Colin Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 I have been using Old English lemon oil for years, since down here the high humidity requires only annual oiling of my big ole horns but the bottle is running low, I used a little of Formbys Lemon Oil, which seems like Old English, last night I oiled my classic Klipsch corner Khorns with Formbys Tung Oil and was surprised at the difference! Tung oil is a golden brown oil extracted from seeds of tung trees and used as a drying agent in varnishes, paints and waterproofing. It is also called Chinawood oil. Tung oil makes a durable matte finish. Brush or wipe tung oil into the wood in thin coats. The Tung oil is thicker than lemon oil. A amber blend of molasses and old fashioned syrup. Stickier than syrup too, it doesnt simply rinse off, needs soap. It smells like dark nut oils blended with a hint of turpentine, paint thinner, varnish or something. It coats the wood and fills in the scratches. Much nicer for old horns. Gives walnut a warmer gloss. Looks beautiful, but goes on rich and dark. Takes a day to dry, especially when applied so thickly that it fills the scratches. Tung oils are usually applied in a wipe-on wipe-off method with a short drying time in between. After the wipe off and when the coat has dried completely, # 0000 steel wool removes small surface irregularities, and the oiling process is repeated. Depending on the look, you'll apply anywhere from 3 to 6 coats in this manner. It is classed as a drying oil along with linseed, poppy seed, safflower seed, walnut, soybean, oiticica and a few other oils. Until this century, China was the main source for the oil. It comes from the seed of Aleurites fordii and Aleurites montana, deciduous trees susceptible to frost damage. This vulnerability restricts tung trees to China and South America. It is said to have been introduced to the West by Marco Polo. Recently, tung oil gained favor over linseed oil for furniture finishing because dries faster and does not darken as much with age. Tung oil is more durable than lacquer and is impervious to water stains. As mentioned before, minor scratches are easily repaired. It's readily available and an ideal finish for butch block tops in kitchens, as well as wooden salad bowls and other wooden food preparation surfaces. Furniture in areas of high use (or abuse) could also benefit from a tung oil finish. Although marketed for teak furniture, I will save the lighter lemon oil for my office. The lemon oil should also be fine for the black wood entertainment center or modern black loudspeakers. The question is what do I need to know about tung oil? Googles new Froogle (get it frugal? service finds Parks tung oil for $8.30 a quart at Go2Marine.com, is there a better place or product to buy it? There is 1 Case of 16 oz. Bottles of OLD ENGLISH Lemon Oil Furniture Polish on eBay: http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=20606&item=4304622670&rd=1&ssPageName=WDVW Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marvel Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Colin, A growing business in the U.S., tung nuts! I didn't know it until a friend from work told me that the tress are now grown in the U.S., obviously the Southern states. They've actually been grown here for years. Definitely dries to a harder finish than BLO, but beautiful nonetheless. Thanks for the great info! Marvel Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted May 31, 2004 Author Share Posted May 31, 2004 BTW, In the northern US, the low humidity of cold winters dries out wood, ruining the sheen and eventually cracking it. Old steam and hot water radiators contribute to the problem, sweating out what little moisture there is in the air with condensation. Most commonly recommended is a quarterly rubdown with furniture oil to nourish the wood; NOT furniture polish to merely dust it. In the southern US, high temperatures and high humidity rate - both over 90, Fahrenheit and percent - combine to create scalding heat indexes over 100. Sensitive wood designs are protected with an annual rubdown of lemon or tung furniture oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 Once you use tung oil, you no longer will use BLO, because tung oil is a finish in and of itself. BLO is what is used on the factory oil finishes to replenish the wood. There is a big difference in tung oil and what is used for the factory oil finishes. Tung oil is more akin to a varnish type of finish, and once applied it is not supposed to be re-oiled at all. Tung oil is actually supposed to be apllied to clean surfaces with no more than a stain already applied to them. A word to the wise here: There is a possibility of tung oil finishes appearing to adhere well initially to a previously applied BLO-based finish, but over time the tung oil finish MAY loosen from the surface as the BLO weeps out of the wood grain...the same goes for applications of laquers or urethanes and such to previously-applied hand-rubbed oil finishes using BLO as the base. In order to ensure tung oil finish adherence to surfaces with previously-applied-BLO based finishes, it is WISE to thoroughly clean the BLO finish from the wood using acetone or something of that nature, BEFORE using the tung oil finish. Remember, just because something is labeled an "OIL" finish does NOT mean it is completely compatible with other types of oil finishes previously used on wood surfaces. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted May 31, 2004 Author Share Posted May 31, 2004 Thanks, but I cant comprehend what you mean because I dont know what BLO is! Does that mean I shouldnt use Tung Oil on my classic Klipsch corner Khorns or that I dont need to apply it again? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Seadog Posted May 31, 2004 Share Posted May 31, 2004 HDBRbuilder, Thanks for the warning. I will continue to treat my speakers with the BLO (Boiled Linseed Oil). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 1, 2004 Author Share Posted June 1, 2004 Froogle finds very cheap sources of BLO, anything in particular to look for? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted June 1, 2004 Share Posted June 1, 2004 ---------------- On 6/1/2004 3:39:06 PM Colin wrote: Froogle finds very cheap sources of BLO, anything in particular to look for? ---------------- Hello Colin: Some people like a blend of the linseed oil and turpentine. 3/4 BLO or 1/2 BLO the rest turpentine. As mentioned previously, tung oil is a finish, not just something like lemon oil. Years ago I used to refinish guitars and I have a Deacon's Bench I finished with Watco Tung Oil. For the guitars it stood up to sweat and for the bench, I used to take a glass of water to take my nightly pills. At times the bottom of the was wet or condensation would form. There are no rings. The bench was Tung-oiled in 1977. Win dodger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
