Dark Half adds depth to your grain to instantly give an aged look. A perfect blend of our Dark Tung Oil and natural, food-grade thinner, Citrus Solvent. Most projects require the thick viscosity of raw tung oil to be thinned in order to soak into the surface, so we have done that for you!
INSTANTLY ADD DEPTH TO YOUR GRAIN FOR AN AGED-ANTIQUE FINISH
This the same Dark Raw Tung Oil but we have mixed the Citrus Solvent in for you! The darkened color of Dark Half comes from mixing in a naturally occurring resinous hydrocarbon for color. The resin is non-carcinogenic and does not contain any PCB’s. Dark Half by The Real Milk Paint Company is water and alkali resistant. It resists marring, penetrates well, elastic and unlikely to check. Dark Half penetrates deep into the wood pores filling them up, consolidates the wood surface and builds a dark matte wood finish. It should be kept in an airtight container with minimum airspace.
The Citrus Solvent used in this product is food contact safe and is derived from the skin of lemons, oranges, lime, and grapefruit. The Citrus Solvent evaporates into the air. Any time you crush and smell a plant you smell the evaporative oils, this is why there is a citrus scent to this product.
Features
- Naturally polymerizing wood finish
- Cures by oxidation, not evaporation
- Does not form a glossy finish no matter the number of coats
- Form a flexible waterproof finish
- Resists abrasion and acids
- Does not blister and peel (properly applied)
- Does not mold like linseed oil
- Long shelf life
- Does not darken with time like linseed oil
- FDA approved for food contact
- Does not go rancid
- 7 to 10 days partial cure, 15 to 30 days full cure
- Already thinned (one to one ratio) so you can use it right from the bottle, start to finish
- Can be mixed with any other of our Tung Oil Products (i.e. , Dark Tung Oil, Half & Half, Outdoor Defense Oil)
Coverage
- Sample covers 1 sq. feet
- 16 oz. covers 50 sq. feet
- 32 oz. covers 100 sq. feet
- Gallon covers 400 sq. feet
Example: 1 Gallon will do 1 coat on a 400 sq. foot surface.
History
Pure Tung Oil is a finishing product that provides a tough, flexible and highly water-resistant coating for a great wood finish when staining wood. It is classed as a drying oil along with linseed, poppy seed, safflower seed, walnut, soybean, oiticica, and a few other oils. Although it is relatively new to the Western world, tung oil has been known for centuries to the Chinese, and until this century, China was the main source for the oil. It comes from the seed of the tung trees, Aleurites fordii and Aleurites montana, deciduous trees that are very susceptible to frost damage. This vulnerability has restricted the cultivation of the tung trees to China and South America. Tung oil received a widespread application in China: in the building trades as a treatment for both stone and wooden structures; in marine trades as a preservative and water repellant on wooden boats.
It is said to have been introduced to the West by Marco Polo. From the 13th to the 19th century, tung oil had only limited use in the West. In the 19th century, it was adopted by the paint companies to become a major component in paints and varnishes. More recently, tung oil has gained favor over linseed oil for furniture finishing because it is faster drying and does not darken as much with age.
