Where to buy Tung oil?

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xmanpike

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I am getting ready to refinish the stock on an old shotgun and a few grips and think I am going the Tung Oil route, but have heard that I should only use REAL Tung Oil not the products that "contain real tung oil" from Lowe's and such.

Anyone have an idea where I might be able to find 100% tung oil

or

Does anyone have anything they like better?

Thanks :)
 
you might want to look up a specialty woodworkers store, they usually carry all the good stuff for fine cabinetmaking and such and they (makers of fine cabinets) would be the ones looking for !00% tung oil.
 
No need for a specialty store. Any general hardware store is going to carry it. Ace and True value both do, unless you are in a very small independently owned one. Do not be obsessed about 100% tung oil. It's less flexible and makes a less consistent finish. It's also not "authentic" as no manufacturers I know of used "pure" tung oil in finishing their stocks and grips.

Any hardware store will probably carry the Formsby brand, and it comes in both satin and high-gloss. It is almost pure tung oil with only some other small ingredients to help it penetrate better and dry more smoothly. I like high-gloss. I've redone 30 or 49 grips and some stocks with it, so a few tips:

1) Use latex/vinyl gloves when working with it. It's sticky and tacky (not toxic).

2) It's best applied with vigorous rubbing by hand. Thus the second reason for the gloves. Buy a box of 100 of them at the store at the same time.

3) Allow to dry a day or two between coats.

4) Apply at least three and preferably more coats on fresh or stripped wood.

This is a pair of S&W N frame target grips I re-did. They were peeling, nasty, and dented/scratched before. Afterwards only a very good eye could tell they were refinished. These are glossy as that is how these grips were originally. Fewer coats or less polishing/buffing at the final coats will yield a more matte finish, even if using a high-gloss formulation. Most of the "outcome" is in the application and effort you put in it, not in the product in the can.

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I could be mistaken, and stand to be corrected, but I believe that if you do get genuine 100% pure Tung Oil, it will take weeks, if not months, to dry--just between coats. Most of the used products that are mostly pure Tung Oil contain dryers of some sort, as I believe are described by the previous poster.
 
I love THR. See I would have gotten myself into quite a pickle.

Thanks for the input guys. Those grips look great Oro.
 
One more thing. If you use a rag to apply the stuff (like the directions say -- you'll at least need something to wipe it off if you want an even cote) you should spread it out to dry outside. Mine almost caught fire, and once checking the fine print that's a warning. Lots of heat is generated as it dries/evaporates.
 
If you aren't set on the 100% Tung Oil route, which many purists are, I refinished a stock with the Formby's Tung Oil Finish you can find at Wal-Mart and it came out pretty nice.
 
by no means SET pn 100% I just want what will work best. I have read good things about Fromby's. Might have to try it. Thanks
 
Lots of heat is generated as it dries/evaporates.
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Yes, this is a good point. As you let it dry, keep it away from direct heat sources. Indirect heat is ok - like in the winter I will put handgun grips on top of the mantle a few feet above the gas fireplace. Warm, but not "hot." In the summer, direct sunlight inside would be bad, too. Put them somewhere warm and not hot and a little ventilated while they dry between coats.
 
Just kind of a chuckle, but how do you know something "almost" caught on fire? If it catches, you know, but how do you know almost? I have been in a lot of "I hope it's about to catch on fire" situations, but never could tell an "almost" to catch situation--though I may have told myself it was almost to catch. Often found myself dreaming through hope. So how do you know something "almost caught on fire"? I've never seen anything but did or didn't. But I'm open to learn'in!
 
Just kind of a chuckle, but how do you know something "almost" caught on fire? If it catches, you know, but how do you know almost? I have been in a lot of "I hope it's about to catch on fire" situations, but never could tell an "almost" to catch situation--though I may have told myself it was almost to catch. Often found myself dreaming through hope. So how do you know something "almost caught on fire"? I've never seen anything but did or didn't. But I'm open to learn'in!
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Well, it's a guess, but the rag I was using was folded over itself, and when I picked it up to move it it was hot (ouch), and opening it back up had it either smoking or fuming visibly. I'm going with smoking.

