Shellac on tung oil or tung oil on shellac?

[Lasse Hilbrandt]

Im ready to finish a coffee table from Elm burl. The finish coat is going to by water based poly varhish ultra matt.

I can´t decide if I should begin with tung oil, then shellac and the poly at the end, or begin with shellac, then oil and then poly.?

The tung oil is pure and the shellac is dewaxed.

[Prashun Patel]

If your goal of the tung is to warm the color in a way your waterbased finish will not, then the proper series would be:

tung,
shellac to seal,
waterbased poly.

Don't try to apply a 'layer' of tung. Wipe on enough to soak in evenly, but wipe it all off the surface so it dries completely without creating a soft layer upon which the harder shellac or poly will not like to rest.

I urge you to try that series on a test piece next to a second test of just shellac (assuming it's blonde or darker) followed by your poly. If your surface is properly prepared, I suspect you will have a difficult time (as I do) to tell the difference. The shellac has a similar ability to the oil to pop grain.

[Lasse Hilbrandt]

Thanks, I will test it first

[Howard Acheson]

Why do you want to use Tung Oil? It takes 2-3 weeks to dry to the point where it can be overcoated. The shellac and waterborne will bring an amber color which will "pop" the grain.

Just for you future information. An oil whether tung oil or linseed oil requires application to virgin wood. It needs to penetrate into the wood and any film finish will prevent its absorption. So the rule is * Oil First *

[Jerry Olexa]

As Prashun said, Good regimen, schedule

[Paul Fisicaro]

So if lets say I used tung oil on an wooden box and wanted to too coat it with shellac. How long would you have to wait for the tung oil to dry? (It's minwax tung oil, Home Cheapo stuff)

I've only applied one coat of tung oil to the inside of the lid. I don't want to use shellac on the inside because I'm think it's going to be a pain in the butt to sand then reapply then repeat 3 times but if tung oil takes 3 weeks to dry I might not use it at all..

Do you think I should just use tung oil in the inside and shellac on the outside?


Thanks!!

[Jerry Olexa]

Its important that it be thoroughly dry before proceeding.....With BLO, I wait minimum 1 week or till I smell the oil no more..Be patient

[Scott Holmes]

MinWax Tung oil Finish is and oil/varnish blend; aka Danish oil. FYI the oil in this product is linseed oil; the only "Tung oil" is in the name on the label.

Give it at least a week before the shellac... TIP: A de-waxed garnet shellac will give it more color, seal it; be ready to top coat in an hour. You could also add a bit of dye the blond shellac for color if the garnet is too dark.

[Randy Goodhew]

MinWax Tung oil Finish is and oil/varnish blend; aka Danish oil. FYI the oil in this product is linseed oil; the only "Tung oil" is in the name on the label.

This is NOT true.

Blessings

[Scott Holmes]

Randy,

Would be please be more specific...
What part(s) of my statement are you disputing?

I have the MSDS sheets and Tech Data sheets for this product; maybe you could enlighten us on the details you have on this product, that we are missing...

[Randy Goodhew]

Randy,

Would be please be more specific...
What part(s) of my statement are you disputing?

I have the MSDS sheets and Tech Data sheets for this product; maybe you could enlighten us on the details you have on this product, that we are missing...

Please post a copy or link to the MSDS that you are referencing.

[Chip Byrd]

http://www.minwax.com/document/MSDS/en/027426475007

[Stew Hagerty]

This is NOT true.

Blessings

Respectfully, most "Tung Oils" are not true Tung Oil. They are, as Scott stated, oil/varnish blends. I'm not certain how this practice ever got started, but it can be very confusing. Truthfully, I do have some Pure Tungsten Oil on my shelf, but I rarely used it. I typically instead reach for the venerable BLO. Of course I rarely use a straight oil finish either. The times when I did use the Pure Tung Oil were when I WAS using the lil alone as the finish, because it is a clearer oil than BLO. Multiple coats do not darken the wood as much as BLO does.

[Randy Goodhew]

http://www.minwax.com/document/MSDS/en/027426475007

What is the answer?

[Randy Goodhew]

Respectfully, most "Tung Oils" are not true Tung Oil. They are, as Scott stated, oil/varnish blends. I'm not certain how this practice ever got started, but it can be very confusing. Truthfully, I do have some Pure Tungsten Oil on my shelf, but I rarely used it. I typically instead reach for the venerable BLO. Of course I rarely use a straight oil finish either. The times when I did use the Pure Tung Oil were when I WAS using the lil alone as the finish, because it is a clearer oil than BLO. Multiple coats do not darken the wood as much as BLO does.

Don't confuse "Tung Oil FINISH" with "Tung Oil". This is a CONTAINS versus IS problem.
Also, it appears to be a problem with not completely reading the label.

Chicken Soup is not chicken.
It contains chicken.

Besides, I prefer Pure Titanium Oil to Tungsten Oil.

Blessings.