Newbie questions about tung oil, wood dye, etc.

[rbrandywine]

I've got a solid mahogany study that is ruined (IMO) by a dark stain. I would like to sand off the finish (a lacquer, I was told) and the underlying stain or dye to get to bare wood and then apply a pure tung oil finish. Why tung oil? Well, someone told me it looked great and could be renewed easily. I'm been reading threads here about tung oil and have got myself confused. First, it sounds as if I may not need a dye -- that the tung oil itself will perhaps give me the look I want. I've experimented with a scrap piece and removed the finish and then wetted the surface with water and it looked about like what I'm looking for -- maybe just a little too light, perhaps not. So, questions:

1) Will multiple applications of the tung oil result in further darkening so that I can keep applying (after drying) until I get the color I want?

2) Or will a dye be necessary, first?

3) If I dye and get the exact color I want, will putting the tung oil over it darken the color?

4) And I'm assuming that I *can* put tung oil over wood dye -- can I?

5) What grits of sandpaper should I use to get the wood stripped and then ready for applying the dye or tung oil?

6) Do I sand or use steel wool between the dye and the tung oil or between applications of tung oil?

[David]

no

yes

yes

whatever it takes. don't skip grits or you'll find it's next to impossible to remove sanding marks.

if you want, you can lightly sand after the dye with 220-320 to knock off nubs raised by waterbased dye.

sanding between coats of tung oil -- depends on how fine a texture you want. let your fingers be your guide

Dave

[Rich]

[rbrandywine]

Thanks!

I guess there should have been a question 0!

0) If I like the look of the wood when it is wet with water, will I get a smiliar look with just the tung oil? (Look in terms of color and darkness.)

[dadiOH]

Yes but probably a bit more intense than with water. You can always apply some (oil) to the bare wood you know and see what it looks like. If you don't like the effect without stain (dye) sand it off and stain.

Seems a real shame to me to consider staining mahogany. Doing so would not only subvert its natural beauty in color and grain but make any future repairs much more difficult.

-- dadiOH ____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

[rbrandywine]

Excellent point and matches my own thinking -- but I'm trying to match a desk. Still I think with water it looked pretty close to my desk. My wife thought it was a little light, though. This office is beautifully made -- mostly solid mahogany, although in some places 3/4" mahogany plywood was used. The shelves are an actual 2" thick mahogany planks.

Next question: How do I get the dye and lacquer from those hard to get to places -- any special sanding tools or are there chemicals?

[David]

yes, wet wood is ALMOST the same color as several coats of Tung. Not EXACT, but pretty close.

Dave

[dadiOH]

Lacquer thinner melts lacquer, just wipe on, wait a bit, wipe off. Repeat as necessary then sand.

Unless you can disassemble there is no magic way to sand in hard to reach places but often a scraper is better, easier and faster.

-- dadiOH ____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

[rbrandywine]

Thanks again!

One (I hope!) final question. If I decide I want to use a dye before applying the tung oil, is there a particular type I must use -- oil based, for example?

[David]

you can used water based dye

[dadiOH]

Ot alcohol. Any.

-- dadiOH ____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

[rbrandywine]

Okay, I received the Tung Oil and rubbed it onto the wood and let it dry. It's not as shiny as I would like -- in fact, it's not shiny at all. Is this because I only have sanded with 60 grit? When I go to

220 or whatever, will it be shinier? Or is Tung Oil not shiny? If it isn't shiny, would I wax it afterward, or is it just not for me? Thanks!

[dadiOH]

60 grit is for removing lots of wood, not preparing a surface for finising. _________________

Not much. After multiple coats it will be slightly shinier but not like a shiny, clear top coating such as varnish or lacquer. ________________

Basically, no. No "in the wood" finish is. ________________

You could. After sanding the wood with fine grit (how fine depends on the wood) and applying numerous coats of oil (wiping off all excess each time) and letting it dry thoroughly, rub it out with #0000 steel wool, wax and buff. That will give you a pleasant glow but still not like a glossy top coat.

BTW, if you are using *pure* tung oil you should be diluting it about

1:4 with mineral spirits. __________________

Depends. What do you want?

-- dadiOH ____________________________

dadiOH's dandies v3.06... ...a help file of info about MP3s, recording from LP/cassette and tips & tricks on this and that. Get it at

[David]

you can buy a shinier kind of tung oil from Formby.

Dave

[rbrandywine]

I'm using Behlen's and they say you *can* dilute it 1:4 but don't say why you might want to -- is it just cost, because the cost of this oil is going to be the least of my concerns.

They also recommend a 360 grit finish. I hadn't planned to go that fine for mahoganey -- what do you suggest?

[Tyke]

People add solvent to get the finish to dry faster. If time is not a problem, then I would not dilute.

A 60 grit prepared surface will not look good, whatever finish. You need at least 200. I get decent results with 200 and a Random Orbit Sander.

A 360 grit surface will look better. It is your trade off for elbow grease vs final appearance.

You could try scraping. Depending on the grain this can produce a very smooth surface. Mahogany is famous for the wild grain. If you have grain running in all directions, then forget scraping.

[rbrandywine]

Thanks, I have no problem going to 360, if that's what it takes. I applied over 60 grit just because that's what I had used to remove the old finish and I wanted a quick look at what a tung oil finish was like. Drying time won't be a problem so I'll use straight tung oil.

[Dave Balderstone]

Why do you say that?

[CW]

That's the time TO scrape.

[ready aboot!]

Different brands of "Tung Oil" are intended to be shinier than others. I like Mini-Wax right now. It gets shinier with each coat. I went to the library and got a woodworking book which explained you use 60 grit paper for gouging the old finish or paint off if you don't like chemical strippers, then sanding with successive grits till you get to about 220. Vacuum, wipe with paint thinner, tack cloth. Then you may apply your TO in successive coats. The spell check is complete; I had no mistakes. Best of luck to you.