Checked the label and yep, rags'll catch fire.
 
I am getting ready to refinish the stock on an old shotgun and a few grips and think I am going the Tung Oil route, but have heard that I should only use REAL Tung Oil not the products that "contain real tung oil" from Lowe's and such.

Anyone have an idea where I might be able to find 100% tung oil

or

Does anyone have anything they like better?
Click to expand...
Formsby brand does a great job in both semi and gloss, available at Ace, or other hardware stores. My former girlfriend had some old Formsby brand gloss, it was about 8 years old. It did a great job on some of her kid's dollhouse furniture. And I've used semi-gloss on cracked rosewood revolver grips, glued back together with epoxy glue. You can't see where the crack was, unless you know exactly where to look for it.

You have to let the successive coats really dry, a day or so, between coats. I had about 10 coats on those rosewood grips and the things look truly awesome. The nice thing about tung oil is you can wipe it clean and drop another coat or two on top, to freshen it up after a year or so. ...No need to strip it. The more coats the better. I apply it with a small cotton rag. And it's a good idea to lightly buff it between the early coats with a 3M pad or steel wool.
 
Wow. lots of good information here. Anybody particularly like the semigloss or the gloss finish. This is a very old shotgun so i'm thinking the semi.
 
I could be mistaken, and stand to be corrected, but I believe that if you do get genuine 100% pure Tung Oil, it will take weeks, if not months, to dry--just between coats. Most of the used products that are mostly pure Tung Oil contain dryers of some sort, as I believe are described by the previous poster.
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They contain thinners - probably mineral spirits. The Formsby brand works well enough and I've further thinned it to fast-dry with some acetone. Also, as said here earlier, hanging (or positioning) the piece over a fireplace or a wood stove is all good too. ...Helps the drying process, based on my past experience with it. I've laid pieces out in warm spots, indirectly warmed by the sun and that works well too. :)
 
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I've always had really good luck with Formby's. The first couple coats, I use it like a car wax and really rub it into the wood. I take 0000 steel wool and lightly buff in between coats. As expected, the more coats and the more buffing you do, the more of a higher gloss finish you'll get. If you want just an oiled look then don't use too many coats. I use Formby's on grips every once in a while.
 
Wow. lots of good information here. Anybody particularly like the semigloss or the gloss finish. This is a very old shotgun so i'm thinking the semi.
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I think you're right about semi. You'll be happy with it. Too glossy... and you'll be afraid to scratch it when you use it. And you can always put another coat on after some usage, just clean it with mineral spirits or a similar solvent - no need to strip it.
 
Just kind of a chuckle, but how do you know something "almost" caught on fire? If it catches, you know, but how do you know almost? I have been in a lot of "I hope it's about to catch on fire" situations, but never could tell an "almost" to catch situation--though I may have told myself it was almost to catch. Often found myself dreaming through hope. So how do you know something "almost caught on fire"? I've never seen anything but did or didn't. But I'm open to learn'in!
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Rockler Corp. (a distributor of pure tung oil) says in their technical brochure that their material is subject to spontaneous combustion, and should not be left on rags and cloth. Caution is suggested.
 
I recently purchased an 1100 remington(1st year production). It had that hard shiny finish that was chipping. I removed the old finish. I used formby tung oil "low gloss". It came out really nice. I would describe it as semi gloss. I applied three coats, one coat daily. After reading some of these posts, maybe should have done more. just my two cents. Oh yes, I always burn old rags after using them for oil or varnish jobs. Never put them in a garbage can or leave them laying about. good luck!

mothernatureson
 
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I use Formbys Tung oil on my stocks. I find it works very well. What I do is to hand rub it on thinly.

Strip the old finish, then steam out dents. Lightly sand with 400 grit and finish that with 0000 steel wool.

I hang my stock up and then lightly rub the oil on by hand. This will give you a feel for the wood that brushing and pads won't give. It usually takes about four coats before that grain is fully filled. Once filled then another two coats with 24 hours between and a light steel wool buff.

You can let it go with that...I will polish with a buffing wheel and waxes to get the final polish and desired gloss.
 
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