Danish Oil Problem

[Michael C [OP]]

Hi everyone, I'm brand new to the forum.

I'm finishing some walnut with Danish Oil and having some challenges. As the pieces dry after being treated with the oil, certain dry/dull looking patches are appearing. At first I thought it was because I wasn't applying enough oil and it wasn't sinking into the grain. However, I have applied 4 solid coats and the same thing happens each time. Light sanding between coats doesn't help either. My concern at this point is that these areas will still show up after I apply a topcoat of Varathane. Anyone experienced something similar and/or have any ideas how to fix? Thanks.

[Kenneth]

Any possibility you have some glue stains on the wood? Are you wiping off all the excess oil a few minutes after applying each coat? You can use fine sandpaper while the surface is flooded, and then wipe dry. This is usually recommended for the final coat to give you a very smooth finish.

[Egon]

Perhaps try mixing a. Little alcohol with the oil??

[Stuart Jacobs]

How big is the area you are finishing? Lee Valley sells this Tru-Oil Item 56Z2903, Tru-Oil, 3 fl oz (90ml) which works very well on walnut and other woods. It is very popular as a guitar finish. It is available in 8oz. bottles as well but I don't know if Lee Valley have it. Amazon and Cabelas sell it and you can probably find it at local gun shops. I buy it from the shop I worked at here in Ontario. I bought it for gun stocks but then started using it on furniture. You can find a lot of you tube videos on it, mostly on guitars and gunstocks. The company also has a "sealer and conditioner" that will help fill the pores very well. Some people cut the Tru Oil it and use it to fill the pores which to me sounds like what your problem might be.
I don't know how much time and effort you have in your Danish Oil finish yet so it may not be what you want to do now but maybe look into it for future use.

[Michael C [OP]]

Thanks everyone. Since posting, I have applied a couple more heavy coats and really brushed it in. Seems to be working! My understanding with Danish Oil was that I would only need a couple of coats, not 6! Maybe I needed to sand a bit more before the oil went on. I'll let everything dry for a few days and then finish it off with a couple of coats of oil-based varnish.

[Paul O in Paris]

Michael, sounds like you have some patches of more open pores than the rest of the wood. What grit did you originally sand to?
I have only oiled a few pieces over the last 20yrs, but I used to final sand to 180, very occasionally 220 if there appeared to be thirsty areas (a wipe with mineral spirits would quickly show any such problem areas), and would lightly sand in the first couple coats of oil with wet & dry paper (of same grit as final sanding) to create a slurry that would effectively fill these more open pores. A good wipe down with a rag dampned (not saturated) with mineral spirits would be all that was needed to clean up the wood before moving to the final coat(s) of oil.

Paul

[Michael C [OP]]

Update: a few more coats of Danish Oil did the trick, and things are looking great after a couple of coats of varnish. First time working with walnut, so lesson learned: it's a thirsty wood!

[beachburl]

Common response on this forum is "no pics - didn't happen."

[Michael C [OP]]

And here's the finished product: speaker stands. 6 coats of Danish Oil followed by top coat. Managed to get some nice live edge happening on the top shelves.

[Paul O in Paris]

Michael, the walnut came out really well. Congratulations! Perseverance paid off!
It will age a little lighter (that's what walnut does) so should look even better in a year or so.

Paul