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Tru Oil gets tacky fast!?

M

milkbaby

Joined
Aug 1, 2016
Messages
644
I've tried Watco Tung Oil, Watco Teak Oil, and Tru Oil (all oil/varnish finishes) for finishing wood handles. The Tru Oil seems to dry the hardest and gets a nice gloss with the fewest applications.

But Tru Oil seems to get tacky very fast, and I'm having trouble wiping off the excess before it starts setting up. I tried minimizing the amount by using the pinhole in the bottle foil and just rubbing some from there on my finger and then the handle. Am I just destined to have to knock down the surface with sandpaper after every application? With the Watco Tung Oil, I have enough time to coat the whole handle, wait 5 minutes, then level everything out by wiping the excess with a low lint shop/glass cleaning towel.

I'm trying not to build much finish on top of the wood, but with how fast Tru Oil is getting tacky on me, that's what seems to happen. What am I doing wrong? Any tips? Thank you!
 
I use it a lot and haven't had this issue. If anything, as it ages it doesn't cure as fast. At least that's what I'm seeing. Regardless, make sure you mix it well, and store it upside down and you already know about the pinhole. Even doing all that, I can't keep it more than 6 months max once it's opened. I wish they sold it in like .5oz containers.
 
Here's how I use Tru Oil:

1. Use only enough to apply a very thin coat.
2. Thoroughly wipe off excess oil right away. ( I use old t shirts)
3. Let fully cure. (Can take 24 hrs or more depending on ambient temp and humidity)
4. Cut between coats with 0000 steel wool. ( I use Liberon)
5. Apply as many coats as required for desired finish.
 
Tru-Oil getting tacky that fast? Not sure what the deal is. I squirt some tru-oil on handle, rub in good with finger, let set a few minutes, then wipe off excess with paper towel (tee shirt would work great), let sit 3 or 4 hrs to dry and apply next coat. After a 2 or 3 coats I'd let dry until next day before putting next coat on. It usually takes 6 to 10 coats to build up enough to get that glassy shine that looks so good. Then if I wish a matt finish I'll wipe down with 0000 steel wool as mentioned above.

To make Tru-Oil last longer in storage I buy in 32 oz (cheaper that way), pour fill a 1 oz bottle for use, store 32 oz bottle upside down in dark locker with sides squeezed so the bottle is full with no air space. Seems to last a long time that way. I figure even if I lost half of bottle it's still less expensive that way than buying small 3 oz bottles. The 3 oz bottle is around $10 shipped while the 32 oz bottle is $24 shipped.
 
Adam Buttry said:
Here's how I use Tru Oil:

1. Use only enough to apply a very thin coat.
2. Thoroughly wipe off excess oil right away. ( I use old t shirts)
3. Let fully cure. (Can take 24 hrs or more depending on ambient temp and humidity)
4. Cut between coats with 0000 steel wool. ( I use Liberon)
5. Apply as many coats as required for desired finish.
Click to expand...
that's one way to do it. I
1. use only enough to apply a very thin coat
2. use the nitrile gloved hand I used to apply it, to wipe it down end to end. any excess will drip off the butt.
3. hang it vertically. if it's a knife i hang it on a magnetic knife strip on my bench
4. let it cure enough to handle (3-8 hours usually).
5. if you forget about it and it cures completely, OR if you find anything (dust, a hair, precious gems) in the finish, hit it with 0000 steel wool.

I have also cured it quickly with armor all if you can believe it. I learned this trick from Ed Braun. Here's his technique:

 
I'm starting to think that I may have contaminated my bottle with Armor All back in September, but I thought it would've made the bottle start setting up?
 
milkbaby said:
I'm starting to think that I may have contaminated my bottle with Armor All back in September, but I thought it would've made the bottle start setting up?
Click to expand...
I don't really know the mechanism behind why what Ed does works. So I couldn't say. Easiest thing to do is get a new bottle. At least its something you can get at walmart.
 
It's either contaminated or old/partially oxidized. Older TruOil does set up faster, but usually not that fast. Buy a new bottle.
 
MBB said:
It's either contaminated or old/partially oxidized. Older TruOil does set up faster, but usually not that fast. Buy a new bottle.
Click to expand...

Thanks for the confirmation! Looks like a trip to the store is in order...
 
If for some reason you had to use the oil in your current bottle, you could always thin it with some mineral spirits as I'm pretty sure that is one of its ingredients to begin with. I've also heard that turpentine works nicely.

It's funny, I've only had one 3 oz bottle of Tru Oil over the past, maybe 6+ years (mostly because I don't use a ton of it), and I'm still using the same bottle, in fact I'm currently using it on a wa handle right now and it's curing just fine. If it ever gets a layer of "skin" on the top while in the bottle I just scoop it out and shake the bottle vigorously. I make sure to shake it every so often to help avoid this, but sometimes I forget. I could've easily bought another bottle by now, but hey, this stuff just keeps working fine for me :confused:.

Actually, one problem I do have is getting the lid off, but I just stick it (the bottle) in a vise to hold it in place and push down with most of my weight whilst using large adjustable pliers to turn the cap lol.

Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Just some older videos of some older knives I've made in the past)
 
Last edited:
I've had bottles I've used for well over a year. Never an issue.

Only other recommendation is to use a synthetic cloth instead of a cotton T shirt. I used one of the very light weight sport T shirts (like under armor) - it doesn't shed any fibers when using it like cotton does.
 
I haven't tried it yet, but when I actually do end up getting another bottle I'll try using some vaseline on the inside of the lid and the bottle threads. I've tried completely cleaning the threads once and wiping them down after every use, but somehow the lid always gets stuck, although not the same problem as a bad seal, it certainly is pain to deal with so hopefully this would help bit.

~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Just some older videos of some older knives I've made in the past)
 
When it's really bad I have held the bottle upright under a hot faucet. Seems to free it up but I am always concerned about an errant water drop.
 
Chapstick on the threads avoids stuck lid.

Try applying / wiping with brown paper coffee filters to avoid issues with fibers.
 
Adam Buttry said:
Here's how I use Tru Oil:

1. Use only enough to apply a very thin coat.
2. Thoroughly wipe off excess oil right away. ( I use old t shirts)
3. Let fully cure. (Can take 24 hrs or more depending on ambient temp and humidity)
4. Cut between coats with 0000 steel wool. ( I use Liberon)
5. Apply as many coats as required for desired finish.
Click to expand...

I have been using it this way for 2 years. When I'm done I wait 24 hours and apply a few coats of paste wax and buff off with a tshirt.
I also like to finish with micromesh paper, I think they are Norton?, blue and pink. 1.5k and 4k "grit" if you will, either way they clean it up nice and dont shed fibers like the wool. Sometimes ya need the wool though.
-Trey
 
I’ve refinished close to 500 gun stocks, plus furniture, etc. I’ve used tru oil the majority of the time unless it’s a hand rubbed oil finish. The secret to delaying tru oil getting tacky is easy...heat it up. I either run the container under hot water or better yet, microwave it. I’ll hit it for five seconds or so, take it out and see if it’s warmed up. If not, another five seconds and check again. I do this until it gets really warm, almost hot...then apply to the stock. Like others have said, do not slop it on! Keep your coats as thin as possible. I rub in a dime to nickel sized daub on my hand and can cover one side of a buttstock with that before moving on.
 
One of the tips on the Brownells kinks books is to fill opened bottles with marbles to take up the airspace of the used oil.
 
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