Watco Danish oil finsih

[Jim Riseborough]

So I used this the other day, wiped on a couple coats, etc. Now two days later its still tacky to the touch. this was on oak. did I over apply the finsih? I thought it was cause it was cold in the basement, so I brought the piece upstairs, and overnite its still tacky.

Also, anyone ever just put a coat of varnish or shellac over the danish oil?
Thanks

[Phil Phelps]

I haven't used Watco stain in thirty years. I do rememeber it was tacky after several hours, but I wiped it down with a cotton rag and finished it with lacquer. I don't know if the formula has changed, but you should be able to finish with shellac or varnish. Wipe off the residue and let it dry.

[Mike McCann]

oak pores bleed after applying the oil. you need to keep on wiping it down.

[Mike Hollingsworth]

I usually wipe all the excess off with paper towels. Very thin coats. You'll probably have to remove that mess with Lacquer thinner. Sooner the Better. Best of Luck.

[Scott Holmes]

Sounds as if you have left too much Watco on the wood. Watco is an oil/varnish blend and is an IN THE WOOD only finish. After allowing to to soak in for 20-30 minutes you should wipe it dry and let it cure overnight.

70 degrees or more is best; less than 60 may cause it to fail to cure, ever.

[Jim Riseborough]

I will crank up the heat a bit, and see it that helps. If not, even wet, could I apply varnish over it?

[Tony Bilello]

I you followed the instructions on the can, you definitely over applied it. Unless you wipe it down several times with mineral spirits to help remove some of it, it may never dry properly. I tried this product about 30 years ago and was a very sorry product back then. I haven't used it since but I have a friend that used it about a year ago. He ended up with the same results you just had and the same I had 30 years ago. After about a month, I stripped his small table for him. I had to remove it all because it still wouldnt dry.

[Scott Holmes]

No. You cannot cover a wet or tacky finish and expect anything good to result.

[Howard Acheson]

Did you apply it following the instructions on the can? In other words, wipe it on, let it set for 15-20 minutes and then wipe the excess dry?

Also, an oil based finish needs to be used at a temperature no less than 60 degrees.

Finally, Watco is a complete finish. Overcoating is not necessary. If you do overcoat, the Watco must be completely dry. That will take 4-5 days at 70 degrees.

[Jeff Dege]

Did you apply it following the instructions on the can? In other words, wipe it on, let it set for 15-20 minutes and then wipe the excess dry?
When I was asking about how to use it, I was told to:

For the first coat:

1. Wipe it on thick, so that the surface is wet.
2. If any dry spots appear within 15 minutes, reapply so it stays wet.
3. After 30 minutes wipe it dry.
4. Check it every 30 minutes, and wipe dry any wet spots that might have appeared.

Then for succeeding coats:

1. Wipe it on, so the surface is wet.
2. After 15 minutes, wipe it dry.

And this has worked fine, for me.

[Howard Acheson]

>>> And this has worked fine, for me.

As I recall, what you did is what's called for on the label.

[ron bermudez]

I've never used Watco Danish Oil until I applied if for the first time a few days ago. First, I wiped it on very thick, and let it sit for 15 minutes. I then thoroughly wiped it off. I mean... I THOROUGHLY wiped it off. Not scrubbed dry, but wiped so there was absolutely no surface film on the table. I then continued to gently wiped every 10 minutes or so thereafter the first hour. Dabbed up any weeping spots for the next few hours. Lots of oil continued to weep up to the surface for the next few hours after the initial soak.

[Thomas Pender]

Whether it is Watco or a finish you make yourself with BLO, Mineral Spirits, a dye, and some varnish, or WATCO by itself, it must be allowed to dry after being wiped dry (thoroughly).

I agree that 5 days at 70 degrees will normally do it as Howard says, as long as the humidity is reasonable. I have had good luck with WATCO for more than 25 years and as with most other finishes I have learned that reading the directions really does work. When I do not follow the directions, like how to clean a brush, etc., then I suffer.:o With WATCO, just like BLO by itslef, be careful of your rags - follow those directions!!!

FYI, I have covered WATCO with everything from Minwax Poly to PolyAcryllic (which works well in in my opinion) (have also used Behlen Rock Hard - which is hard to use but yields lovely results) and recently used Target URL - which works really well, but has to be sprayed.

Bottom Line: When in doubt, Read the Directions and if it does not look right, let it dry (cure) some more.

