Tung Oil vs. Tru Oil

[Almostpighunter]

I have never used either product but am constantly reading about both on the forum. Which one is superior? Or more importantly which one is more "user friendly?" Any comments appreciated.

[sailordad]

i use tongue oil on my bows and knife handles
i have used tru oil but only on gun stocks
they are both very user friendly
wipe them on,let them dry
of course you dont want to do real heavy coats,they take longer to dry
with tongue oil you do get some shine as it is a furniture type finish
i personally like the looks.i put a minimum of 4 coats on,but i do like the looks of a bow with 15 coats
it gives it a nice furnitue quality finish,and the finish gers a little "depth".

[JW_Halverson]

Tru-Oil has some extra kickers in it to help it cure faster and shinier.  I once did 21 coats on an osage English Longbow just to enhance that wonderful tigerseye -3D colorshift thing it does in the quartersawn grain.  It was a sight to behold.  Mind you, ya better wear yer raybans when you look at it on a sunny day!

I have also used tung oil, and have had satisfactory results.  It cures best when hot and dry.  Air movement helps, too. 

Both are excellent finishes because if you get a scratch, all ya gotta do is buff with fine steel wool and then rub in another coat.  Bingo, done!

[BIG BAD BRAD]

I MAKE MY OWN FINISH THAT I FEEL IS SUPERIOR TO ANY OTHER. I USE IT ON GUNSTOCKS AND ANY OTHER WOOD.
  START WITH EQUAL PARTS OF BOILED LINSEED OIL AND TUNG OIL, HEAT THEM UP AND ADD 1/4 ( BY VOLUME) BEES WAX. PUT IT ON WHILE WARM. I EVEN WARM THE WOOD WITH A HAIR DRIER TOO... IT REALLY SOAKS IN AND PRESERVES THE WOOD! IT WILL OUTLAST ANY OTHER FINISH I HAVE SEEN AND IS EASY TO REJUVINATE WITH ANOTHER COAT IF EVER NEEDED.
 I HUNT IN THE COAST RANGE OF OREGON AND I GUARANTEE THAT IT SHEDS WATER LIKE A DUCK!!

[sailordad]

whoo Brad you need to tone it down  bit,no need to shout 
turn your caps lock off please,we aint deaf 

[bryan irwin]

I use tru oil 4 or 5 coats works great .

[Traxx]

His handle is,Big Bad Brad.Maybe he just talks really loud.LOL

[aznboi3644]

Whew...I should have turned down the speakers on my laptop when reading that.

I need to get some finishing oils...but I need to finish a bow first haha

[ricktrojanowski]

I like both.  Tung oil gives a more satin finish and is quicker to dry and recoat.  The Tru oil looks more glossy and deep and takes a bit longer in between coats. 

[shamus]

alright folks: its TUNG and not TONGUE oil. 

In regards to Tung oil make sure, it's 100% PURE tung oil. There' s lotfs of "tung oil finishes" that are not tung oil.

Tung oil needs to be mixed with mineral spirits. I use a blend of 50/50 tung oil and mineral spirits. Apply a wet coat, let soak for 20 minutes, wipe off excess and let it dry 24 hours before applying the next coat. Repeat until your have 4-6 coats of so. Afterward the tung oil will continue to cure (it takes a month of so for it to finish curing).

Tru-Oil is a curing oil varnish.

Tung oil dries matte. Tru-oil can be shiny.

Which is better? I think it's apples and oranges in regards to those two. Personally, I'd use neither as a bow finish.

[denny]

Well I have tried them all including lacquers , But forbes tongue oil pops the chart. Take a pvc tube that will accommodate your bow length and cap the end fill with forbes T- oil and dip half of the bow in it and flip and do the other side , I hang over the tube and just let it drip a while. Might do this twice. The finish is unbelievable. It will look like glass though. Maybe you don't like shinny. However everyone will ask about your bow and wonder how you did that. Just say, custom hand rub job.lol A fellow bowyer shared this idea with me,Maybe you will do the same. Denny

[walkabout]

i use "tung oil finish" on my bows. from all the information i read its tung oil mixed with denatured alcohol, which isnt far off from tung oil mixed with mineral spirits. it works fairly well i think, although i have never had the chance to test it against rain.

[profsaffel]

Denny, that's a fabulous idea! Thanks. I'm going to try that.

[Pat B]

After the tung oil dip has dried completely you might do a quick spray of satin poly to cut the shine. This is what I do over Tru-Oil on hunting bows. Do a test with the poly over the tung oil first before you try the poly on your bow.

[straightarrow]

From my understanding Tru-oil is tung oil.....its just polymerized. I have used them both...I used a mix of linseed oil, tung oil and mineral spirits and it worked well. The last bow I used 10 coats of tru-oil and I liked the results.. I am going to stick with the tru-oil because its cheaper and I don't have to mix anything....

Jon