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View Full Version : Finishing Question Re. Danish Oil


BILL DONAHUE
10-28-2012, 7:10 PM
Just completed a hollowed form out of Kentucky Coffee Tree wood. Ater sanding, it appeared to be a consistant color but after applying Watco Danish Oil it is darker on the top and bottom than in the center. It's roughly 6" high by 6" wide (ex finial) so it has quite a curvature to it. The problem may be that the oil was very old and I failed to shake it up. The problem may also be that because of the curvature the oil may not have soaked in at an even rate and thus just take a few more coats. Started to do more sanding and I can see that I'm not going to sand it back to the way it was. What do you think about how to salvage this? Have spent a lot of time on it and was pleased with the way it was coming out so it's disappointing. Thanks.
Peter Blair
10-28-2012, 9:03 PM
Hey Bill. Really tough to make any kind of suggestions without a little more information and pictures.

As you know wood accepts oil and finish differently depending on the grain orientation. Is the piece still in a chuck or chuckable?
BILL DONAHUE
10-28-2012, 9:43 PM
Hey Bill. Really tough to make any kind of suggestions without a little more information and pictures.

As you know wood accepts oil and finish differently depending on the grain orientation. Is the piece still in a chuck or chuckable?

It's still on the faceplate. Most likely it is because of the grain orientation. I've never turned a piece with so dramatic a curve. It's almost 6" tall (ex finial) and has a 1 1/2" opening and curves out to a 6" diameter and back to a bottom of 1 1/2" (approx). Went to Lowes and got a new can of Watco to try more oil. Don't know if the photo I'll try to attach will show it well enough. Thanks.
Prashun Patel
10-28-2012, 9:56 PM
That doesn't look like bad finish; it looks like different grain orientations absorbing differently. This is par for the course IMHO. It can be mitigated by more sanding.
The effect is exaggerated during the first few coats of any finish because the different areas seal and develop the satin reflection sooner than others.

I think it looks fine and will look even better with more coats.

Personally, I like applying oil/varnish blends like danish oil with increasing grits of wet sandpaper. Good luck!