Traditional Muzzleloading Association

Craftsmanship => Traditional Archery and Accoutrements => Topic started by: Fletcher on December 26, 2008, 10:32:52 AM

Title: Happiness is a warm Tung
Post by: Fletcher on December 26, 2008, 10:32:52 AM: Christmas Day I got up early yesterday and the rest of the family was still asleep. I thought I would go to the shop and put a Tung oil coat on three bows I had just finished and stained. It had snowed a bunch (see earlier message) and the shop had cooled down a lot because no one had stoked the fire on Christmas Eve. The shop temperature was 46 so I lit a fire in the stove and then got out the oil for the bows. It would not run at all. I stuck a probe in it and it was thicker than molasses.

So I put the can on the wood stove and started working on another bow roughout. Got a little involved and forgot the oil for a bit. When I remembered (getting old you know) I opened the container and poured a little out in a empty tuna can. I carefully touched it - it was warm, but I had caught it in time. I would guess 85 to 90 degrees and fortunately not scorched.

Anyway, thought I would just try it that way. It worked Great!
It coated and absorbed a lot better than it usually did at room temperature (65 to70). I finished the three bows in no time and when I checked them for dry this morning the finish looks just fine. I will do another coat tonight and may be able to rub them out on Saturday.

From now on I will warm the Tung oil up a bit. I think I will use a pot of water for the warm bath on the stove. I think I came close to scorching it by putting the can directly on the woodstove top - sometimes you get lucky.
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Post by: Longhunter on December 26, 2008, 11:58:16 AM: Don't ya love it when you discover something new when ya thought ya knew it all?... :hairy
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Post by: Christiaan on December 26, 2008, 01:16:16 PM: Give us a pic of the shop please. It sounds so interesting.
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Post by: Fletcher on December 26, 2008, 01:23:02 PM: Pictures eh.....

Do I have to clean it up first???
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Post by: BEAVERMAN on December 26, 2008, 03:01:40 PM: Quote from: "Fletcher"
Pictures eh.....

Do I have to clean it up first??? :shock: , why should your shop look any different than anybody elses???????? :lol: :lol:
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Post by: FG1 on December 26, 2008, 03:12:47 PM: Clean it ........ are ya sposed to clean a shop :oops:
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Post by: Christiaan on December 27, 2008, 02:07:33 AM: Don't clean, otherwise it won't be your shop.

One day when I'm big I would like to have a studio or workshop like this.
http://www.petermain.com/parent.htm (http://www.petermain.com/parent.htm)
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Post by: Buffler Razz on December 27, 2008, 08:45:48 PM: Does opening the door and making a pass with the leaf blower count as cleaning?????
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Post by: Christiaan on December 28, 2008, 03:43:49 AM: Only if you blow the leaves away from the door. :lol:
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Post by: Fletcher on December 30, 2008, 06:41:42 PM: As Longhunter seemed to put it - you can learn something new every day.

I suppose you all know the story of the Frog in the Pot:

That is... you put a frog in a pot of hot water, it will jump right out.

Put it in a pot of cool water and slowly raise the tmeperature, it will boil to death just sitting there. (Scientifically proven!)

Anyway, the moral of the story is... we can have change happen little by little and not see it coming... point in question --->

I was telling about warming up the Tung oil so it would flow better. Well that really worked, and then I finally ran the can dry. I bought a new can Sunday and oiled up another bow. The stuff was nice and thin right out of the store at room temperature!!!

What had happened was........ I have had than can for nearly 4 years (a little goes a long way) and it was slowly drying and getting thicker just from age and opening the can. Like the frog, I did not see it coming!

Anyway, it was good to learn that warming up the dregs works also. I wonder if I will remember this lesson 4 years from now!
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Post by: R.M. on December 30, 2008, 06:54:09 PM: Would it be possible to add something like mineral spirits to a thickened oil to stretch it back out?
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Post by: Hank in WV on December 30, 2008, 09:47:49 PM: Try putting marbles or stones in the can as you use the oil. It keeps air out of the can and helps prolong the life of the oil.
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Post by: Fletcher on December 31, 2008, 10:26:53 AM: I would be leery of adding spirits, I think it might make it dry faster.

