home-made tung oil varnish

[sarabande]

I've been looking at a tin of a proprietory tung oil marine varnish on a shelf for the best part of a year, and did a bit of ferreting around for the ingredients.

Seems it is a mixture of tung oil and boiled linseed oil, both of which are fairly easily accessed on the open market.

Now I know from oiling cricket bats and preserving cotton landing nets that linseed oil on its own takes weeks and weeks to dry, so I am going to try and put together some home-mixed linseed and tung oil, and try it out on various bits of wood I have in the shed.

Any suggestions as to the proportions before I start the alchemy ? Tung:linseed 80:20 ?

 

[Spuddy]

Someone will be along who knows summat - I've just got a vague idea that something called dryers needs to be in the ingredients.

 

[westernman]

Someone will be along who knows summat - I've just got a vague idea that something called dryers needs to be in the ingredients.

Yep. You need the dryers - they are called Japanese dryers (no idea why). You can buy them in French supermarkets!

 

[Rossynant]

Varnish is made of drying oils + resin , without it it's an oil impregnate...
Any oil will do, proportion is not so important. Tung is antifungal (protects from rot some) linseed is not. Boiled tung oil gives harder surface then boiled linseed. Both are often sold with dryers added (modified).
Resins are many, most practical is synthetic alkyd (phenolic, phthalic). Resins are mostly mixed with oils hot.
Dryers are metal salts (zinc is clear, for varnishes) in turpentine. Or metal oxides, serve also as pigments (cetol has iron oxide). They are not exactly necessary, just for faster hardening of oils. Japan dryers nowadays is just a name, originally it contained gum resins.
Turpentine is added as thinner but also makes a part of varnishes. Other thinners can be kerosene, gasoline (mineral spirits), alcohol - depending also on other ingredients included. Wax may be added (not much) for better protection, and gives flat finish.

Times ago I used to protect wooden boats with just linseed oil + turpentine or gasoline + some fungicide (tung would be better). This dries, eventually but has soft surface, may do only if left thin. For final layers there should be no thinners added. Did this again this summer to all my exterior woods - boat is in UK and with this weather of yours it never will be dry enough for proper varnishing, so that must wait till I get south
Adding good amount of red or white lead to such mix makes a protective hull paint, traditional way.

For proper hard surface I would advise to use the oils as preservative/primer, and then overcoat with proper varnich, like epifanes - it will have a resin and UV filters in it. You can also mix ready bought varnish with oils.

But for home formulas this may be of interest: http://books.google.pl/books?id=WuuYWVPUubgC&printsec=frontcover&hl=pl#v=onepage&q&f=false

Spar varnish (elastic) originally was made of tung or linseed oil, rosin (natural pine resin), turpentine + sulphur and some gums. Modern is best from tung and alkyd.

 

[Nicholas123]

You can also mix ready bought varnish with oils.

So how about you just buy some cheap varnish & then mix it with say a proportion of oil seed rape in order to give yourself an easily maintained none hard surface?

 

[forelle541]

When we make varnish from Linseed, Turps and Gold size we use this as a base for French polish.

 

[NUTMEG]

Varnol

I discovered Varnol last year. It's Noregian, or was, it is no longer made. It is a drying semi hard oil varnish. I love the smell, stockholm tar, linseed and other stuff. Not wishing to hijack the thread but anyone know the ingredients/recipes so that I can finish my doors!!

Cheers

 

[lenseman]

. . . . Any suggestions as to the proportions before I start the alchemy ? Tung:linseed 80:20 ?

I would think that VicS would be your man for advice?

I seem to remember in 2nd or 3rd year chemistry at grammar school, you could separate out chemical ingredients in solution by pouring a small quantity into a saucer and using something 'like' blotting paper allow the liquid climbs up and you can then 'see' what is what?

Buy a small amount of the original and then repeat with varying percentages of your concoction to obtain a similar result.

.

 

[Rossynant]

So how about you just buy some cheap varnish & then mix it with say a proportion of oil seed rape in order to give yourself an easily maintained none hard surface?

Buy good and hard varnish and mix with proper drying oil. Don't recall properties of rapeseed (not using it even in kitchen ) but such oils as cotton seed or soy are only partially drying - used sometimes for better penetrating of impregnates/primers. Will never harden. For easily maintained wood protection just oil (boiled tung or linseed) is all that's necessary, but it will be softer, turn darker with time and slippery on decks. Pine resin makes much less slippery surface on wooden decks, or if teak you just wash the surface off

Sophie - link in my post
Varnol IIRC was a wood sealant, made with natural pine (might be picea, spruce) rosin and gum turpentine. No idea what oil it had (guess linseed boiled), but there were no artificial dryers. Only natural stuff (gum turpentine is a 'real turpentine' so to say, not a chemical erzatz).

 

[NUTMEG]

How much!!

Thanks mate. I rather liked the idea of making my own Varnol replacement. The book in your link costs a fortune! I reckon I will have to settle for Epiphanes after all!

Thanks anyway

 

[fergie_mac66]

boiled and raw

I've been looking at a tin of a proprietory tung oil marine varnish on a shelf for the best part of a year, and did a bit of ferreting around for the ingredients.

Seems it is a mixture of tung oil and boiled linseed oil, both of which are fairly easily accessed on the open market.

Now I know from oiling cricket bats and preserving cotton landing nets that linseed oil on its own takes weeks and weeks to dry, so I am going to try and put together some home-mixed linseed and tung oil, and try it out on various bits of wood I have in the shed.

Any suggestions as to the proportions before I start the alchemy ? Tung:linseed 80:20 ?

linseed comes in 2 basic types boiled and raw. One dries quickly the other does not , but it does make a difference

http://www.rustins.eu/Details.asp?ProductID=771

http://www.rustins.eu/Details.asp?ProductID=99

use boiled for drying varnishes

 

[Rossynant]

Thanks mate. The book in your link costs a fortune! Thanks anyway

But You can read the varnish formulas on the preview for free about page 40
Moreover I see it for $14.95 ...
Maybe there is a change necessary - from '.co.uk' to '.com'

 

[NUTMEG]

New Thread?

But You can read the varnish formulas on the preview for free about page 40
Moreover I see it for $14.95 ...
Maybe there is a change necessary - from '.co.uk' to '.com'

Thank you. I finally figured out how to use the google books thingy.
I noticed there are instructions for making anti-fouling paint too.

I feel a best ingredients for anti fouling paint thread coming on!

 

[Rossynant]

Well... it would be illegal

 

[nedmin]

Dont forget that some of these ingredients can be self igniting.If you use a cloth make sure you leave the cloth opened out not rolled up .