bazuku
Well-known member
Tung Oil is very nice finish for decorative woodwork that will be infrequently handled. It enhances the grain and gives a lovely natural look. I found it slow to dry and too soft for the rigours of musical instrument handling. The Tung Oil finish available commercially is a brew of quite a few ingredients blended to compensate for the shortcomings of the natural nut extract.
Many years ago, I naively applied the pure oil to a classical guitar, but ended up scraping it off when finger nail scratches showed after minimal careful handling. I then blended a few other ingredients into it, as suggested in woodworking magazine articles, but found the results were not much improved over the pure oil.
My bottle of pure oil is still as fluid and clear as when I bought it ~ 30 years ago. The only sign of age is a thin crystallised ring around the top.
I like the idea of using natural oils, but all that I have tried have come up short for the requirements of musical instrument making.
Many years ago, I naively applied the pure oil to a classical guitar, but ended up scraping it off when finger nail scratches showed after minimal careful handling. I then blended a few other ingredients into it, as suggested in woodworking magazine articles, but found the results were not much improved over the pure oil.
My bottle of pure oil is still as fluid and clear as when I bought it ~ 30 years ago. The only sign of age is a thin crystallised ring around the top.
I like the idea of using natural oils, but all that I have tried have come up short for the requirements of musical instrument making.