Any Way to make Watco Danish Oil more Durable (read: Waterlox?)

[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

I am NOT, by any stretch, knowledgable about finishing or its myriad products. I got in on the Home Depot clearance of Watco Danish Oil a few months back, so I think I could start my own side business with my stock:eek:.

My questions for the experts are these:

1) Is there any way to add varnish to the Watco to make it behave a bit more like Waterlox? It is my understanding that Waterlox is a bit more durable than the Watco Danish Oil, and

2) I don't see "varnish" any more -- BORG or specialty online retailers. Is "varnish" poly?

thanks for allowing me to show my ignorance.

Jeff

[Brian Kent]

Hi Jeff. I use a lot of Watco and grabbed 4 quarts for $1.00 each a year or so ago. It definitely has a useful place and it is just a different animal from waterlox. I tried waterlox on a walnut burl coffee table to test the finish and see if I want it on our dining table. My hot drinks, cold drinks, shoes, newspapers and dog's claws have not scratched the finish. I never got any kind of surface skin with Watco, but I have that on a lot of oak furniture.

The varnish at Home Depot is poly, which is a different animal from the varnish in watco. I use wipe-on poly when I don't need a strong protection but want a moisture seal. I ordered the Waterlox online somewhere and had it shipped.

What part of Sunny California do you dwell in?

[Jack Clark]

I don't see "varnish" any more -- BORG or specialty online retailers. Is "varnish" poly?

Jeff,

I recently found real varnish at my local Ace hardware store here in northern California.

http://www.acehardware.com/paintHub/product.jsp?c=Ace&p=stain&productId=030

[Tyler R. Jones]

Mix 1part danish oil, 1part linseed oil, 1 part oil based poly. For the first coat: thin with three parts mineral spirits, heat to warm, and apply liberally. Soak for 5 minutes then wipe the excess. 48 hours later: you can subtract the linseed oil, mix one part danish oil, one part poly 2 parts mineral spirits. apply like the first coat. this will give you a matte finish (no film) with significantly more protection than danih oil alone. The other solution is simply to apply a top coat of poly over the Danish oil after it has dried. Especially for table tops or high wear areas.

[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

Thanks Jack -- I'm going to check my local Ace!

Then, Tyler, I'm going to try your receipe! Thanks for the suggestion.

[Scott Holmes]

Watco "Danish oil" is an oil/varnish blend. I don't know the exact ratios but it's probably 30% - poly varnish, 30% linseed oil; the rest is mineral spirits.

Adding "danish oil" to mix a new oil/varnish blend is an exspesive way to make your own "danish oil"

Mixing varnish, mineral spirits, and linseed oil in equal parts will make an excellent "danish oil".

If you pick one of the non-poly varnishes you will get an even better "danish oil". Poly is the toughest resin used to make varnish; it is not hard. Alkyd is clearer and harder than poly. Phenolic resin is harder than alkyd and is darker and more UV stable than alkyd or urethane.

You can't build much of a film with an oil/varnish blend it's way too soft.

[Howard Acheson]

Actually, Watco Danish Oil contains relatively a very small percentage of resin (varnish), it's mostly linseed oil and thinners. That's the reason it does not make for a very durable finish. It's what is called and oil/varnish mixture. You can easily make your own which will be much more durable. Mix equal amounts of your favorite varnish or poly varnish, boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits. You'll end up with the same look and feel of an in-the-wood finish but the higher percentage of varnish will make it more durable.

To answer your question, yes, you can add oil based varnish or poly varnish to Watco and make it a more durable finish. I don't know how much. It's been too long since my high school mixture problems in algebra. Watco is about 15% varnish, 30% linseed oil and 55% thinner. Most varnish and poly varnish is 55-60% varnish and 40% thinner.

Finally, you can't make Watco or any oil/varnish into Waterlox or a Waterlox type finish. Waterlox Original is a varnish. It is fairly thin so it can be applied by wiping if you want to use it that way. But applied that way it is a wiping varnish, not an oil/varnish. Waterlox is a film on-the-wood finish, while Watco and oil/varnishes are an in-the-wood finish.

Finally, poly, polyurethane and urathane are all the same thing. They are varnishes made with a dollop of urethane added to the other resins used to make the varnish. They are all vanish just made with various resins.

[Jeff Hamilton Jr.]

Adding "danish oil" to mix a new oil/varnish blend is an expensive way to make your own "danish oil"

Thanks Scott! I always look forward to your responses on finishing -- as Brian earlier said, you are definately the expert! In this case, since I got the Watco for about 2 bucks a quart, its a pretty cheap option.


You can't build much of a film with an oil/varnish blend it's way too soft.

Would I be better off rubbing on the Watco, letting it cure and then covering it with lacquer or something like that for durability? I have a gallon of EM6000 that I bought to try when it was on sale and have never opened it. I could use poly (California doesn't seem to have Alkyd or Phenolic Varnish anymore -- at least I can't find it ...), but my experiences with poly have been very "plasticky."

[Chen-Tin Tsai]

Now, I have to preface that I'm a newbie, so take this with a grain of salt. Most of my finishing is done with the Sherwin Williams Varnish, which is an alkyd varnish (I couldn't find any of the Pratt & Lambert #38 locally). Pretty much everything else I've found is all polyurethane varnishes; I had to go to an actual paint store to find the alkyd. Both Sherwin Williams and Benjamin Moore stores carry their own brand of alkyd varnish, which I believe is available nationwide. I also use the Tried and True danish oil, which is just their boiled linseed oil. I've used the S-W varnish over the T&T danish oil which produces a nice, glossy finish, but definitely a film on top of the wood. I've used the T&T danish oil by itself and have found that two coats produces a nice luster, but with pretty much no film. I've also tried the 1:1:1 varnish/oil/thinner mixture that Scott mentioned and have found it to be somewhere in between.

What I've found is this:

Oil tends to be in the wood, no film, and "softer" as there is no resin in the finish.
Varnish tends to be on the wood, a thin or thick film and "harder" as the resin forms a layer over the wood.
Oil/Varnish blends (which Watco is a type of) will be harder but with more film with more resin in the mix, and will be softer but with less film with less resin in the mix.