This varnish oil is wonderful: goes on easily, doesn't smell, and is non-toxic. The color enhancement on my African padouk dining room table project was incredible; the color went from a washed out pale red to a dark red vivid glowing satin miracle.

Only one caveat for anyone contemplating using this: DO NOT use it on open-pored wood (oak, padouk, etc) tabletops! In my case, I should have used a pore-sealing technique (there are many, e.g. sanding with a shellac/sawdust slurry, diluted shellac, etc., experimentation on your wood may be required) on the padouk tabletop before applying the Tried & True Varnish oil. The varnish sits in the pore-tubes and does not cure, so it will be picked up by fibrous cloth or paper lying on the tabletop, for months afterwards. I plan to let it cure a little longer, and then apply a high-quality paste wax to the tabletop in order to close up the pores. I am assuming that my problem was caused by the open-pores, but some of the curing difficulty may have been that some dense tropical hardwoods have oils or other constituents that retard normal curing of varnishes.

Everywhere else on the table the stuff was used with no problems and was very fine. I also used it on an old laminated cutting board and it cured in about a day, and makes a wonderful varnish for this application.

I was looking for a finish for a custom desk I was building. I wanted something that provided a rich finish but still felt natural. After researching a bit and trying a few options, I selected the Tried & True Varnish Oil. This is essentially a boiled linseed oil with a small amount of varnish solids included. This worked perfectly to bring out the beautiful grain of the mesquite and beli I used to build the desk as well as include a small amount of protective solids. Application was easy. I started by thoroughly sanding the project down to remove any visible marks and scratches then I simply wiped it on using a blue shop rag. I put it on thin, let it set for 30 min, then wiped it all down with a fresh rag. I ended up with 5 coats and the depth on this is beautiful not to mention it smells fantastic.

I have read some people have issues with curing on this, but I didn't have any such problems. Of course, I applied it on my back patio during a Phoenix summer so that may have helped, but after 24 hours I wasn't able to wipe off any additional finish. After letting it cure for another couple of days, I put a thin coat of wax over everything to help with the protection.

I was most worried about the way the finish would interact with the epoxy in the center of the desk, but it went on easily and polished well. Overall it was the perfect finish for my desk and I have enough to make several more which is a good thing because I have family begging me to make them desks of their own.

The natural product goes on smoothly and produces good protection that is food safe. The amount of product needed for coverage is much less than expected. The related YT videos help with the application.

Works great

This finish is enjoyable to use, which is absolutely not something I can say about other finishes. The fact that it's just linseed oil and pine sap makes me comfortable working without gloves and without a respirator, and cleanup is easy -- I weight the used cloth with a rock and leave it on the floor of my garage until it hardens.

The finish seems good quality and looks great, and I expect this container will last me forever--the coverage is crazy.