finishing,,

[jeff oldham]

everyone tells me that Danish oil is their choice of finishes,,but I tried the watco brand,,and put about 3 coats on a bowl waiting about 7 hrs apart before applying the other coat and then waited 24 hrs and the bowl itself was rough just like I hadn't sanded it at all,,and I went thru to 600 grit,,i tried buffing it and the finish never actually looked any better,,lol,,I believe the next finish I try will be laquar,,if anyone can help me on a quick and easy finish,,please tell me,,thank you

[Dave Fritz]

Jeff, since no one else replied I'll chime in with my limited experience. Danish oil is an oil finish and is put on heavy, then wiped off the first coat. Letting it dry overnight before another coat isn't unreasonable. Multiple coats can be applied again letting it dry overnight between each. When you're satisfied with the sheen let it cure for some time, then buff if desired. As you can see it's not a "quick and easy finish".

One thing you can do that will produce a smooth finish is wet sand with Danish oil starting at 220 grit. The finish can be like glass.

A spray lacquer can be a "quick and easy finish" but has it's own properties and pitfalls. I'm curious to hear other comments from those with more experience.

[William C Rogers]

Agree with Dave. However I like minwax antique oil as well or better.

[jeff oldham]

thank you for the info,,i will try that,,lol,,,pulling my hair out here to try and get a good finish,,

[Prashun Patel]

I apologize if I missed someone saying this, but one thing I have not seen mentioned yet is that Danish oil is intended to be wiped on and wiped off.

The first coat will likely raise the grain. That benefits from fine sanding after the first or second coat (400-600).

Subsequent coats are intended to be wiped off. There are reported cases where people have been able to build a finish with it, but the majority end up with a very very thin, in-the-wood finish that is satin to the touch.

It can take several coats to achieve this depending on how porous your wood is, and how much you have sanded. On walnut sanded to 220, it may take 4 coats. On cherry sanded to 600, it may be done after 2.

[Travis Porter]

I am by no means an expert. I am a hack. From my personal experience, Danish oil just soaks into the wood. It doesn't do much to the texture. If you want to get it smoother, you could do a wet sand and sand with a high grit while it was wet. I personally have not tried it.

If you are going to go and try lacquer, have fun. It is a different world all together. I am finishing my new kitchen, and I have been spraying solvent based precat lacquer. If you get it right, it is a wonderful thing. If you get it wrong, it will drive you nuts.

I am to the point that I think I will primarily use solvent lacquer going forward for most projects. It is wicked stuff, but it dries so fast and is so forgiving it is really unbelievable. I have used WB lacquers and poly, oil based poly, BLO, etc, and for me, spraying solvent lacquer just is a sweet thing.

[George Troy Hurlburt]

I use Antique Minwax also, many times I will use a lacquer before I put it on to keep the wood less dark. Dale Nish showed me how he used it back in the mid eighties at Arrowmount.

[Marshall Harrison]

I know that experience will be the greatest teacher. But, can anyone recommend a good book on finishing?

I love to read and when its too cold in the shop (AKA my driveway) I love to read about woodworking.

[Marvin Hasenak]

If you want to use an oil/varnish finish like Danish Oil, I recommend reading an artcile by Frank Whiton called "Classic Gunstock Finish". Not easy, but the results are first class.

[Travis Porter]

I like one written by Bob Flexner. I think it is available from Taunton press.

[Marshall Harrison]

I like one written by Bob Flexner. I think it is available from Taunton press.

Thanks Travis. I assume that would be this one - https://www.amazon.com/Understanding...inishing&psc=1

[Leo Van Der Loo]

Looks like Minwax is Watco or visa verse, and the earlier post is showing the ingredients for those “Finishes “

Like 75% volatiles and then some raw linseed oil and vegetable oil plus heavy metals or these oils will not harden up by themselves.

Watco Danish Oil volatiles.jpg The other products in the Watco Danish oil.jpg

Watco = Minwax.jpg

[John K Jordan]

everyone tells me that Danish oil is their choice of finishes,,but I tried the watco brand,,and put about 3 coats on a bowl waiting about 7 hrs apart before applying the other coat and then waited 24 hrs and the bowl itself was rough just like I hadn't sanded it at all,,and I went thru to 600 grit,,i tried buffing it and the finish never actually looked any better,,lol,,I believe the next finish I try will be laquar,,if anyone can help me on a quick and easy finish,,please tell me,,thank you

Jeff,

In my experience there are many ways to use such "danish" or similar oil/varnish mixtures, the method changes the look. What I do depends on the wood, the look I'm trying for, and the time I want to take. I've used everything from a quick single coat (perhaps followed by something else), to many coats in a process that might take 4-6 weeks. I have one piece I finished in November that I'm still adding oil to on occasion, just because. (and so I can see what it ends up like)

Same as Dave mentioned, I soak in the first coat, giving it as much as it will take. Let soak for a while (a few hours) then let dry overnight.

I've read that it is better to let the first coat dry for two or even three days and I do that sometimes if I'm not in a hurry. My shop is heated and air conditioned so a colder or damper shop may need more time than warm and dry. If the wood is very porous and thick, the oil that soaked in deep might take much longer to cure.

Then I apply a second coat. If it is still quickly soaking up oil in spots I repeat what I did for the first coat, otherwise I wipe off after 30 minutes or an hour then let dry overnight. Depending on the type of wood and the finish I'm looking for (and the time I have) I might repeat this 2, 3, or even 10 times over the next week or more. Each coat adds a very thin layer of resin. None of this gives the "plastic" look that you can get with poly and other heavier film finishes. I can still see and feel the wood texture even after multiple coats.

If I want to fill the pores better on open-grained woods such as walnut, I like to wet sand with the oil on the first or second and maybe a later coat (again, depending on the wood). I might use 400 or 600 paper (coarser if the pores are large), let sit for an hour, then wipe off gently. The next morning I wipe the surface vigorously (with a bit more oil if the surface is a little tacky), examine the surface, repeat the wet sanding if desired, or just continue with the normal coats. Wet sanding creates a slurry which sticks in the pores and hardens when the oil hardens. Repeated wet sanding can give you a glass smooth surface but does hide some of the natural wood texture from the eye and touch.

I sometimes use 0000 steel wool before applying another coat.
If I want more of a matte finish I might use rottenstone, pumice for more shiny but not glossy.
If a glossy surface is desired, I wait a week after the last coat and polish with the Beale buffer or by hand.

All this leaves anything from a nearly matte, a soft sheen, a soft shiny, to a gloss.

If I want a thick glass-like mirror gloss I uses something different - lots of people want this but I don't usually care for it.

JKJ

[George Troy Hurlburt]

Reads like you don't when to quit John K. lol.

[John K Jordan]

Reads like you don't when to quit John K. lol.

Sorry, the story of my life!

Fortunately, retired now since '06. I don't have a clue how I managed when I was working 8-12 hrs a day. And I'm between surgeries and procedures at the moment with extra time during occasional lucid stretches when the pain pills wear off. Or maybe not so lucid. Good fun.

JKJ