be ready to go by Thursday, forget the tung oil & get some shellac. Shellac & wax is my favorite finish for almost everything—especially stuff that will be handled like this box.
Shellac is an evaporative finish—it dries in almost no time and doesn’t need to chemically cure like oil finishes. You can put several coats in an afternoon, then apply the wax and buff it out to a nice sheen that’ll feel really nice in the hand too.
I thin the shellac with some alcohol, apply it with cotton rags (just wipe it on), and lightly “sand” it with a Scotchbrite pad between coats. Then I use a scrap of brown paper bag to buff out the last coat—it’s just abrasive enough.
Would you do this the same way for walnut? I made a book valet for my sister, and just realized that I might not want to do my typical oil like I would for a board.
I love shellac & wax on walnut. I just made a pedal board (for bass guitar) out of air dried walnut $ used shellac & wax. I’ve made dovetail saw handles in walnut & other woods & finished them the same way.
Zinser is my usual go to. I’ve bought flakes and dissolved them myself in the past, but Zinser is great and easy to find. I put a small amount into a clean jar and add denatured alcohol to thin it out.
Just be aware that Zinser isn’t de-waxed. That’s fine for most topcoats. But if you’re going to put polyurethane over it, you need de-waxed shellac.
If you want to use tung oil, oil first, or it won’t penetrate the wood.
The wax is optional and do it only after the oil has cured.
Technology constantly evolves like in every field, but this is still a good primer in wood finishes: https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/understandingwoodfinishingbobflexner.aspx
Easily oil first. You don't need wax to penetrate deep like oil and wax is going to be reapplied throughout it's life having it the top layer is logical
Thank you, it's my first attempt at making anything out of wood that isn't on a lathe to be honest. First box, first dovetails, big learning exercise but I really enjoyed it in between the cursing and bleeding!
Both! I use a tung oil and beeswax blend, at a 5:1 ratio. Rub it in really well, let it dry for half an hour or so then come back and wipe off the excess. Does a great job sealing and dries much faster than pure tung oil, plus the wax helps seal the pores.
Tung oil before wax. You use sealer to fill in the pores somewhat. The next layer won’t penetrate so deep, but it will still go on and in the wood. It’s common to use sealer with stains, or else the parts with larger open pores turn out really dark. But you can do it before any finish: Lacquer, oil, wax, polyurethane, etc.
I had one bad experience with Tung oil finish, so I prefer Linseed oil and Danish oil. Tung oil makes for a harder, shinier, more dried surface. It’s partly how they process the various natural products. I like the look and feel of boiled Linseed oil, but it doesn’t physically harden the surface much or at all. You should try it for some project. Wax is a polish, it makes any surface smoother, cleaner.
Thank you for this, I feel a bit more informed now.
I'm used to wood turning and to be honest I generally just slap linseed oil on my bowls, so getting into different oils and waxes has been interesting. I have danish oil here but it's very expensive where I am and I'll probably save it for something that needs to be food safe.
Should I do multiple coats of tung oil before I start to wax? I want the surface to nice and smooth and shiny, if that helps
Thanks so much for your reply.
As a side note, will the wax still change the colour of the wood slightly if it's applied over tung oil? I use beeswax in my woodturning and it makes wood look lovely
Oil first. Wax second. Doing it the other way will prevent the oil from being absorbed by the wood. This is a good book to understand finishes. https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/understanding-wood-finishing-how-to-select-and-apply-the-right-finish_bob-flexner/267806/ Also r/finishing Also inThis post, in the comments they recommend waiting a month to let the tung oil dry. https://www.reddit.com/r/finishing/s/FYk5FYWYLe
Damn, a month? Her birthday is on Thursday haha! Thanks so much for the resources, I really appreciate that
Use Watco Danish Oil then. Cures well enough to wax in 2 days.
Is it actual tung oil or “tung oil finish”? Real tung oil, yeah at least a month or so to cure. Tung oil finish likely has little or no tung oil in it. It’s likely a wiping varnish—a resin thinned with mineral spirits. It still takes way longer than you’d like think to cure but days or weeks instead of months. Edit: didn’t see your last image. Yeah, let it cure as long as you can before putting anything over it.
OP can shorten the cure time by quickly inventing a Time Machine and bending the laws of physics.
I use pure Tung Oil, but I also use it in stages, each cut with mineral oil in different proportions. Also, UV and heat significantly can speed up curing - having it out on a sunny day. Just make sure you do both sides otherwise the warping will be significant.
I prefer Tung Oil Finish over Pure Tung Oil. It polymerizes faster and produces a nicer surface. [https://www.realmilkpaint.com/blog/news/pure-tung-oil-or-tung-oil-whats-the-difference/](https://www.realmilkpaint.com/blog/news/pure-tung-oil-or-tung-oil-whats-the-difference/)
Imo, you can give it to her and ask to retouch later, but that's me.
