BLO-Mineral Spirits vs Danish Oil your Thoughts

[Spartan scroller]

Want to start a little debate here.  I've been using Watco Danish oil for years and after reading comments from so many of you on the 50-50 mixture of Boiled Linseed Oil and Mineral Spirits I decided to try it.  Gotta say I don't see much difference in the finish on my scroll sawn ornaments so I am wondering just what advantage you all see in it.  I thought maybe it was an economy issue but when I looked at the price of a can of BLO and a can of mineral spirits vs one can of the same size of Watco Danish oil the Danish oil seems to be the better buy. So what is the advantage of BLO-Mineral Spirits vs. Danish oil?   Is it just a personal preference or is there something I am missing?

Terry
terrysscrollshoppe.com
terrysscrollshoppe.blogspot.com

[dgman]

Hey Terry, For me the 50/50 mix is way cheaper. That is the main reason I made the change a few years ago. But one important advantage is the mix drys a lot faster. I used to wait up to a week for Danish oil to dry before I applied my topcoat. With the mix, I can apply my topcoat the next day.
Now, if you buy a quart of Danish oil verses a gallon of boiled linseed oil and a gallon of mineral spirits, the price difference is substantial.

[julief]

I'm a Danish Oil user.  Unless the humidity is really bad, I don't have a problem with it drying overnight.  I use the colored danish oil to enhance a cheaper piece of wood.  I would rather dip it in that than stain. 

[daliclimbs]

I on occasion use both. But generally I use BLO. The main reason for This is I also do a lot of wood turning and I use BLO constantly in my turning. Since I always have BLO on  hand I naturally use it On my scroll saw work as we'll.. That being said I like both finishes really.

[Judy Hunter]

I use Minwax Stain because of the many colors then spray with satin clear.
I usually just dip, shake it off the blow with the air compressor.
The Minwax dries very quickly. I can usually spray the clear after a couple of hours.

[Billy in Va]

I have had great results using lemon oil but so far the BLO/MS mix is still in limbo.  I am pretty sure after posting the problem that humidity is the culprit for the BLO mix.  I do like the lemon oil -  it sure makes the grain pop. the drawback to me is that you have to coat the entire piece due to the lemon oil never drying. Not a really huge problem, just one you need to be aware of. When I make napkin holders, I make sure the bottom has a good coat of clear acrylic. Don't want to stain anyone's tablecloth. Waiting for a dryer day to try the BLO mix again. Have not used Danish but a friend has and I produced a nice finish. I think I read that you can make Danish by adding urethane or varnish to the BLO mix.

[Danny]

Just had to reply to this....  From starting with Steve Good and him convincing me that Lemon Oil was the way to finish I bought many bottles and used this way for some time.  The Lemon Oil does give say PINE a very Golden appearance and Yes the grain looks good.  Went to the BLO/mixture because a lot were using this method.  Colorwise there really isn't much to holler about.  Used the different colors of Danish Oil in between this.  Moral....  I like to see COLOR in my many different projects.  Even gave the FOOD COLOR a try.  Good to a point, but....  Stains just mess the project up with making the end grain look BAD.  I have as of recently with my Christmas Ornaments experimented with Krylon spray paints.  Just my opinion, but I think they look much better than any other way of finishing.  Just my 2 cents worth....Danny  :+)

[Billy in Va]

Worked in the shop for the past two days without sweat dripping off me and got a lot done.  Going to be doing about a show a month through December so have to get going.  Sold a couple of lighthouse napkin holders over the  weekend  ( love it when they come to me) so cut replacements for them. The pattern is one I modified from one of Steve's patterns. Also cut about 30 small crosses and a some other things. The crosses are a modified version of Baggettas Christening Cross. Resized it to about 4 inches, added a contour. Cut the center section out  for a 3 1/2 solid cross and then the Perimeter for an open center cross 1/4 inch wide. Get two pieces for one. I decided to give the BLO/MS another try. Brushed it on, let it sit for about 10 minuets, wiped off excess, then hit it with the air hose for good measure. Seems to be doing much better than the first attempt. All pieces were dry to the touch after about an hour. The temp and humidity is down so hopefully that was my problem before.

[Keefie]

so Billy, where are the pictures of these napkin holders? you should know we are a very curious lot here (in more ways than one lol) and love to see pictures of other peoples work. I personally love to see how someone takes a pattern and modify's it to suit their own needs.