: George-

: It sounds like you have a problem with your materials. Tung oil
: should not act in that manner. It really should be completely
: dry in 24 hours. If it's not, there's something wrong. Tung oil
: (and linseed oil, and most other finishes) are very sensitive to
: air/oxygen during storage. They will go bad if exposed to oxygen
: for extended periods, even though they are still liquid. I have
: encountered this problem with linseed oil and shellac, which
: will remain gummy forever and never cure if they go bad, and
: after these experiences I have been extremely careful with tung
: oil to store it with no exposure to oxygen in the storage
: container.

: Also- be sure that you've got 100% pure Tung oil. If it was so
: expensive it gave you a second or third thought before you
: bought it then it was probably tung oil. If not, it was probably
: a tung oil mix with solvents and other oils.

: m

When i use any finishing product, i open the tin, pour out what i'm going to use and close the tin. How do you open a container and not let in oxygen ?

Come to think about it, i picked up a trick from a Le Tonkinois rep long ago, he said after opening the tin to pour the remains of the tin into a plastic bottle (yoghurt for example) and squeeze out the air before closing.

I mix my own shellac, i don't seem to recall having problems with it in the past.

It says tung oil on the tin, and it cost 12.5£
http://www.chestnutproducts.co.uk/popup.php?ProductName=Tung%20Oil