<html><head></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; -webkit-line-break: after-white-space; ">Hi, guys--<div><br></div><div>Years ago I met a woodworker who had done research on tung oil, and came up with some papers that indicated it can accelerate the growth of Epstein-Barr virus in the body. Here's a sample paper: <a href="http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6297709">www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/6297709</a>.</div><div><br></div><div>Epstein-Barr virus in in most people, about 95% of adults, and usually doesn't cause problems. However, during adolescence, EBV can cause mononucleosis.</div><div><br></div><div>So, tung oil is probably safe in terms of the exposures we experience from occasional applications. High exposure might be a different story.</div><div><br></div><div>Best,</div><div><br></div><div>Mike</div><div><br></div><div><br><div apple-content-edited="true">
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="border-collapse: separate; color: rgb(0, 0, 0); font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; line-height: normal; orphans: 2; text-align: -webkit-auto; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-horizontal-spacing: 0px; -webkit-border-vertical-spacing: 0px; -webkit-text-decorations-in-effect: none; -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; -webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; font-size: medium; "><div>Michael O'Brien</div><div><a href="mailto:obrien@hevanet.com">obrien@hevanet.com</a></div><div><br></div></span><br class="Apple-interchange-newline">
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<br><div><div>On Nov 4, 2011, at 8:19 PM, JOHN SALMEN wrote:</div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline"><blockquote type="cite"><div>I have always been a bit grumpy about packaged finishes. It is like coffee.<br>I don't want to buy Nescafe I just want beans from some identifiable origin<br>roasted locally with as few middle people generating profit at the expense<br>of quality and flavour. I got really grumpy when german low voc oil finishes<br>got trendy. Emulsified balsam oils with water and a bunch of stuff -<br>engineered and packaged nicely and shipped across the ocean. Instructions<br>were so complex that failure (like a Volkswagen) was unclear as to whether<br>it was application stupidity or just ridiculous engineering. When it comes<br>down to it most products are engineered to produce profit so the chemistry<br>engineering is really to compensate for the low cost and quality of<br>ingredients. <br><br>Tung oil is basic but a very high quality product - i.e it is a finish that<br>has stood on its own for centuries and is not compromised by additives. It<br>comes from seeds from the tung tree. A deciduous tree primarily native to<br>china. There used to be successful plantations that were set up on the<br>American gulf coast but they got wiped out during some typhoon. I buy it raw<br>in 5 gallon quantities and have it shipped from quebec. They get it from<br>some wholesaler in ny who buys it from china and sells it in 50 gallon<br>quantities at about a 1/3 the cost and imports directly at probably 1/100 of<br>the cost - but at least it is a direct line to the village collecting the<br>seeds.<br><br>We have added thinners, colours, and waxes and occasionally have added<br>borates and zinc to enhance its preservative qualities for risky exterior<br>work. In direct sun exposure for exterior work raw oil applications (3<br>coats) will last 2-3 years before needing an oil wipe - beyond that the wood<br>will be exposed to deterioration which then subsequently requires more<br>frequent maintenance. In more protected exterior areas it has done well over<br>5 years without recoat. That is about as good as it gets for any finish.<br>Bona Kemi finishes are not even a contender in that regard even with the<br>loaded toxicity.<br><br>I have an interesting house that we have done progressive designs for<br>renovations. The first involved a local maple floor finished with a Bona<br>Kemi water based polyurethane which at the time was the only decent no voc<br>poly out there. I wasn't happy with the finish for a large number of reason<br>so the second renovation on maple and fir flooring used tung oil. A<br>subsequent disaster (flood) reno on another portion of the house used a<br>german balsam oil product. So we are looking at 15-10 and 8 years for the<br>various products. The Bona Kemi finish is tired and needs renewal which is a<br>bit of a pain, the tung oil is basically still a nice even protective finish<br>and some worn areas simply need a little more oil that will blend in. The<br>balsam oil looks quite splotchy and am unsure how additional finishing will<br>blend.<br><br>-----Original Message-----<br>From: <a href="mailto:greenbuilding-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org">greenbuilding-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org</a><br>[mailto:greenbuilding-bounces@lists.bioenergylists.org] On Behalf Of Chris<br>Koehn<br>Sent: November-04-11 6:14 PM<br>To: <a href="mailto:greenbuilding@lists.bioenergylists.org">greenbuilding@lists.bioenergylists.org</a><br>Subject: Re: [Greenbuilding] tung oil<br><br>Check out Land Ark products:<br><<a href="http://www.landarknw.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=18">http://www.landarknw.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=18</a>> Their finishing oils are<br>largely a mixture of the materials you've been asking about, and even if you<br>don't use their product, the info on it's use may be useful to you. <br>We use their oils on timber frames with good result. We tried a finishing<br>oil on a walnut floor a few years ago, but had problems. I'm told Land Ark<br>was putting a UV inhibitor into their oils that was causing the oil not to<br>cure properly. I understand that problem has been solved now.<br><br>Chris Koehn<br>TimberGuides Design & Build<br>Vancouver Island<br>_______________________________________________<br>Greenbuilding mailing list<br>to Send a Message to the list, use the email address<br><a href="mailto:Greenbuilding@bioenergylists.org">Greenbuilding@bioenergylists.org</a><br><br>to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page<br>http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_lists.bioener<br>gylists.org<br><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>Greenbuilding mailing list<br>to Send a Message to the list, use the email address<br>Greenbuilding@bioenergylists.org<br><br>to UNSUBSCRIBE or Change your List Settings use the web page<br>http://lists.bioenergylists.org/mailman/listinfo/greenbuilding_lists.bioenergylists.org<br><br></div></blockquote></div><br></div></body></html>