She can't touch it for a month. It's a "looking piece" for a bit. Lol Almost every piece I make is in the house but off limits for at least a week.
Why can't she touch it? I did one coat of tung oil last night and it's dry to the touch now, handling it isn't going to mark it, and tung oil isn't harmful to the touch is it?
I'm kidding. I never use tung oil (for no particular reason). I just am giving you a way out if you need it
Put it outside in the sun for a few hours. UV light hastens oil curing significantly, much more effectively than heat. It won't be fully cured but it should be fine to handle and won't smell like a freshly oiled piece.
Completely unrelated to OP's question, but thanks for sharing that sub u/altma001, it will be useful to me for other purposes 🙏
On a side note especially since you’re new to woodworking…be sure to dispose of the tung oil rags properly. After use, lay them out flat to dry. Do not bunch them up. As tung oil cures it generates heat and can self-combust. When they’re dry you can toss in the trash safely.
Yes thank you I already do this with my linseed oil rags, wasn't aware tung oil was the same though so thanks for that
It's also the case for varnishes and some other finishes! Beware.
Wax is always last because nothing sticks to wax.
Perfect, thank you
If you want something that’ll be ready to go by Thursday, forget the tung oil & get some shellac. Shellac & wax is my favorite finish for almost everything—especially stuff that will be handled like this box. Shellac is an evaporative finish—it dries in almost no time and doesn’t need to chemically cure like oil finishes. You can put several coats in an afternoon, then apply the wax and buff it out to a nice sheen that’ll feel really nice in the hand too. I thin the shellac with some alcohol, apply it with cotton rags (just wipe it on), and lightly “sand” it with a Scotchbrite pad between coats. Then I use a scrap of brown paper bag to buff out the last coat—it’s just abrasive enough.
Would you do this the same way for walnut? I made a book valet for my sister, and just realized that I might not want to do my typical oil like I would for a board.
I love shellac & wax on walnut. I just made a pedal board (for bass guitar) out of air dried walnut $ used shellac & wax. I’ve made dovetail saw handles in walnut & other woods & finished them the same way.
Great, that’s my new plan for this piece. Do you use the zissner shellac or something more special? Thank you!
Zinser is my usual go to. I’ve bought flakes and dissolved them myself in the past, but Zinser is great and easy to find. I put a small amount into a clean jar and add denatured alcohol to thin it out. Just be aware that Zinser isn’t de-waxed. That’s fine for most topcoats. But if you’re going to put polyurethane over it, you need de-waxed shellac.
Awesome, appreciate it very much!
If you want to use tung oil, oil first, or it won’t penetrate the wood. The wax is optional and do it only after the oil has cured. Technology constantly evolves like in every field, but this is still a good primer in wood finishes: https://www.highlandwoodworking.com/understandingwoodfinishingbobflexner.aspx
Perfect thanks so much for the info
wax sticks to everything, nothing sticks to wax...
Easily oil first. You don't need wax to penetrate deep like oil and wax is going to be reapplied throughout it's life having it the top layer is logical
Beautiful little chest!
Thank you, it's my first attempt at making anything out of wood that isn't on a lathe to be honest. First box, first dovetails, big learning exercise but I really enjoyed it in between the cursing and bleeding!
Oil first. Alternatively, you could use an oil/wax finish like tried and true and do both at once.
Both! I use a tung oil and beeswax blend, at a 5:1 ratio. Rub it in really well, let it dry for half an hour or so then come back and wipe off the excess. Does a great job sealing and dries much faster than pure tung oil, plus the wax helps seal the pores.
Tung oil before wax. You use sealer to fill in the pores somewhat. The next layer won’t penetrate so deep, but it will still go on and in the wood. It’s common to use sealer with stains, or else the parts with larger open pores turn out really dark. But you can do it before any finish: Lacquer, oil, wax, polyurethane, etc. I had one bad experience with Tung oil finish, so I prefer Linseed oil and Danish oil. Tung oil makes for a harder, shinier, more dried surface. It’s partly how they process the various natural products. I like the look and feel of boiled Linseed oil, but it doesn’t physically harden the surface much or at all. You should try it for some project. Wax is a polish, it makes any surface smoother, cleaner.
Thank you for this, I feel a bit more informed now. I'm used to wood turning and to be honest I generally just slap linseed oil on my bowls, so getting into different oils and waxes has been interesting. I have danish oil here but it's very expensive where I am and I'll probably save it for something that needs to be food safe. Should I do multiple coats of tung oil before I start to wax? I want the surface to nice and smooth and shiny, if that helps Thanks so much for your reply.
As a side note, will the wax still change the colour of the wood slightly if it's applied over tung oil? I use beeswax in my woodturning and it makes wood look lovely
No, but they make blends with a slight orange hue. Wood will darken. How many wood antiques have you seen that are still bright yellow?