Finishing Bed Wood with oil: Does it last, Let's just see

[Gromit]

That looks perfect!

Did you select each piece of wood yourself at the lumberyard and then fabricate the boards or was that a bed wood kit? If it is a kit which brand?

I think you did the right thing choosing the Tung oil.

Here is a cut-and-paste of the first paragraph of the wiki about oil polymerization as a refresher for others who might be interested:

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A drying oil is an oil that hardens to a tough, solid film after a period of exposure to air. The oil hardens through a chemical reaction in which the components crosslink (and hence, polymerize) by the action of oxygen (not through the evaporation of water or other solvents). Drying oils are a key component of oil paint and some varnishes. Some commonly used drying oils include linseed oil, tung oil, poppy seed oil, perilla oil, and walnut oil. Their use has declined over the past several decades, as they have been replaced by alkyd resins and other binders.

Since oxidation is the key to curing in these oils, those that are susceptible to chemical drying are often unsuitable for cooking, and are also highly susceptible to becoming rancid through autoxidation, the process by which fatty foods develop off-flavors.[1] Rags, cloth, and paper saturated with drying oils may combust spontaneously (ignite) in a few hours as heat is released during the oxidation process

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[old51sedan]

I believe your truck bed looks fantastic. I'm well aware of tung oil as my grand parents used it all the time to refinish furniture. I need to do my bed in the future and am also thinking of using Pine. I know the beds, wood & strips both were painted from the factory, but the finish looks great. Did you paint the strips? It's hard to tell in the pictures. I'm anxious to see how it does over time. Thanks for taking the time to write this article and posting the picture.

[67 chevelle]

looks excellent , I think mar kay did an evaluation of many finishes , and reported on it on their site

[jeffahart]

Originally Posted by 67 chevelle

looks excellent , I think mar kay did an evaluation of many finishes , and reported on it on their site

I did not see anything about oil on Mar-K so I posted this. I hope someone puts up a BLO bed too. We could compare and contrast in this thread.

[LockDoc]

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I used a Danish Oil Finish on the wood for the 4x4 Longhorn. I went out to the shop to check on the brand name but I couldn't find the can.... You would understand if you saw my shop...... Anyway, I had a head start on my finish because the wood was cut from old power poles. It has been finished for about a year but I just started driving the truck this spring to work the bugs out of it.

We shall see what it does.

LockDoc

[GR8-68]

Who is that young man working on the bed ?

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by GR8-68

Who is that young man working on the bed ?

That's my Grandpa.......(I wish)

LockDoc

[jeffahart]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

-
I used a Danish Oil Finish on the wood for the 4x4 Longhorn. I went out to the shop to check on the brand name but I couldn't find the can.... You would understand if you saw my shop...... Anyway, I had a head start on my finish because the wood was cut from old power poles. It has been finished for about a year but I just started driving the truck this spring to work the bugs out of it.

We shall see what it does.

LockDoc

Looks real nice, I like it a lot! Those poles are pressure treated so it's a cool score, I really like the patina.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by jeffahart

Looks real nice, I like it a lot! Those poles are pressure treated so it's a cool score, I really like the patina.

Thanks jeff. If I find the can I will post what brand the finish is.

LockDoc

[68is4me]

Originally Posted by LockDoc

-
I used a Danish Oil Finish on the wood for the 4x4 Longhorn. I went out to the shop to check on the brand name but I couldn't find the can.... You would understand if you saw my shop...... Anyway, I had a head start on my finish because the wood was cut from old power poles. It has been finished for about a year but I just started driving the truck this spring to work the bugs out of it.

We shall see what it does.

LockDoc

Were those cedar poles? Buddy of mine received a whole bunch of cedar poles for free. Had them cut and put them inside his shed, and boy do they look really nice.

[LockDoc]

Originally Posted by 68is4me

Were those cedar poles? Buddy of mine received a whole bunch of cedar poles for free. Had them cut and put them inside his shed, and boy do they look really nice.

Yes, they were Cedar power poles. The nice thing about it is Cedar is really easy to work with. I am going to get some more pieces of it tomorrow.

LockDoc

[jeffahart]

Originally Posted by old51sedan

I believe your truck bed looks fantastic. I'm well aware of tung oil as my grand parents used it all the time to refinish furniture. I need to do my bed in the future and am also thinking of using Pine. I know the beds, wood & strips both were painted from the factory, but the finish looks great. Did you paint the strips? It's hard to tell in the pictures. I'm anxious to see how it does over time. Thanks for taking the time to write this article and posting the picture.

I painted the strips white(rustoleum rattle can), It really does look good with the silver zinc bolt heads. And, yes for sure, we can all watch how it progresses; and then people can see for real if it's something for them. My guess is it will start to get some heavy patina in about three years. But, my first time for using yellow pine on anything. But right now it looks good anyway!

[jeffahart]

Originally Posted by Gromit

That looks perfect!

Did you select each piece of wood yourself at the lumberyard and then fabricate the boards or was that a bed wood kit? If it is a kit which brand?

I think you did the right thing choosing the Tung oil.

Here is a cut-and-paste of the first paragraph of the wiki about oil polymerization as a refresher for others who might be interested:

*******************
A drying oil is an oil that hardens to a tough, solid film after a period of exposure to air. The oil hardens through a chemical reaction in which the components crosslink (and hence, polymerize) by the action of oxygen (not through the evaporation of water or other solvents). Drying oils are a key component of oil paint and some varnishes. Some commonly used drying oils include linseed oil, tung oil, poppy seed oil, perilla oil, and walnut oil. Their use has declined over the past several decades, as they have been replaced by alkyd resins and other binders.

Since oxidation is the key to curing in these oils, those that are susceptible to chemical drying are often unsuitable for cooking, and are also highly susceptible to becoming rancid through autoxidation, the process by which fatty foods develop off-flavors.[1] Rags, cloth, and paper saturated with drying oils may combust spontaneously (ignite) in a few hours as heat is released during the oxidation process

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Yellow pine wood kit from Classic trucks(mid west) not Classic Industries (west coast). I was real surprised at how nice the wood is. It's B-Better, no knots, cupping or cracked ends. $250 plus shipping. Good price! Boards are dadoed but holes are not drilled.