Danish oil - help!

[hanser]

I have been away for a few days and my dear wife has danish oiled a pine table top :roll:.Whilst this sort of initiative should not be discourage there is problem. She has put several coats on with a jenny brush and has not wiped off the excess. The finish has ended up very high gloss whereas my son & daughter in law want a 'satin' finish.

Can I cut it back with wet and dry and proceed to finish it off with a 'wiped' coat(s) or do I have to take the lot off and start again?

Thanks in anticipation.

 

[Phil Pascoe]

Cut it back. It's no problem at all and yes, you may want to finish it again with a light coat or two. It will actually finish pretty much as flat or as glossy as you want it.

 

[bugbear]

I have been away for a few days and my dear wife has danish oiled a pine table top :roll:.Whilst this sort of initiative should not be discourage there is problem. She has put several coats on with a jenny brush and has not wiped off the excess. The finish has ended up very high gloss whereas my son & daughter in law want a 'satin' finish.

Can I cut it back with wet and dry and proceed to finish it off with a 'wiped' coat(s) or do I have to take the lot off and start again?

Thanks in anticipation.

I'm (very) surprised it dried properly when used like that. Normally excess Danish oil just goes sticky. What brand was it? The mix must be particularly high in varnish

BugBear

 

[Spindle]

Hi

Have to agree with Bugbear on this one - have you tried to sand it back, I think you'll find it has 'skinned over' but the underlying oil will still be very sticky and clog your abrasive. In my experience it will take between three to four weeks to fully cure dependant on temperature. If you can give it that long you'll be able to sand back and re-finish with a wiped surface.

Regards Mick

 

[hanser]

Thanks guys - I'll give it a careful go with wet and dry. It was Wickes own brand stuff - perhaps more varnish than the usual brands?

 

[bugbear]

Thanks guys - I'll give it a careful go with wet and dry. It was Wickes own brand stuff - perhaps more varnish than the usual brands?

If it is all gungy (and not sand-paper-able), you may be able to dissolve it off with white spirit.

BugBear

 

[MIGNAL]

It doesn't dry by evaporation. It's an Oil Varnish, it dries by oxidising. If you want to accelerate the drying/hardening you would be better exposing it to natural day light. Several coats with a brush will still give a thin finish, largely because Danish Oil is so thin and it's laced with solvents. It's simply a matter of letting it dry/harden before cutting back - using wet/dry. Using it wet will stop the paper clogging and it cuts much faster.