What Did I Do Wrong With Walnut, Beall and Mineral Spirits?

[Mike Shields]

I'm attempting to redo a walnut frame that I had applied 1 coat of danish oil, and then did the Beall system.

I re-sanded everything with 220, and then compressed-air cleaned, and wiped with mineral spirits.

After the MS wipe down, the walnut appeared to be exceptionally clean, nothing in the pores. After a period of time, the walnut pores are now worse off then when before I started using the MS.

Compressed air cannot clean the pores.

In wiping with the MS, did I fill just fill in the pores with the mess that was on the walnut?

Any help for a newb?

[Jim Becker]

Walnut is an open pored wood...getting the cured Danish oil out of the pores with sanding doesn't really work unless you're taking off a lot of wood. Once the mineral spirits flashed off, you're probably seeing cured oil in the pores. Also, with the Beall system, you want to avoid the white diamond step as it tends to leave, well..."white"...in the open pores of the walnut, which at least initially, is a darker wood species. (walnut does get lighter over time, unlike many other species that get darker)

[Mike Shields]

Jim,

Thanks for the reply.

What options do I have for removing the old oil from the pores?

Really hate to think I would have to sand down to no pores!

Thanks,

Mike

[Mike Shields]

Answered my own question by applying more danish oil.

Worked great.