Would any of you care to comment on the pros and cons of a 50/50 mix of tung oil and marine spar varnish for a sanded in finish? No arguments will be forthcoming from me. I'm just trying to learn.
Thanks, SRH
I'd think that combination would probably provide a nice protective stock finish Stan. But I'll repeat what I've learned about tung oil from multiple sources... Most of the stuff that is labeled Tung Oil contains little or no actual tung oil. Truth in advertising is almost non-existent in the wood finish business.
I'll go back and recommend that you pick up a copy of the book "Understanding Wood Finishing" by Bob Flexner. I've read much of what he says in the book from dozens of other reputable sources in the stock making and furniture finishing business over the years. But his book is the best compendium of most all of it that I have found to date. He also covers stains, strippers, thinners, and prep work. Used copies that can be left out in the shop for a quick reference are available online for less than 10 bucks. If anyone finds something with more good information packed between two covers... please let me know.
Like you, I am still learning. Once upon a time, I was under the impression that refined Linseed compounds were the tits, and I started finishing with GB Linspeed, etc. Thankfully, I learned that there are many many other finishes that are much better, and rarely much more expensive. All it takes is a willingness to learn.
In the chapter on oil finishes, Flexner relates that he was once asked by the editor of
Woodwork Magazine to write an article on tung oil. He says he thought it would be an easy assignment, but it took him three months of research, experimentation, and sifting through false claims. His assertion that most tung oil isn't really tung oil is a confirmation of many others who are knowledgeable about wood finishes. It seems that most of it is nothing more than thinned varnish. And even varnish is a broad term that covers a lot of very different compounds. Furthermore, the Spar varnish half of your mixture may not really be traditional Spar Varnish. Rather it may be some modern formulation that is a cheaper alternative thanks to the development of plastic resins.
Like others here, I don't have any over-priced one-size-fits-all solution to wood finishing. Often, I wish to try to stay as close to what a vintage gun manufacturer used originally, so that requires using finishes that are not the absolute best protection, or best for fine checkering, or best for pore filling. Often, especially with field grade guns, if you seek to replicate original finish, perfectly filled pores are the last thing you want. That is why a lot of guns almost scream at you that they have been refinished.
