Can you use sanding sealer over an oil finish?

[Thomas Wilson80]

I just finished a 13” x 6” bowl made out of Chinese elm and was going to just use walnut oil for finish but then my wife wanted me to use some oil with stain in it to darken the bowl. I have put several coats of Watco Danish Oil with medium walnut stain on it but it is drinking it up like crazy. I probably should’ve put sanding sealer on first but didn’t think to at the time. Is it too late now? What happens when you put sanding sealer over danish oil?

I wish I would have left it as it was but in the long run it’s probably better to please my wife!

Here are some before and after pics. Comments and critiques are welcome.

Thanks - Tom

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[Brice Rogers]

I am not an expert on this but I think that the answer is "yes". I googled your title and there are a lot of people who think that it is okay.

If it were me, I'd rub down the piece with a solvent like acetone before applying the sanding sealer.

[Richard Coers]

Depends on what you consider sanding sealer and if it is water or solvent based. In my shop, sanding sealer is a solvent based lacquer with zinc stearate added to make it easy to sand. If the oil is completely cured, a thin coat of shellac should work. But oil cures really slowly in the winter.

[David Walser]

Danish oil is a mixture of polyurethane (or another varnish), oil (such as BLO or tung), and a compatible thinner (mineral spirits for poly). The proportions vary, but a 1:1:1 ratio works well. If your preferred sanding sealer is compatible with poly, you should be able to apply it over the Danish oil (assuming the Danish oil has cured). If you have any concerns, apply a coat of shellac (again, assuming the Danish oil has cured). Shellac will seal the wood and you can then apply more coats of Danish oil without it soaking in too much. Or, you can apply another finish of your choice.

Shellac can be applied over poly and virtually all finishes can be applied over shellac.

HTH

[Thomas Wilson80]

Thanks for the replies. Doesn’t it take weeks to months for DO to fully cure? Or would waiting a couple days for the outer layer to cure be enough?

Tom

[Robert Hayward]

Can you find a phone number for the manufacturer? Seems to me that would get you the best answers.

[Bill Howatt]

The total cure time for the DO is given as a month and is the oft-quoted time for lots of finishes - not surprising since a lot of them really are similar in composition. Ambient conditions can also influence the time - cold room will take longer than a warm room. You might get away with rushing it but then again you might not.
You may find that once it cures, it will lose its thirst, if that's the idea of using the sealer.

[Thomas Wilson80]

The total cure time for the DO is given as a month and is the oft-quoted time for lots of finishes - not surprising since a lot of them really are similar in composition. Ambient conditions can also influence the time - cold room will take longer than a warm room. You might get away with rushing it but then again you might not.
You may find that once it cures, it will lose its thirst, if that's the idea of using the sealer.

Thanks for the info. I looked on the manufacturer’s website but couldn’t find that.

I have heard that DO is food safe once fully cured but don’t know how true that is. A friend just asked for a popcorn bowl and this is the perfect size but now I’m not sure I’d use it for popcorn with the finish, even after waiting a month or two (really wishing I hadn’t put the finish on now!)

Any thoughts or opinions?

Thanks, Tom

[Bill Howatt]

Lots of views on food-safe. One camp, and the one that I'm in, is that once the finished is cured it is safe - that is cured, not just dry.
Another way of looking at it is, if the finished is cured just how much of it is going to be picked up by the popcorn or anything else, virtually nil, I'd say. As far as labelling goes, the issue really is that a lot of the finishes have never been tested so they cannot be labelled as food safe even if they are.
This link is interesting: https://abutterflyhouse.com/food-safe-non-toxic-wood-finishes/

[Thomas Wilson80]

Lots of views on food-safe. One camp, and the one that I'm in, is that once the finished is cured it is safe - that is cured, not just dry.
Another way of looking at it is, if the finished is cured just how much of it is going to be picked up by the popcorn or anything else, virtually nil, I'd say. As far as labelling goes, the issue really is that a lot of the finishes have never been tested so they cannot be labelled as food safe even if they are.
This link is interesting: https://abutterflyhouse.com/food-safe-non-toxic-wood-finishes/

Interesting and informative article - thanks for posting.
Tom