A good comparison of linseed vs. tung oil

 

One other difference is that if you apply subsequent coats of tung oil before what's there has fully cured, it will fog up and nothing will fix it except stripping and starting over.

 

Be aware that many products are called Tung Oil Finish that are either linseed oil or linseed oil-varnish blends.   If there is anything that looks like mineral spirits, aliphatic hydrocarbons, etc. in the SDS, it's probably the latter and not really tung oil.  Blame the huckster Homer Formby for starting this massive mis-representation.

 

On another forum this week someone asked about finish for a wooden cup.  One responder recommended "organic flaxseed oil."   I don't think he realized two things:

- this is just another name for raw linseed oil, that the article states takes weeks to cure

- that after a few weeks of curing, linseed oil has 0 moisture excluding efficiency  See chart 16-3

Thanks! And thanks for the link, too!

Edited February 19, 20197 yr by lew