Finish Frustrations

[Dale Coons]

Watco Danish Oil.

Started putting coats on a hollow form a while back, after several, got gummy and wouldn't dry. Sanded and washed with DNA until I was down to bare wood. Thought maybe it was going bad. :( Advice from here was get a new can.

Bought new can. Put on a wipe-on coat. Waited 2 days, added a second coat. 4 days after second coat, still not drying. :mad::mad::mad: I am not 'soaking' the wood, I'm just wiping it on using a rag. HF is pecan if that makes a difference. Also, I've applied outside in the garage, then brought inside after a couple of hours where it's air conditioned to finish curing.

Help! What am I doing wrong? Had no problem with this over the winter and am wondering if humiditity is the problem and I just need to be patient or if I need to try something else.

[Marty Eargle]

I just started using Watco Danish Oil a few weeks ago and haven't had any problems with it yet. A few pieces have actually been pecan.

In my experiences, the first few coats are usually dry to the touch within an hour or so. I've also used it directly before WOP with no problems. Maybe you're sanding to too high of a grit before you apply the oil?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Dale,

I use danish oil and antique oil but use a different method.

I wipe on the oil and after 15-20 minutes wipe off the excess and then let the project dry for 24 hours. Then I repeat the process until I get the build up I want.

After the final coat, I will wait 3-7 days before buffing to insure the finish is dry before buffing.

[Steve Schlumpf]

I do the same as Ken! You have to wipe it down really good or you will have a sticky mess - at least in spots - even with a brand new can. I also would not be moving the form from one temp/humidity to another once you have finish on it. I would think that placing it in cooler temps would just prolong the drying time.

[Gary Max]

I use a bunch of Homebrew Oil----it's mixed up in a 20 gallon tank and is about 10 years old. I just keep adding to it never letting the tank get half empty. Sticky mess---wipe it down with Mineral spirits to remove all the unwanted oil.

[John Hart]

Like Steve and Ken say....This sounds like the wipe-down step is not quite right. All the excess should be wiped off within 10-15 minutes or there abouts. It really doesn't help to prolong that period, and you end up having to work harder or use mineral spirits to clean up the goo.

[Dale Coons]

Hmm. So you're saying (Ken/Steve) to basically 'dry it off' after 15 minutes? I've been putting a wet coat on, but didn't think it was a lot. I'll give that a try.

Steve--took it inside because although there's some temp drop, the air is a lot drier. On an earlier post you mentioned cleaning it off the sticky with DNA--have you found it necessary to sand also, or do you just remove the gunk with the dna?

[Ken Fitzgerald]

Dale,

What I do...is this.... say on a bowl....

I will flood the interior of a bowl....and keep it wet for 15-20 minutes. If I see an area dry out during that period...I will take a rag and wipe a little from the pool or add some more if necessary. After 15-20 minutes...wipe it dry. I often use an empty can or glass jar and just sit the bowl on that to dry overnight.

The next day, I will wet the outside of the bowl with danish or antique oil and keep it wet for 15-20 minutes. After that, I'll wipe it dry and let it dry overnight. I will rest it on the same jar of can with the outside exposed to air.

The next day repeat the process for the interior of the bowl again. So in reality, the interior of the bowl has been drying for approximately 24-48 hours since I last coated it.

Then next day repeat the process for the exterior of the bowl.

IMHO, antique oil seems to build up faster and 2 and sometimes 3 coats is enough. Danish oil I sometimes have to add more coats.

I hope this makes sense.

[Ken Fitzgerald]

I would try mineral spirits to remove the "gunk" and let it dry for several days before you start trying to reapply the finish. I believe it works better on an oil finish than DNA. Just my humble opinion.

I have successfully used DNA to remove shellac from a project that I didn't like the resultant finish on.

[David Gilbert]

I've used Watco on lots of my flatwork and really like it. I flood the surfaces, keep them wet for 15 - 30 minutes and then wipe it all off several times and let it sit overnight. I repeat this several times and then let it dry for a couple of weeks before I add any other varnish on top.

I tried the same process with my bowls and didn't like Watco. It took too long to dry and never built up. Minwax Antique Oil (MAO) works much better and builds much faster. I don't buff my bowls and really like the surface from the MAO.

DNA will be a very poor solvent for the gunk left by either of these oils. In fact, I would be surprised if it dissolved any of the gunk. Mineral spirits will be much better but even that may not be great. I have found that Behlen's Rock Hard Table Top Varnish Retarder is a really good solvent for these oils. It's not cheap but seems to dissolve the solids from oils pretty well.

Cheers,
David