[Jim Paulson]

Hi Jim,

I have used WATCO Danish Oil Finish in the past with very satisfactory results. I don't recall ever having a situation where the finish wasn't dry after two days. I'm wondering a couple things. First, is the can new or have you had for some time. Most oil finishes contain a drying agent which if past its expiration time will leave you with difficulties as you described. Second, as others have talked about, I too remember working the finish in rather than letting it build up on the surface. So this is my food for thought. I now pitch finishes that don't achieve the usual drying capabilities or I look at the temperature of my shop so that doesn't make the drying a problem too.

Jim
http://www.chairsbypaulson.com

[Paul Ryan]

I just finished a chair with watco danish oil. My application must be a little different I used a rag that was dampaned with the oil and wiped it on. The first coat I let dry for about 3 days, and have since applied 3 more coats. None of the coats were very heavy at all, just enough to change the color of the wood like a stain. They felt wet for a few hours but with in a day were not tacky. It is possible I did not put it on thick enough. But as with almost any finish I like to make small light coats and build from there. If you really put it on that thick that it is still tacky after days I think you will just have to give it time or there is a problem with your can. The can I use even the residue that is in the crevices on the can has hardened over time.

[Scott T Smith]

I've used Watco Danish oil on some picture frames with great success. The most recent application was three days ago on some crotchwood red oak (feathered). Basically I followed the instruction on the container, with the additional step of wet sanding the frame during the process (using the danish oil to provide the 'wet').

The Watco oil was less than a year old, and the application was made in a shop that was around 58 degrees F. The frame was placed in a warm enviroment (120F) for 30 minutes prior to application of the oil. The first coat was flooded on via a foam brush, and kept wet for 30 minutes. At that point I wet sanded it with 180 grit, wiped it down totally, and applied a second coat. This was kept wet for 15 minutes, wet sanded with 220, then wiped off. The frame was then taken inside my house to dry overnight at around 70 degrees.

Over the next 12 hours some small pores would weep a bit, I just wiped them down 2 or three times with some tissue and that was that.

The third coat and wet sanding was last night; there is now minimal weeping from the pores.

The last time that I used Watco Danish Oil was 3 years ago; the only difference was that the wood was spalted white oak. It was also a cold weather application with similar results (and the frames were kept in a warm environment while they dried).

[Heath Fitts]

I'm a woodworking newbie and I've never used anything but basic stains before last week. I finished a project for my dad (Vietnam medals display case) made from oak with "natural" Watco Danish Oil and I loved the result. As someone else here said they did, I applied very thin coats using a scrap of old cotton t-shirt. Dampen the cloth with the oil and wipe it on. I was outside in my garage workshop and temperature was around 60-65 degrees. I followed the directions on the can waiting 30 minutes before applying the second coat. I waited overnight before very light sanding with 220 grit and applying the third coat. Each coat dried quickly and I really liked the way it looked and felt. It brought out the character in the wood and it still felt like wood, not plastic. I had no problem with tackiness or seeping from pores.

[Dave McGeehan]

My method is a little different than what Watco's directions recommend. I recently finished this piece
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=127216
using the following method:

In my basement shop, which this time of year is 60% humidity and 56 degrees, I filled a plastic tub with about a half gallon of Watco. Submerged both carvings. Let them soak for an hour. Removed and wiped off excess with rags. Placed carvings on small blocks to dry. After a few hours I wiped off any additional pools of Watco that came to the surface. Let carvings in shop for a couple days. At this point the surfaces are dry to the touch. Brought into the main part of the house so the finish cured in a few days. I will probably give them both another light coat today just to even-out any dry looking end grain areas.

On a carving with less details like this
http://www.sawmillcreek.org/showthread.php?t=87418
Taking it out of the tub, I wet sand it with 600 wet/dry sandpaper. Wipe the slurry of Watco and saw dust into the pores. After finish cures, give it two coats of Mylands wax.

I've used these methods using Watco on my carvings for over 25 years with good results. I usually use other finishes on my furniture.

Your problem might be because oak will "weep" a Watco type finish for quite a while due to its open pores and cell structure. You must wipe off as much excess as possible and check on it every few hours for the first day until all the wet spots are gone. If the excess isn't too thick, you might be able to fix your problem by wet sanding with wet/dry sandpaper using Watco as the lubricate and then wiping off the excess.

Hope this helps.