Tung is the way to go for preservation and will look period correct and might even possibly BE the correct finish. As mentioned tung oil finishes from the box stores generally don't have any tung at all, except for Formby's, it actually does have a small amount. These are just wiping varnishes which are just thinned down varnishes. If doing multiple coats even the "low gloss" version of Formby's will leave a shine that will blind you in the sun, so not correct at all for mil-surp.
Pure tung does actually give some water resistance and it's flexible enough after curing when wood expands and contracts to remain continuous in the wood, where BLO is quite hard and severs and will let water in.
The chinese have been using tung on their junks for centuries...
Pure tung does actually give some water resistance and it's flexible enough after curing when wood expands and contracts to remain continuous in the wood, where BLO is quite hard and severs and will let water in.
The chinese have been using tung on their junks for centuries...
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