Polymerizing Tung Oil — Craftsman's Guide

Somewhere in our shop's history is a beaker with a stir bar permanently entombed in solid gelled tung oil, like a fly in amber, except way less majestic. Tung reacts faster and meaner than linseed under heat — we found the exact ceiling by blowing straight past it, so this guide can hand you the number without the drama.

The tradition itself goes back over a thousand years in China, used to waterproof everything from ship hulls to paper umbrellas. Heat alone — no metallic driers, no petroleum solvents — gets you a harder, more water-resistant film than linseed can touch. This guide has our confirmed working temperature, the failure that taught us where the line actually is, the equipment quirks unique to tung, and a printable batch log so you can skip our expensive lesson.

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