Hey everyone! I have a bit of a dilemma and could really use your advice. A while back, I built some red oak shelves and finished them with Formby's Low Gloss Tung Oil. I recently made some matching shelves and used up the half quart of Formby's that I had left for the first coat on about half of them. Unfortunately, I just found out that Formby's has been discontinued! Now I'm in a bind because I need to finish my shelves. I have access to Watco Tung Oil, Sutherland Welles Polymerized Tung Oil, MinWax Tung Oil, and Waterlox Resin Modified Tung Oil. From what I've gathered, Formby's is a mix of tung oil and varnish, but there are lots of mixed messages about these alternatives. I'm experimenting, but I'm also concerned about how durable the finish will be long-term.
So, I'm wondering:
1. Which of these products is the closest match to Formby's Low Gloss Tung Oil?
2. Do you think I'll run into any problems applying one of these products over the existing layer of Formby's?
Thanks a ton for your help!
1 Answer
I checked out the MSDS for Formby’s, and it looks like they use a Medium Aliphatic Hydrocarbon Solvent, which is about 77.6% of the mix. If you can’t find an exact match, mixing pure tung oil with something like Mineral Spirits or Naptha could get you pretty close. Mineral Spirits might penetrate deeper, while Naptha would dry faster. I’d recommend starting with a 50/50 mix by weight and testing it on a scrap piece first. Just keep in mind there could be other additives for the sheen that might not match exactly, but I think you’ll be good with a tung oil/solvent combo for a low gloss finish.
Wow, thanks for the detailed info! It's really helpful. I’ll definitely try that mix. By the way, I'm also liking the looks of the Sutherland Welles tung oil—it's got low VOCs and a pretty natural vibe. Do you think layering that one over Formby’s would cause any adhesion issues?