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Chestnut Finishing Oil

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Watching a dvd of Jimmy Clewes turning a bowl and he used Chestnut Finishing Oil. I found that it's a tung oil but that's about all. Anyone familiar with it and if so is there a comparable product here in the US?

Dave Fritz
 

Bill Boehme

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Watching a dvd of Jimmy Clewes turning a bowl and he used Chestnut Finishing Oil. I found that it's a tung oil but that's about all. Anyone familiar with it and if so is there a comparable product here in the US?

Dave Fritz

Dave, the Chestnut web site says that it is a blend of oils including ting oil. I would guess that it probably also contains some polyurethane varnish. It might not be available in the U.S. I would think that you could use other products like Minwax Antique Oil or Watco Natural Danish oil Finish. The Minwax product is more like a varnish if you apply more than one coat while the Watco product is much thinner and probably doesn't contain any varnish. What is the intended use?
 
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No particular use, just don't know much about tung oil. I read there isn't much actual tung oil in some finishes that are called tung oil. Wonder if anyone knew about the Chestnut brand tung oil.

I've never used any tung oil but have used Watco Danish Oil, Deft Lacquer, walnut oil, waterlox and WOP. Probably don't need much else.

Dave Fritz
 
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Hope's has 100% tung oil.

I have a 15 year old can of the stuff I recently re-opened and it has a thick tough skin where a layer oxidized.
It has a low luster requires several coats looks good and and works nicely, but isn't water proof or anything like that.
 

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I have some Old Master's Pure Tung oil. It is thick and rich, but actually I prefer walnut oil for things like bowls and the one that I use is La Tourangelle Roasted Walnut Oil found in the supermarket with salad oils. It is pure oil with no additives or VOCs to thin it. I also use it to make a really mean walnut raspberry balsamic vinaigrette salad dressing. Here is one of the bowls that I finished with walnut oil.

_MG_3522.jpg

It is box elder about 18 inches in diameter. I think that it sopped up almost a cup of oil. The really nice thing about walnut oil is that it doesn't darken the wood like linseed oil or tung oil does and that is important for a light wood. One other thing is that this oil has a "Use By" date so you know that it is fresh.
 
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Bill,
There is a gentleman who did a lot of research on Walnut oil and posted an article he wrote on WOW. It is a good read and may change your mind on using it.
 
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I would think that you could use other products like Minwax Antique Oil or Watco Natural Danish oil Finish. The Minwax product is more like a varnish if you apply more than one coat while the Watco product is much thinner and probably doesn't contain any varnish.

The more I read the more I get confused. They are both wiping varnish (or oil/varnish blends) according to this Popular Woodworking Magazine article:


Common brands of finish that are wiping varnish:

Formby’s Tung Oil Finish
Zar Wipe-on Tung Oil
Val-Oil
Hope’s Tung Oil Varnish
Gillespie Tung Oil
Waterlox
General Finishes’ Sealacell
General Finishes’ Arm R Seal
Daly’s ProFin
Jasco Tung Oil

Common brands of finish that are oil/varnish blends:

Watco Danish Oil
Deft Danish Oil
Behlen Danish Oil
Maloof Finish
Behr Scandinavian Tung Oil Finish
Minwax Tung Oil Finish
Minwax Antique Oil Finish
Velvit Oil
Behlen Salad Bowl Finish
Behlen Teak Oil
Watco Teak Oil

However, varnishes are supposed to have some type of resin and the MSDS for Watco Danish oil doesn't list any resin. Unless Dipropylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether is a resin.
 

Bill Boehme

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James,
I just recently used Watco Natural Danish Oil on a basket illusion piece and my observation is that it seemed like a thinned oil that completely soaked into the wood. I made two applications and I didn't notice any evidence of any surface film.

I have read in various sources that the pigmented Watco products contain a small amount of varnish, but if so, it isn't enough to be noticeable. I have used the colored Watco oils to match existing woodwork by blending different colors and then using varnish topcoat.
 
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The more I read the more I get confused. They are both wiping varnish (or oil/varnish blends) according to this Popular Woodworking Magazine article:


Common brands of finish that are wiping varnish:

Formby’s Tung Oil Finish
Zar Wipe-on Tung Oil
Val-Oil
Hope’s Tung Oil Varnish
Gillespie Tung Oil
Waterlox
General Finishes’ Sealacell
General Finishes’ Arm R Seal
Daly’s ProFin
Jasco Tung Oil

Common brands of finish that are oil/varnish blends:

Watco Danish Oil
Deft Danish Oil
Behlen Danish Oil
Maloof Finish
Behr Scandinavian Tung Oil Finish
Minwax Tung Oil Finish
Minwax Antique Oil Finish
Velvit Oil
Behlen Salad Bowl Finish
Behlen Teak Oil
Watco Teak Oil

However, varnishes are supposed to have some type of resin and the MSDS for Watco Danish oil doesn't list any resin. Unless Dipropylene Glycol Monomethyl Ether is a resin.

