Yep, it's February, let the tough times begin. This time always begins the long slog until the end of winter, which, to me, is the start of syrup season.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUhifdDzxDibyrDdmnCAHsw4xc85EeiqyugOs0JbifxUQAWs5d6Fj75EmyJ-ThPKib9l468Al76qTi36uzsfbgXZ8pKTIRzpPpndZSN0Kj-F6acu0MY5RosdiLepRHgrqv5Lj3NiICmvo/s400/Tung2.jpg)
I couldn't resist digging through the photos that I took last year and putting this one up as my desktop. Sue and I literally laughed with glee when we saw it on the screen.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiDaGeJoST7FiFokmu_kKOK8ZmhypvE1kpZPswJg-YCqfKsJd2euCNAGlON0R2hxRt-DksnruqUHWq5C34ejd8r84gX8_6WHNQWniD4Hyq1Pf2WMNDHt11BBa6bTi4WawEeyU3JmkkR2_M/s400/Tung1.jpg)
I recently read an interesting post that Kari over at the
Village Carpenter wrote about finishing. She addresses a number of different finish options for one of her projects and the conclusion put Tung oil at the rear of the pack. It got me thinking, because for a very specific application, I love the stuff.
When I started making chairs without painting them, I had all sorts of trouble keeping the parts clean. In chairmaking, there is a lot of part wrestling and once a little dirty oil gets on cherry, you're sunk. Plus, because I don't sand my turnings, I couldn't just sand away the offending smudges. So I started applying a coat of finish right on the lathe.
First, I used my normal varnish mix, which worked fine. But then I remembered that I had some pure raw Tung oil from the Real Milk Paint Company. I bought the stuff because it's completely nontoxic, no metallic dryers or spirits. It smells great, but to finish a chair with it would be a chore, because it doesn't build a film without rubbing and rubbing and rubbing.
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Here's where the lathe comes in. By applying the oil to the spinning piece and then holding a cloth on it until I feel the heat (should I be worried about exploding?!), the oil builds a lovely finish that I'm able to keep clean for the rest of the process.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgrxchDYYxRxrrKn4glfnYlWWnSBnXO1DOZCJr2PdA2I97D1qmUH6-wF2texHTACbAnSsPAj4LFA3iy76AGRkglX4znr8f53kUeMmCMoaoToKgrhhBd62gtI0dmuQ87nKUzQ6_y8a6dvQs/s400/Tung4.jpg)
I'm no finishing expert, but I think that the heat helps the oil polymerize (which I believe is the job of the metallic dryers normally in boiled linseed oil and hardware store tung oil) and build a quicker, tougher finish.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmrC231xVfeTIhH6ZNFUW83wUcqU2ii9ZsQFP9sFyNOYJ_W6kh-_py8ac3Ds8nkpRFIL9Zp7rQEWOUWIIFa2yge9gSbcWqlmlNRTyneI7yUYs_dyXpEHfTtuaXcFs7_hdm0fx82OLUfQ8/s400/Tung5.jpg)
As you can see below, the finish is lovely and highlights the woods natural character. I do still add more coats of oil/varnish when I finish the assembled chair, but it seems like it takes about 3 applications before the other chair parts catch up with the turnings.
![](https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjaoHVHn-8lVCA3oNUuvgw0QH0wkIrC4WtUyLmTarqzsgoO3OIWpnNfh9dhBHoPaG52wMNvkkbq3qOJcu4SFOtIu9GBTBSQP1BDbRfQr3a5DmAn6j8oj8QAy6-JhfKiclRiGyBgYQ6qyM/s400/tung6.jpg)
It's even inspired me to dig out my old can of Tried and True non toxic Varnish oil finish to try on my chairs. I know that the rubbing is added labor, but on a well prepared surface, it's like a victory lap. Plus, I'd love to cut my exposure to the nasty stuff in the spar varnish as much as possible.
By the way, Kari, great post!