We just received our FH2 yesterday! I found some old chats about using tung oil and Citrus Turpentine. I would like to not have to order from Amazon, being in Michigan I’m afraid it would freeze before I got it. Where else could I find it?
Congratulations on your new hive!
First I would like to make sure that you ordered the Cedar version. If not, Tung Oil will not be a good choice anyway. If it is araucaria pine, you will need paint instead.
If it is cedar, DO NOT buy something from Home Depot, Lowes, Ace Hardware etc. The ones I have visited do not have the correct product. They will probably want to sell you a Minwax product, and that has toxic solvents in it. If you can find these RealMilk Paint products, they should be safe too - https://www.realmilkpaint.com/help/tutorials/finishing-countertops-butcher-blocks/ They have a store just south of Grand Rapids if you are willing to go there.
I have not seen anything that suggests that Tung Oil is damaged by freezing. It does deteriorate when exposed to air, as it begins to “cure” (it sets into a resin form). However, you will probably want to wait for warmer weather to apply it anyway, unless you have a heated garage. If you are going to use citrus turpene, it has a very strong smell. I wouldn’t want it in my house. It doesn’t smell bad, just very overpowering. The tung oil also has quite a strong nutty smell, again, not bad, but t can get a bit much.
Thanks Dawn. That’s the product we were looking at using. We did get the cedar hive. The store you mentioned unfortunately has permanently closed Planning on ordering from Real Milk Paint when we get a break from the polar breeze we’re having right now. I sure appreciate your help and insight!