James is right on with this. And further in the article Flexner stated that none of the "tung oil" have any tung oil in them and as stated most are varnish blends. I am not well versed in chemical names of varnish and these products do not give proportions. I would suppose that the proportions in the mix is what causes the different properties. Watco for instance is not designed as a "film" finish, but is supposed to be a penitrating finish which goes into the top layer of the wood. It will give a film with patience and enough coats.
 

Bill Boehme

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James is right on with this. And further in the article Flexner stated that none of the "tung oil" have any tung oil in them and as stated most are varnish blends. I am not well versed in chemical names of varnish and these products do not give proportions. I would suppose that the proportions in the mix is what causes the different properties. Watco for instance is not designed as a "film" finish, but is supposed to be a penitrating finish which goes into the top layer of the wood. It will give a film with patience and enough coats.

Even pure linseed oil will develop a film with enough applications. Exterior varnishes contain more linseed oil than interior varnishes so that they will have a bit of flexibility.

Believe it or not, Danish Oil contains no Danes nor is it used to oil Danes. Danes get oiled with glögg.

Goose grease isn't used to grease geese, not even in Greece.

Many people think that products named Teak Oil contains something extracted from teak trees. They don't. Watco Teak Oil and Behlen's Teak Oil are just thinned linseed oil with perhaps a bit of varnish. They call it Teak Oil because it supposedly is great for oiling teak wood. Teak wood already has enough oil to endure a lot of weathering.
 
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Waterlox IS a tung oil finish. It comes to several flavors, primary being red-can "sealer" and green-can "gloss." The gloss has more varnish resins added to form up a film and will form a mirror-like finish if you stay with it. Steve Sinner used to be a Waterlox fan for his "illustrated" hollow forms. Polymerized tung forms a softer (less durable) film than linseed or flax oils (a Minwax favorite) but it also doesn't darken over time like linseed. Use linseed oil on an exterior deck and expect it to be near black in a year as there's a common fungus that just loves to eat it.

Comment about brands of "Tung Oil Finish" is correct. Products like Formby's have very little of actual tung oil in the mix. OTH, if you were to get some pure tung oil to use, you're asking to watch paint dry over weeks. It needs serious help as a drying oil. Other nut oils like refined walnut will provide a nice low sheen finish that is easy to repair with more oil.

If you're doing display pieces, a Waterlox sealer followed by a solvent finish is hard to beat to pop the grain and make the wood sparkle.

For treenware, where a film finish will just crack and peel/chip off, Waterlox sealer followed by a simple wax or wax/oil finish is easy and renewable at will.
 
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Waterlox IS a tung oil finish. It comes to several flavors, primary being red-can "sealer" and green-can "gloss."

Hey Mark! I’m on a search for a new finish. Up until a month ago I used Behlen’s Rockhard Tabletop Varnish; it was a phenolic resin varnish that performed beautifully for my uses. When I ran out of what I had, I discovered that Behlen’s changed the recipe to a urethane resin and I don’t like it. My opinion is not based on scientific evidence, the stuff is just different all around and I don’t like it.

Anyway, the search for a phenolic-based replacement began with Waterlox. The MSDS for both the sealer and the gloss lists tung oil, ester gum, and phenolic resin. I think I could like this once I get my own techniques with it worked out. Last evening I picked up a can of Epifanes High Gloss varnish – it’s a “phenolic-modified alkyd resinâ€. Not sure how it will compare to my old Behlen’s but I had a good email conversation with the Epifanes contact person. Dang, I hate it when manufacturers change a good product...
 

hockenbery

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I use Waterlox a lot. It builds up in 3-5 coats.
It gives a slight Amber cast to the near white woods. It works well over dyes and stains too.

One caution is that it likes to gel. I put mine in plastic drink bottles.
When done I put the cap on loosely and squeeze until a bit runs out under the cap then close the cap.
The bottles get quite crushed near the end so be on the lookout for trapped bubbles.
There is usually one tiny air bubble that seems not to hurt anything.

I have had Waterlox stay good for over 6 months in these crushed plastic bottles.
One time in the last 10 years or so we had one go to gel for no apparent reason overnight.
The bottle had no air in it and it still gelled up.