I like the idea of the marbles - but the hole in the lid is rather small. I think some of my .32 cal lead balls would fit fine. Do you think lead would be inert to function with the same purpose

Besides, I think I lost my marbles
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Post by: Hank in WV on December 31, 2008, 05:02:56 PM: Quote from: "Fletcher"
I would be leery of adding spirits, I think it might make it dry faster.

I like the idea of the marbles - but the hole in the lid is rather small. I think some of my .32 cal lead balls would fit fine. Do you think lead would be inert to function with the same purpose

Besides, I think I lost my marbles :lol: I know what you mean about the marbles. I don't see the lead balls being a problem other than the can will start getting pretty weighty after awhile. Doesn't sound right but, the more you use the heavier it gets.
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Post by: Uncle Russ on December 31, 2008, 06:36:05 PM: Now I do like the story about the marbles and the frog.

I would like to hear more about the marbles keeping the air out. Is this done by volume displacement / replacement? Or is there something more mysterious that I am missing in this?

.....wonder where I could find a frog in all this snow?

Uncle Russ...
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Post by: Hank in WV on January 05, 2009, 05:44:56 PM: Nothing magic about the marbles Russ. They just keep the air out.
If you find a frog out in all that snow, he's probably lost his marbles too.
Title: marbles
Post by: flintlockmdj on January 08, 2009, 02:31:06 AM: Quote from: "RussB"
Now I do like the story about the marbles and the frog.

I would like to hear more about the marbles keeping the air out. Is this done by volume displacement / replacement? Or is there something more mysterious that I am missing in this?

.....wonder where I could find a frog in all this snow?

Uncle Russ...

All the marbles do is take up the space where the oil was and that pushes the remainder of the oil up to the top of the can eliminating air space and therefore minimizing drying area.
Title: Tung oil
Post by: flintlockmdj on January 08, 2009, 02:33:47 AM: Fletcher I use heated linseed oil, in a water bath on an electric stove (do not use on a gas stove), to finish gun stocks the first and second coats.
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Post by: viking-sword on April 07, 2009, 03:23:43 AM: Over the years I grew tired of displacing air space with marbles, (once my daughter discovered my marble stash I could never find enough of them for my needs anyway), so I got the bright idea of transfering the entire container into clean glass half-pint wide mouth mason jars. I also wrap the outside of the jar with duct or electrcal tape to block out light. Now, I have one of those foodsaver vacum sealers,the smallest one will work, but they make a mason jar lid vacum cup that has a tube hookup from sealer to vacum cup and will remove all the air and seal the jar good. the rubber seal lids are fairly cheap and I have very little lose due to air exposure.Wes
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Post by: No Rod on April 07, 2009, 08:39:51 AM: what a great idea! I would have never thought of that. Now I wounder how I'm going to sneak one of the vac lids out of the kitchen?
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Post by: Three Hawks on April 08, 2009, 12:32:59 AM: Quote from: "viking-sword"
Over the years I grew tired of displacing air space with marbles, (once my daughter discovered my marble stash I could never find enough of them for my needs anyway), so I got the bright idea of transfering the entire container into clean glass half-pint wide mouth mason jars. I also wrap the outside of the jar with duct or electrcal tape to block out light. Now, I have one of those foodsaver vacum sealers,the smallest one will work, but they make a mason jar lid vacum cup that has a tube hookup from sealer to vacum cup and will remove all the air and seal the jar good. the rubber seal lids are fairly cheap and I have very little lose due to air exposure.Wes

Sounds like a lot of fuss. Clean pea gravel, or that cutesy glass gravel size stuff they sell for aquariums would do it.

Back in the dark ages when I was an apprentice boat builder, we used to fill the cans of calking compounds, bedding compounds and putties of various sorts with water as we used 'em up. Kept the air off allowing the use of all the expensive gooey goodies in the can. It only works with oil based stuff, though. Too many of the majik potions on the market now seem to be dragon's blood and and the body fluids of albino wombats for that to work. More's the pity.

Three Hawks

Three Hawks
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Post by: woodman on April 08, 2009, 11:17:07 AM: A lot of the woodworking companies( Rockler,Woodworkers supply, etc) sell whats called bloxygon , A spray that as you close a can of finish you spray it into the can and it replaces the oxygen. Prevents polymeration in the can.
Woodman