M14 Forum

jasonj

I am starting to think my tung oil has gone bad. It is drying really cloudy. It is three or four years old. I have kept it as sealed as i could, I put a piece of heavy plastic over the top before i screw the top on.

Just recently, the new coats have been drying with a haze/ cloudy look to them.

Time for new oil?

crashcraft

JasonJ-

Check this website out http://www.realmilkpaint.com/oil.html. Did your last coat dry too fast?

Some people use marbles in the bottle to take up almost all the airspace so it doesn't oxidize.

Lastly, what quality is your tung oil? Is it pure or a hybrid product with petroleum additives?

Hope this helps,
Crashcraft

oldflyboy

Excess humidity in the air may cause the finish to cloud as it dries. Moisture is trapped between the wood and finish and causes cloudiness.
Place the stock under/near a lamp overnight (incandescent bulb, cold bulbs will not work). The idea is to warm the finish a bit.
If the finish has cured, warmth will not take it out. In that case, try wiping the cloudy areas with a lint-tree cloth and lacquer thinner (just enough to dampen the cloth...not too much). This should remove the a bit of oil and the moisture.

Also....
Is the oil cloudy in the container? If so, dispose of it and buy some new (boiled linseed oil)...it's not expensive.

casebro

I blow propane into bottles and cans of finishes before sealing. Just don't try it with a lit torch ;^). Or you can use any inert gas, like CO2, Argon, nitrogen, that you happen to have lying around- home beer tappers, welders, etc.

Now you will see just how well the oil rubbed finish is at sealing moisture out / in.

maddogg

pure tung oil penetrates better that blo...I'd get some new tung oil (pure)

mercman

I use pure Tung Oil and have had the same can for about 20 years. I do use marbles dropped in to replace the oil that I've used. PTO can also be transferred to smaller airtight containers for storage. When I apply PTO I cut it with odorless mineral spirits in a 50/50 mix. Applying to a warmed surface helps a lot.

oldflyboy

Pure is the key word. Most tung oil for sale locally is cut with a solvent/carrier....labelling even cautions to use it in well ventilated areas due to the petroleum product content. These finishes are the ones that trap moisture.
I have never experienced blushing with pure tung or linseed oil.

jasonj

Thanks for all the relpies, I think it was a bunch of little things all adding up.

I had a can of Old Masters PTO, it had turned a bit brown, and the humidity was up and it got cold inthe garage where I was doing the stocks.

I ordered some PTO from the realmilkpaint site.

I am refinishing 4 sets of garand wood, for our Honor Guard Rifles, they were coming along great until the haze set it.

Jason