Have fun,
Al
 

Bill Boehme

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I use Waterlox a lot. It builds up in 3-5 coats.
It gives a slight Amber cast to the near white woods. It works well over dyes and stains too.

One caution is that it likes to gel. I put mine in plastic drink bottles.
When done I put the cap on loosely and squeeze until a bit runs out under the cap then close the cap.
The bottles get quite crushed near the end so be on the lookout for trapped bubbles.
There is usually one tiny air bubble that seems not to hurt anything.

I have had Waterlox stay good for over 6 months in these crushed plastic bottles.
One time in the last 10 years or so we had one go to gel for no apparent reason overnight.
The bottle had no air in it and it still gelled up.

Have fun,
Al

With such a short shelf life I would be concerned about buying it locally because it may have already been on the shelf for six months. Online things probably move a lot faster.
 
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The unopened shelf life is years and years.
The cans I get it in have a metal plug.

Waterlox says to remove the metal plug and then replace it before screwing on the lid. I’ve only used it a couple of times and the metal plug is getting pretty bent around the edge where you pry it up. Any tips, Al?
 
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Hey Mark! I’m on a search for a new finish. Up until a month ago I used Behlen’s Rockhard Tabletop Varnish; it was a phenolic resin varnish that performed beautifully for my uses. When I ran out of what I had, I discovered that Behlen’s changed the recipe to a urethane resin and I don’t like it. My opinion is not based on scientific evidence, the stuff is just different all around and I don’t like it.

Anyway, the search for a phenolic-based replacement began with Waterlox. The MSDS for both the sealer and the gloss lists tung oil, ester gum, and phenolic resin. I think I could like this once I get my own techniques with it worked out. Last evening I picked up a can of Epifanes High Gloss varnish – it’s a “phenolic-modified alkyd resinâ€. Not sure how it will compare to my old Behlen’s but I had a good email conversation with the Epifanes contact person. Dang, I hate it when manufacturers change a good product...

"Lox" is not a replacement for Rockhard. Waterlox film is a softer polymer when cured. It's great for a high gloss "show" finish and will move well to allow seasonal dimension changes and won't (in my experience) darken appreciably over time, but it will not take a lot of wear like other oil-based finishes.
 

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Waterlox says to remove the metal plug and then replace it before screwing on the lid. I’ve only used it a couple of times and the metal plug is getting pretty bent around the edge where you pry it up. Any tips, Al?

I throw the metal plug away and pour the can into used plastic bottles. I squeeze the air out of with the cap loose the tighten the cap.
Then throw the can away.

Al
 
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Seems the topic has moved to finishes generally. Well I store waterlox in old wine bottles and pull a vacuum with one of these: http://www.amazon.com/Vacu-Vin-Vacuum-Bottle-Stoppers/dp/B00004SAF4

Actually store Danish Oil that way too. Just pour out a little as needed.

Not my idea, learned it from my mentor John. No problems yet.

Dave Fritz

Good Idea. Even better if you couple with this ;
http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss_1?url=search-alias=garden&field-keywords=bloxogen

Or this
http://www.systemthree.com/store/pc...r-28p280.htm?gclid=CPm94NXf08YCFQ2PHwodakINJQ

Doesn't take much gas
 

Bill Boehme

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The Vacu Vin removes between half and two thirds of the oxygen. The little plastic pump can't pull more than a moderate vacuum -- perhaps in the vicinity of what a shop vac could pull. So, it helps a little, but not as much as purging the oxygen out. Here is a link link that is wine oriented, but it contains a bit of information about the effectiveness of the vacuum pump:

http://johnonwine.com/tag/consumer-reports/
 
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I've used Bloxygen over Waterlox and Bloxygen over Waterlox with plastic over the spout and then the cap. I have also used a product like Bloxygen but sold to preserve wine. The Waterlox still skinned over and gelled. I used the VacuVin on four wine bottles that I had decanted the Waterlox into last year. So far, only one bottle has skinned over. When I discovered the skinned over finish, I checked the stopper for its seal. It pulled out easily and after pulling a vacuum again it still pulled out easily. Tried a new stopper, pulled a vacuum and now have a tightly sealed bottle of skinned over Waterlox. Next project is to try to salvage the rest of the skinned over product.
 
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Canned air

I've had good luck using 'canned air' for preserving finishes(the keyboard cleaner that is sold everywhere). It's an oxygen-free gas which is heavier than air, and it's cheaper than Bloxygen.

It also helps keeps guacamole from turning brown when stored... If there's any left!
 
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