My Oil Myth be Busted

[Nebraska]

Thinning the oils make them easier to apply because it changes the viscosity of the oil. Some manufacturers also recommend thinning, and usually mention that thinning helps the penetration. But I have to agree with Nebraska that the penetration is not being helped. On the other hand, I have always thinned and will continue to do so.

Temperature and humidity has more to do with good finishing than most of the other stuff.

DC,

Thanks for the comments. Just to be clear, I’m not trying to tell anyone how they should finish their carvings. I just found it interesting when I read that something (thinning oil) that I’d been shown, told and read many times as the thing to do was discredited by people who make their living developing wood finish products. This lead to researching methods that actually do increase the penetration of oil into wood.

I was also unaware that certain oils actually chemically change to a solid polymer when they dry in the wood.

Take what you like and forget the rest.

[Nebraska]

I have alway thinned the first coat when using urethane when finishing unpainted wood. This was suggested to me by old timer who made his living finishing and refinishing wood of all kind. That first thinned urethane goes on smoother making a better surface to build on after it is dry. I am not sure of the right or wrong of it. I know I get a lot of complements on my urethane finishes. I only use two oils, Pure tung oil hand rubbed. Very time consuming but great look. Birchwood Casey true-oil. It is a mix oils and resins. It has been used for gun stocks for many years and works well on canes and sticks. Give a hard durable finish. When I have the time I will choose pure tung oil. Great look and long lasting and touch up form ware is just rubbing on some more oil.
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Randy,

Yes, Just like the “wipe on” polys are just thinned out poly they provide a thinner coating that almost eliminates having brush or rag marks. I too am a big fan of pure tung oil.

[Nebraska]

Turners - wood turning - Bake wood (drive out water) then put wood into a resin (epoxy) tank and pull a vacuum slowly as the bubbles form foam. Releasing and increasing the vac as the time progresses - keeping the foamed resin in check. After some time, they take it out and bake the wood. This helps the epoxy cure. Now the wood (not a regular block) is ready for colored resin in another vessel and concept. It is stabilized and the next vessel is a pressure tank that compresses any air bubbles in the resin and exposed areas that were not filled. They put about 50 psi into a pressure pot and wait 24 hours. Then the form of whatever - is ready to turn on a lathe or sanded and polished for a paper weight .....

Yes the process is very similar to wood stabilization just using oil instead of heat activated resin. The most detailed description for this process came from a bagpipe maker.