Tung Oil is obtained from the seeds of a tropical tree - the Tung tree, which is grown predominently in China. The oil is also known as China Wood Oil and Nut Oil. Chinese Tung Oil has a history dating back hundreds - possibly thousands - of years. It's original use was - and still is - for sealing and waterproofing Chinese junks. It has also been the base ingredient of all good quality oil based paints and varnishes used throughout history, and is still used today in quality wood finishing products (such as Organoil).

Unlike Linseed oil, Tung oil will cure naturally without the need for a chemical hardener. In the old days, traditional "Danish" oils had a high Tung Oil content, and a small amount of solvent. Today, the modern "Danish", "Teak" or "Scandinavian" oils use very little (if any) Tung Oil, and have a high level of petroleum solvents (such as white spirit, kerosine or xylene) mixed with a chemical hardener such as a urethane, to dry the "oil" and build a thin surface film.

The seeds in the centre of the Tung fruit are cold pressed to obtain pure "Unmodified Tung Oil", which has the consistency of liquid honey. The seeds are then heated and/or chemically treated to release the remaining oil, which is known as "Modified Tung Oil". We sell only pure, unmodified Tung Oil.

Generally, Tung Oil is used for finishing timber, but in its unmodified form, can also be used for sealing concrete and mud brick (adobe). The thicker unmodified oil, when used for timber finishing, is normally mixed with a solvent (such as citrus turpentine) to achieve better penetration.

To view the technical information sheet on this product, please click on the download button on this page.

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