I have been having fUn: I have been playing with the Behlen Blood Red and really like it. To my eye I prefer to fill the wood and get a dark 'base' like mahogony stain or even dark walnut. I must make sure the grain is filled at this point. The wet sanding and filling mnetioned by others is sound advice. And, also, I am looking at darkening the wood and bringing out the natural highlights and lowlights. This step of filling the grain and getting the dark brown/reddish brown BASE colour takes about a week.

Then I have been putting on anywhere from 4 to 8 coats of the Behlen Blood Red. I can get an idea of how it will look when it is 'wet'.

Then to my surprise I have found that Tung Oil, the high gloss grade, is really a nice finish. It gives me the OIL look we all talk about, yet it has a nice sheen. To my eye, I like this look the best so far of everything I have tried... Oh and the Tung Oil actually dries! All those projects I did with Linseed Oil left what I call an endlessly drying but never really dry stock.

The two projects I am nearly done with look like wood that is decades old, and the colour is classic. I want to put two more very thin layers of Tung Oil on. (Maybe more). I am only at 3 applications of the Tung Oil. Very thin each one was too. Although it looks good, I still want it to be a bit deeper on the final 'clear/amberish' final coat.

Also, I sand with 600 to 1000x. I think 280 to 400 is too coarse and you will see scratches, I'm afraid. Even if you use 400 for the hevay work, I recommend a once over with 600-1000, or the finest scotchbrite or even steel wool. Make sure you clean, vacuum, clean white cloth rub the wood off after steel wool. It leaves alot of metal fibers that can ruin a finish.

Wow, I feel like I have gotten to a new level in refinishing the wood. I don't know why I stayed away from Tung Oil all this time. So many Linseed Oil advocates I guess. I just never could get mine to dry as well as the Tung Oil. And the shine, the gloss is rich and not too thick and "cheap" or too modern looking looking like any polyurethane or urethane product that I have tried... so far.

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