ArmRSeal vs tru oil

[Somerby Evans]

Hi -

Can any one out there comment on the differnces between Arm-R-Seal and True-Oil? I have used True-Oil but would like something a little more durable and harder. How do these two compare?

Thanks in advance for any and all feedback!

/S.

[Scott Holmes]

What are you finishing?
From what are you needing to protect it?
What look and feel do you want when finished?

Arm-R-Seal is a polyurethane varnish; Varnish is more protective than and oil/varnish blend; which is more protective than an oil finish. Poly doesn't do well in UV and is not really hard, it's tough, but not hard.

Per Tru-oils MSDS which is a bit vague: Modified oil is tough to pin down; is it oil, or an oil based varnish that's modified.

Sounds like an oil/varnish blend; but I'm not sure.

Description CAS # Weight %
Mineral Spirits** 8052-41-3 > 56
Modified Oil Proprietary < 33
Linseed Oil*** Proprietary < 11

I find Proprietary an interesting comment on the linseed oil.

[Neal Clayton]

i find it downright funny .

in fact i'd go so far as to specifically not ever buy their products since they're trying to circumvent the MSDS requirements, or even complain to OSHA about their (lack of) disclosure.

no really, random corp, inc, the rules apply to you too

edit: from another forum since this company has apparently changed their MSDS over time and removed them altogether from their website (all google links to that MSDS refer back to their main page, which has no links to MSDS anywhere that i can see)...

from the MSDS sheet:

Linseed Oil, (raw) and Polymerized Linseed Oil, (Cooked)
mixed with 56% mineral Spirits.

linseed oil thinned by half with mineral spirits. sounds like a fantastic value at a dollar an ounce.

by my math one gallon of spirits and one gallon of BLO makes 256 dollars worth of 'tru oil', if that's all that's in it.

[Somerby Evans]

My apologies for being so vague. I have used tru-oil to finish acoustic guitars. I typically build a few coats of shellac (french polish) and then build coats of True-Oil, per directions. I then polish as needed. This finish holds up well and looks good. I am interested in other options.

I like the ease of application and control of thickness I get with a wipe on product. I have also "blended" my own wipe on varnish and perhaps that is the better way to go, using a product like Behlen's -this way I can control the amount of oil.

Thanks!

[Howard Acheson]

They are two totally different finishes. Arm R Seal is a poly varnish thinned for wiping. When dry, it is like any other poly varnish. It is a film finish that creates and durable and protective finish.

Tru-Oil is a polymerized linseed oil. Polymerizing is a process that speeds up the curing of linseed oil. But, it still is linseed oil. Linseed oil is a poor finish from a protective and durability point of view. It's very soft, not very water vapor resistant and it has little resistance to abrasion.

[Al Wasser]

I guess I need to disagree-- TruOil, what ever it is, is made for a finish on gunstocks -- it holds up to that use very well.

[Scott Holmes]

Linseed oil finishes are OK, if renewed often, which is the case on gunstock finishes.

The Tru-oil MAY have some varnish in it; which would make it an oil/varnish blend which will hold up much better than linseed oil alone.

The MSDS is so vague no one really knows. I did see something that mentioned varnish in there so that's why I think it may be an oil/varnish blend.

I've not used it so I don't know if needs to be renewed often or not. If not then my bet is an oil/varnish blend.

[Al Wasser]

Truoil does not resemble BLO in any manner. It builds a nice shiny finish in about 2 coats. Applied properly it holds up to the rain, snow, bumps etc that any hunter encounters. I've also used the stuff on bottle stoppers where it tends to build a heavier finish that I don't care for but should hold up well.

[Henry Ambrose]

Truoil does not resemble BLO in any manner. It builds a nice shiny finish in about 2 coats. Applied properly it holds up to the rain, snow, bumps etc that any hunter encounters. I've also used the stuff on bottle stoppers where it tends to build a heavier finish that I don't care for but should hold up well.

+1 to this, and you can use it as a padding or wipe on finish to put down very thin films. I'd call it a typical old style varnish, not the hardest finish I've ever used but a good one. I'd use Waterlox to finish a gun stock because I have it on hand. The MSDS is on their site but it lists the "modified oil" as proprietary. I'd assume some added driers. One nice thing is that you can buy Tru-Oil in small bottles, which may fit some folks use.

[Howard Acheson]

I guess I need to disagree-- TruOil, what ever it is, is made for a finish on gunstocks -- it holds up to that use very well.

There is only one chemical in Tru-Oil. It is made from raw linseed oil and polymerized linseed oil. Polymerization is heating of the oil to cause it to partially cure. This makes the oil somewhat harder and thicker and causes it to cure faster. There is no other component in Tru-Oil. Because Tru-Oil only contains linseed oil, which is not hazardous, the manufacturer has removed the MSDS from the site.

You may be interested in reading the info in a gun or hunting related forum that I list below. You will see that it requires 12-20 applications to build any type of protection. In addition, the manufacturer sells a sealer to be applied on top to give some additional protection.

Finally, given the price of the small bottle of product, someone is making lots of money selling linseed oil.

http://webcache.googleusercontent.co...ient=firefox-a

[Somerby Evans]

Thanks for the feedback. I am pretty comfortable with what I can get out of Tru-Oil, despite the many coats required and what ever is in it! It sounds like I should just try the Arm-R-Seal and see what happens. Can anybody comment on how it builds and wheather or not you can build to a gloss finish?

Thanks!

[Pat Germain]

I don't know anything about True-Oil. But I use Arm-R-Seal all the time. It's my go-to finish. Whenever I try something else, I end up disappoined.

Arm-R-Seal is very easy to use. You just wipe it on right out of the can with a clean rag. T-shirt fabric works great. No thinning needed. One could argue that you could just buy another varnish and thin it for wiping. That's probably true. But since Arm-R-Seal works so well out of can, I just go with that.

You should knock down each coat of Arm-R-Seal before applying another. I use 0000 steel wool and it works great for me. Some people have trouble with steel wool and prefer sandpaper. Whatever works for you, go for it.

Arm-R-Seal typically looks good and glossy after three coats; and a little better after four. Of course, a few more coats would probably look even better as well as add more protection.

For a satin finish, I would recommend using clear gloss and then using satin for the last coat. It tends to look a little more clear that way.

Another trick is to go ahead and thin the last coat with some mineral spirits. That way, it flashes off very quickly before any lint or other debris sticks to it.