lunaf67•2d agoMost Upvoted

Rant: My uncle insisted I use a 50/50 mix of boiled linseed oil and turpentine on a walnut table, and it totally gelled up.

He's been finishing for 40 years, so I trusted him, but after 3 days in my garage in Austin, the mix turned into a thick, unusable paste. A guy at the local Woodcraft said I should've used pure tung oil for a piece like that. Has anyone else had a family tip backfire this badly on a specific wood?

3 comments

3 Comments

wendysanchez2d ago

Honestly, my dad swore by that exact mix for years on pine. Tried it on a cherry box once and it never dried right, just stayed tacky for weeks. Ngl, it made me question every single piece he ever "helped" me with. I think old school guys get stuck on what worked for them once and never change. That gelled up paste in your garage is such a classic Texas heat problem too, it ruins everything.

dixon.iris1d ago

So what did you end up doing with the gelled-up mess?

kevin_west1d ago

Oh man, Wendy's story hits home. That gelled mess went straight in the trash, which felt awful after spending the money. I'm starting to believe some of these old mixes just can't handle how much hotter summers are getting now. You're right, it totally wrecks your trust in a formula. I'm just using store-bought stuff from now on, even if it costs more.