wood clean

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art ruggiero
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Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2007 4:00 pm

wood clean

Post by art ruggiero »

what is the best way to clean hand grime off a shiloh stock before adding tung oil ? thanks art
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VenisonRX
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2019 6:29 am
Location: Mayflower, Arkansas

Re: wood clean

Post by VenisonRX »

Mineral spirits should clean it right up.
—Tom
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VenisonRX
Posts: 143
Joined: Thu Aug 29, 2019 6:29 am
Location: Mayflower, Arkansas

Re: wood clean

Post by VenisonRX »

I’m assuming by virtue of asking the question that you’re experience isn’t in thousands of hours of wood working so I’ll relay all the lessons I wish I had known before doing anything with wood. And pure tung oil in particular which is now my favorite finish for anything I expect to take a beating aside from straight up stabilizing with resin.

You don’t have to worry about hurting the previous finish with mineral spirits. Especially since you’ll be adding a new coat. Just let it dry and you’re all set.

If you’re using pure tung oil (vs tung oil from Home Depot) remember to cut it with a little citrus oil. For a refresh you don’t need very much at all depending on how badly in need of a refresh it is. Anything from a couple drops to a few dabs from a rag. Any more and you won’t be happy with the results. Even if it takes more than one coat to get what you want. Multiple coats is MUCH better than the sticky mess you’ll have to wait weeks to dry you’ll have if you slather on too much. I use my bare hands and rub it in very fast until my skin gets hot. It should feel almost dry when you’re done.

Be prepared for it to take a good long while to cure as well. Depending on where you’re drying it anywhere from a few days to a week. (Room temp and dry takes less time than humid or cold) For some perspective ten coats on bare walnut can take upwards of a month in ideal conditions. The point is be patient it’ll be ready for a new coat or use when it’s ready and not before. Again this is all assuming you’re using pure tung oil for your stock. If you’re using the premixed stuff it contains dryers and thinners and takes much less time. Super easy and it’ll look nice. Nothing wrong with it. I’ve used it for lots of projects and it’s my preferred basic oil finish for something I want to look extra nice. Just follow the directions on the bottle. I’ve always had problems following advice outside of the directions. Ask me sometime about my walnut table that took 3 months to finish because I thought I knew better than the manufacturer…

Hope this was useful to you.
—Tom
art ruggiero
Posts: 643
Joined: Fri Nov 30, 2007 4:00 pm

Re: wood clean

Post by art ruggiero »

thank you good advice art
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