Which solvent/thinner should I use

[paul]

Which solvent/thinner should I use to thin tung oil. Naptha, Turpentine, Mineral spirits, Citrus Solvent (D-Limonene), OTHER? The recipe that I like best contains 40% to 80% thinner/solvent. Therefore, the characteristics of the thinner are much more important that they would be if you were just adding a few ounces to thin out a product.

The characteristics I am looking for in a thinner/solvent are as follows

*The thinner dries out completely in a reasonable amount of time and does not leave any oil or residue. *If any oil or residue is left by the thinner will the oil or residue harden or will it leave the floor oily/gummy/tacky/sticky/damp - and trap dirt and dust? *The thinner should be Non Yellowing with time *Low or no odor - using on floors & large areas not just a little piece. *Compatible with tung oil

Please let me know what thinners would be good or bad for this purpose.

PROS AND CONS AS I SEE THEM (and PLEASE correct me where I am wrong)

The MINERAL SPIRITS I am currently using(high quality from a great local paint store- NOT from Home Cheapo) dries too slowly and they offgass a mineral spirit odor for days, they also leave an oily residue or don't completely dry/evaporate even after several days.

CITRUS SOLVENT(D-LIMONENE) would be my first choice if I could get the same results as the other thinners. I would rather use the citrus solvent for offgass, smell, health and environmental reasons. I have never used it anyone tried it? I heard it could yellow or gum up?

TURPENTINE may be a good choice. Although the turpentine may have a stronger smell, the smell is less offensive then mineral spirits because after a few days it leaves the floor smelling like they have been cleaned with a pine cleaner like pine-sol rather than smelling like mineral spirits. Does turpentine yellow? It seems to dry/evaporate better than mineral spirits.

NAPHTHA seems like it may work the best. It may be a good vehicle to get the tung oil deep into the wood quickly and then the naphtha would quickly evaporate leaving very little to no residue or oil behind. Smell would be the worst and overpowering but it would dry out quickly and the naphtha smell should leave in just a few days. Does it dry too quickly?

I know the grades of these solvents/thinners vary but I for comparison purposes I assume average or above average from a quality paint store or a reputable brand.

[MikeG]

Why not just add some Japan dryers to the oil too speed up the cure?

[YesMaam27577]

Which solvent/thinner should I use to thin tung oil.

It seems that you are expecting (if I'm wrong, sorry) a thinner to speed the drying process for an oil finish. None will.

When the thinner has evaporated, the tung oil still needs time to polymerize in the wood. Only when the polymerization is complete will the wood feel dry. The use of thinners does not speed the chemical reaction. If you want to spped the reaction, you need some Japan drier, or another of the heavy metal additives.

[GerryG]

[bridger]

That's *mostly* true. oxygen is involved in the polymerization, and a thinner layer of oil will cure faster. more solvent will allow you to apply the oil in a thinner layer. mostly, though the solvent is to allow the oil to penetrate more deeply into the wood.

[GerryG]

Well, I "mostly" agree with your mostly (Hey, that's not too bad). Yes, a thinner layer of anything will cure faster. As for the deeper (maybe) penetration with more solvent, and why you might think you want to try that, I'll defer to the wreck archives.

IMHO the >>