Danish Oil

[richardkirkman]

Hi, my danish oil has become very thick and viscous, how can I get it back to being much thinner?

Thanks

 

[AndyT]

I don't believe you can. Don't ruin a project with it, buy some fresh.

If you really want to find out, stir in some white spirit and test it on scrap - but I think you will be disappointed.

 

[Andrewf]

If its gone jelly like, you won't be able to thin it done. Have tried and didn't work out well.

 

[Beau]

Fresh Danish thins it quite well if it's just thick and not solidifying. At least it does with Rustins Danish oil

 

[timber]

Fresh Danish thins it quite well if it's just thick and not solidifying. At least it does with Rustins Danish oil

As stated by others fresh is best, Danish oils are not all the same some have a lot more varnish in them.
I myself do not like a lot of varnish, o.k. if doing one coat, use Wilco's But I prefer Rustins for oak.If not a big user, buy small cans at a time
Timber

 

[Phil Pascoe]

I was advised not to use Danish on oak by Liberon, I tried to follow up to find out why, but got no further information. We use http://tungoil.co.uk/shop/bestwood-danish-oil-5-litres/ I find it excellent. It's over 50% tung.
same as other materials, glues, polishes - buy a fairly large one to keep the cost down, then decant it immediately into small containers.

 

[ED65]

...how can I get it back to being much thinner?

Using the same solvent you use for cleanup, white spirit.

It is best to use fresh stuff, but if it will thin down without jellied lumps remaining in it then it should still be okay to use. If you have doubts test first on some scrap to make sure it dries properly.

In case you don't know Danish oils are typically a mixture of varnish, oil and some amount of white spirit (usually lots). Making it really is a simple matter of blending these three ingredients. So any time you need some fresh and you'd prefer not to buy it in bulk find a clean jar and pour in some boiled linseed oil, any oil-based varnish you like and top up with spirits.

Whole process takes two minutes. And you might be surprised to find you like your homebrew better than the stuff you buy in the shops.

 

[richardkirkman]

Thanks for the info, i'll try the solvent then probably buy some new stuff. I thought it might have been something to do with the temperture, I didn't know it went bad after a while. It's only 6 months old.

 

[ED65]

It's exposure to air and/or loss of solvent due to evaporation that are the culprits Richard, so both a cap that doesn't fit quite tightly enough and some use of the product so there's a good amount of air trapped in the container can both cause it to start to go 'off'.

If there's very little air above the liquid and the cap is airtight there's no reason an opened tin of Danish oil couldn't last years and years on the shelf, but in the original tin it means you must keep on adding something to raise the fluid level, e.g. marbles or ball bearings. Most find it more convenient to transfer the remainder to smaller containers as recommended above.