Danish Oil?

[IBMer]

I keep reading about using Danish oil to finish projects.    What exactly is it?   I saw some at the local woodworking shop.   Looks like you can get it in different shades / colors.    Does it both stain and seal?    How does it compare to staining, then coating with Polyurethane.   

Any tips on using Danish Oil?   When might you use it over a 2 step stain + finish?    Does it work better on certain types of wood than others?

[lazygit]

Danish oil is tung oil with dryers added. It skins quickly and gives a matt or semi-matt finish, depending on the wood and/or number of coats.

As it skins quickly, it does not penetrate far into the wood. You could coat with polyurethane I suppose, but you would have to leave it until well and truly dry (months) or you may get an unwanted reaction.

I would use pure tung oil for an oiled finish. It takes months to dry, but you can put on several coats the first day if the wood is very absorbent. It dries by oxidising, and as it absorbs the oxygen it swells and fills the pores of the wood, thus waterproofing it. It gives a sheen to the wood which is the most attractive  finish  IMO. It will protect the wood against fruit stains once it is dry.

[dgman]

Hey John, I used to use Danish Oil for all my scroll saw projects. What it does for me is it brings out the grain and color of the wood. Naturally, it works best on hardwoods. It does not do much for pine and Baltic birch. Instead of using Danish oil anymore, I use a 50/50 mixture of boiled linseed oil and mineral spirits. The mixture does the same thing as the Danish oil, but is a lot cheaper overall. To apply a topcoat over the Danish oil, you have to let it sit for about a week. With the mixture, you can apply a topcoat the next day! Applying an oil over stain does nothing.
For a topcoat, I use Deft semi gloss spray lacquer.

[julief]

I use danish oil on most of my projects.  It brings out the grain and if I want more color, I use one with the stain in it.  It dries quickly and has a nice finish.  I do, however, still spray with a poly to finish it off.  It is quite simple to use.  I use the styrofoam meat trays, pour some danish oil in it and dip my projects.  It couldn't be easier.  Let it drip off and dry.

[maritimer]

I too use Danish oil - natural.  I pour mine in foil pan (from dollar store) dip project making sure all cuts have been covered, drip off, place on cardboard and then wipe off placing on clean cardboard to dry.  I let the piece(s) dry for 24 hours then apply top coat of lacquer - usually about 3 coats.  I like the lacquer as it dries very quickly - 3 coats within 1/2 hour.  Depending on the project I sometimes will use poly.

Hey Dan, I had read in many postings about the Deft product that you use, and I'm always trying different products, so when I was in the States this summer I picked up some (can't buy it here).  I found it to be blotchy when dried - almost like some of the piece didn't get any on it.  So the next coat I checked and made sure that everything was covered and same thing.  I found it took about 4 coats to look good.  Do you notice this?  Maybe I just got a bad batch.   

[dgman]

Hey Dan, I had read in many postings about the Deft product that you use, and I'm always trying different products, so when I was in the States this summer I picked up some (can't buy it here).  I found it to be blotchy when dried - almost like some of the piece didn't get any on it.  So the next coat I checked and made sure that everything was covered and same thing.  I found it took about 4 coats to look good.  Do you notice this?  Maybe I just got a bad batch.   

Yes, sometimes this will happen to woods that might soak in the finish where the grain is softer then the surrounding area. What i do if this happens after the first coat is polish the piece with a piece of brown paper bag. This burnishes the lacquer. Usually the next coat will be fine!

[lwsjc]

What happens if you don't put anything over the danish oil?
LARRY

[dgman]

What happens if you don't put anything over the danish oil?
LARRY

You don't have to apply a topcoat, but it will appear unfinished!

[maritimer]

Ok Dan, thanks for the tip!