Thread: Rustins Original Danish Oil

Hi Gensol,
I recently made an awl, and I gave it seven coats of Rustins DO spaced over a few days. Yes, to my eye it certainly improved the finish over the initial three coats. Initially sanded the awl to 400 grit on the lathe, I have been known to sand to 800 grit on other pieces. Cheers Swifty

Wood work finishes are a bit like chrome plating, much depends on the surface preparation. DO is finish that builds but if you have surface finely sanded to a high degree you should be able to use less, I use at the most 3 coats of DO. But I mix my own, also my sanding method produces a high degree of finish. These are variables that affect the outcome measurably so.

Originally Posted by Gensol

I looked at some beautiful bowls finished with Rustins Original DO. The guy said he used 7 or 8 coats but I am wondering if there is any benefit doing more than 3 coats. The extra coats don’t seem to add much to the appearance in my eyes. What do others think? Are there other advantages using extra coats?
Appreciate your opinions.

Danish oil lays on so thin I'd doubt 4 extra coats would add up to even .001mm. If your surface prep isn't perfect that ain't gonna make it better. And if your surface prep is excellent it still ain't gonna do much. I'd say a buffed wax, over the dried for a week at least oil, would go further to improve the look.

You can get a very good finish with three coats of Danish oil. Or you can get a better finish.

I am not a turner, but I do use Danish oil to produce a faux French polish finish on furniture. Most people cannot tell it is not French polish but it is not sensitive to alcohol spills or hot plates like the traditional product. The technique works with Danish oil, wipe on polyurethane and Organoil.

My technique is to:

1. Sand to 200 grit only, ensure no sanding blemishes, remove dust,
2. Paint on DO, wait 10 minutes and wipe off with clean rag (This forces finish into pores),
3. Next day, sand lightly with 400 grit and repeat step 2,
4. Next day, apply DO and wet sand with 400 grit; coat must be light and even,
5. Next day, dip 600 grit sandpaper into DO and wet sand,
6. Next day, repeat step 5 with 1000 grit,
7. Following days, continue wet sanding up through the grits - 400, 600, 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000.
8. When dry & cured, apply antique wax.

I cannot tell the difference between, say, 1000 and 1500 grit finishes, but 2000 is visibly different from 1000 and you can also feel the difference.

The wet sanding is actually very fast. Once you get past 400 grit then you only need 4 or 5 strokes over each part of the surface.

Originally Posted by GraemeCook

You can get a very good finish with three coats of Danish oil. Or you can get a better finish.

I am not a turner, but I do use Danish oil to produce a faux French polish finish on furniture. Most people cannot tell it is not French polish but it is not sensitive to alcohol spills or hot plates like the traditional product. The technique works with Danish oil, wipe on polyurethane and Organoil.

My technique is to:

1. Sand to 200 grit only, ensure no sanding blemishes, remove dust,
2. Paint on DO, wait 10 minutes and wipe off with clean rag (This forces finish into pores),
3. Next day, sand lightly with 400 grit and repeat step 2,
4. Next day, apply DO and wet sand with 400 grit; coat must be light and even,
5. Next day, dip 600 grit sandpaper into DO and wet sand,
6. Next day, repeat step 5 with 1000 grit,
7. Following days, continue wet sanding up through the grits - 400, 600, 1000, 1500, 2000, 3000, 4000, 5000.
8. When dry & cured, apply antique wax.

I cannot tell the difference between, say, 1000 and 1500 grit finishes, but 2000 is visibly different from 1000 and you can also feel the difference.

The wet sanding is actually very fast. Once you get past 400 grit then you only need 4 or 5 strokes over each part of the surface.

I've been mulling a better grain filling process lately. I don't like pumice and I guess I'm, in a way, wanting to reinvent the wheel. I tried boiled linseed oil with 240 wet/dry and rubbing the slurry into the pours and let it cure over a week... It looked like it had filled the pours pretty well but once the shellac was applied, it wasn't quite the full bodied surface I would have liked. Good but I'd like better... However, the combination oil under the shellac looked spectacular. I've got two more stages of the project built and I think I'll try danish oil on at least one of the cabinets and see how that works out. It'll at least be a bit more convenient in that it cures in a day or two on hot days.