Tru Oil does seem to cure more slowly if applied heavily or in humid weather. It's a good finish for a beginner, but not very durable. Easy though, to touch up or freshen with light steel wooling and a couple new thin coats. Spar varnish, as noted, does a good job of filling pores, and also as a final finish with multiple thinned coats. There are lots of wood finishes with different qualities. None is perfect. Put six different clear gloss finishes on the same piece of walnut and you will get six different appearances. The oil modified polys like Minwax, Permalyn, and Laurel Mountain Stock Finish are more durable and can be applied in ways that look more original on older guns than straight polyurethane. But I guess I personally feel that a 100 year old field grade Baker or L. C. Smith just doesn't look right with a finish that shines like Liberaces' piano. I once bought a jar of G-B Linspeed that would not cure at all. I think they forgot the dryer in that batch.
