I usually hang out on the Neanderthal board, but I have a finishing question. I'm going to try using pure tung oil (not a tung oil finish -- I've read enough to know the difference, and I know enough chemistry to understand what I've read) to finish a small project. Small enough that if it turns out to be a complete mistake, it'll be no big deal, but I'll have learned something in the process. It's a small box made entirely of curly maple -- so I don't have to worry about different species of wood behaving differently. I have pure tung oil I bought from Woodcraft not too long ago. I've experimented a bit with it already, so I have a feel for its viscosity, etc. It's in a plastic bottle, and I've been careful to squeeze the air out of the bottle before I put the lid on it to minimize oxidation.

For those who use pure tung oil and like it, I have a bunch of questions about the detailed technique. How do you apply it? How do you prepare the bare surface? Do you cut it with anything? If so, how much and with what solvent? What do you apply it with? Do you wipe off the excess? If so, with what? Do you sand between coats? If so, with what? How long do you let it cure between coats? Do you do anything to speed up the curing process? How many coats? Do you put anything on top of the oil finish (e.g., wax)? And anything else you might think I should know but haven't mentioned.

Thank you!!