artto Posted June 1, 2004 Share Posted June 1, 2004 A lot of the furniture in our house is a natural wood finish. I too have been using Old English/Lemon oil for it. I've found the same problems Colin did. The wood seems to dry out & loose it's sheen rather quickly. My wife recently started using 'Weiman Furniture Cream'. So far it seems to work much better & last longer. More expensive but worth it IMO Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 The problem with lemon oil type of furniture oils is that the lemon in them contains citric acid which, although good for cleaning grunge off the oiled surface, is also BAD for the wood itself. That same citric acid causes the oil originally used for the finish to be removed from the wood itself, thereby making the wood dryer after just a few days than it looked BEFORE the lemon oil was applied. Lemon oil should not be used regularly on oiled surfaces UNLESS the surface has a build-up of grunge/old wax, etc. on it that needs to be removed bit by bit over time. One of the marketing ploys for lemon oil treatments is that they have to be regularly used and they are convenient, whereas BLO does NOT have to be regularly applied and it is somewhat more inconvenient in its application. The other disadvantage of BLO is that the rags used to apply it need to be thoroughly air-dried so that they don't spontaneously combust. But, even with these disadvantages for BLO, it is still the best stuff to use, and it is dirt cheap! The standard for raw wood surfaces that have an original factory oil finish on them is STILL boiled linseed oil for the base of the oil finish...ESPECIALLY so for older furniture and antiques, which always were made with a BLO-based hand rubbed oil finish, if it had an oil finish to begin with. So, when replenishing the surface of these pieces and attempting to get that sheen and luster back into the wood, BLO is the way ot go, IMHO. THis is ESPECIALLY true for antiques with oil finishes that have burl or crotch grains in the veneers or solids used on them...because they NEED that oil more than anything, or else they will eventually dry out and start to come apart. Burls and crotch grain patterns are extremely dense and brittle and once they get dried-out they can crack and such...so they NEED to be regularly replenished. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 2, 2004 Author Share Posted June 2, 2004 Damn, glad I asked, I didnt know that about lemon oil, glad ai used Old English for all those years, guess I should ask about every little thing I use with my home movie and music reproduction system, is it OK to polish the wood with my raggedly old cotton underwear, or is there something about old briefs I should know? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDBRbuilder Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 Colin, just look at it this way...you know all those citrus cleaners around that cut grease so well and such...like that Comet bathroom cleaner tha cuts torugh everything in the tub (alot of which is grease and oils from your body mixed with soap residue)? It is the citric acid that is doing that. It will ALSO cut BLO and remove it...think about it for a few minutes. Lemon oil has that same citric acid in it. That is why you have to apply it so regularly to the wood...because it tends to remove more oil than it actually replenishes...which means you also have to buy it more often...it IS convenient to use, but it adds up to lots of bucks spent over the years, too! BLO is inexpensive, and once it has been used to restore the luster to the wood, it only has to be applied once or twice a year. The major drawback to BLO is that it is less convenient to use, which is why so many other MORE CONVENIENT TO USE products have been successfully marketed over the years. NONETHELESS, BLO is still the CORRECT stuff to use. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frzninvt Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 I have been using Liquid Gold for the regular treatments on my OO Khorns and WO Cornwalls I hope that is OK. I did hit the Khorns with BLO when I brought them home a couple of years ago. The WO Corns have just been done with about 3 coats of Liquid Gold only since I got them last Dec. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 2, 2004 Author Share Posted June 2, 2004 best source for BLO? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 Home Depot has it in stock. You can get in the 1qt container or the 1 gallon size. I started with the quart, but think the next time I buy, I'll go big, since I'm now in a much dryer climate. Forget the price, but it certainly won't break the bank. The quart I bought did two coats on my K-horns and one coat each on a set of Chorus IIs, Forte IIs, and KG 1.2s, with about 1/3 of the can left. Andy's advice here is spot on. I'm a convert to BLO. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dodger Posted June 2, 2004 Share Posted June 2, 2004 Hello: Others may recommend Pledge, Old English spray, etc.. Their problem is that they are silicone based. dodger Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 2, 2004 Author Share Posted June 2, 2004 HD was my first choice but nothing comes up in any search Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
picky Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Colin: I noticed that Lowe's discusses BLO on it's site, even though it does not come up in its products listing. However, their discussion does bring up a few detriments to the use of BLO (Boiled Linseed Oil): According to Lowe's: Poor protection Becomes soft and gummy when built up Darkens wood more than other oils Ref: http://www.lowes.com/lkn?action=howTo&p=BuyGuide/FinishingBG.html&rn=RightNavFiles/rightNavHowToThen scroll down to the guide table listed near the page bottom. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jhawk92 Posted June 3, 2004 Share Posted June 3, 2004 Colin- Yeah, I didn't find anything in a search either, but you have to have one pretty close, so just use it as an excuse to get out of the house and look at some power tools in the process. Picky- Interesting info from Lowes. Would be interested in what Andy has to say about that. I sure like what BLO does for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Colin Posted June 3, 2004 Author Share Posted June 3, 2004 I always have things to return to Home Depot! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.