In Praise of Tung Oil
Shortly after moving from Tennessee to Southern California, I needed to resupply on my favourite finish. The closest store to carry it was an hour and a half away, but off I went. It was only upon arrival that I made a horrible discovery – some clean-air legislation enacted by my new state had removed it (and almost every other finish I’d ever used) from the shelves.
I was displeased, to say the least, and not just because of the wasted drive. However, I wound up buying a bottle of tung oil – sans the also recommended citrus solvent– and thus began an entirely new finishing journey.
Misconceptions
Problems with tung oil mainly arise from poor technique, worsened by what you see on the internet. Pour on, mop around, wait an hour or two and then assess whether to do
