I want to refinish a rustic dining table, and want to avoid a poly finish; instead, I want an "in-the-wood" finish. But I really want to avoid darkening the wood. I know that pure tung oil will darken less than boiled linseed oil, but it takes a long time to dry. Because it's a dining table, and some protection wouldn't be bad, I am leaning toward some oil/varnish blend. I hesitate between Minwax tung oil finish and Formby's tung old finish.
I understand that Minwax TOF doesn't have any TO; instead it has BLO. On the other hand, Formby's does state that it has TO. The Formby's MDSD suggest that it is a modyfied soya tung alkyd resin finish. I read somewhere that soya oils darken the least.
http://www.hardwarestore.com/media/msds/260315.pdf
Therefore, am I correct to conclude that Formby's TO, even though it's not pure TO, does have some TO and soya oil and therefore will not darken wood as much as Minwax TO finish or BLO?
If Formby's is the way to go given my goals (some protection, avoid darkening), is there any suggestion as to how to proceed? I read somewhere that someone has the first coat 75% mineral spirit/25% Formby's, then 50-50, then 25-50, and ends with a fourth coat of 100% Formby's...
Thanks
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