Thread: Hard burnishing oil issues

Not sure that you needed to lightly towel off the second coat, but equally, that wouldn't have been the cause.

What brand of oil, and what timber? What type of abrasives were you using after 800 grit? Paper, film, impregnated sponge? Sander on highest speed (to create maximum heat)?

Forum member LGS has a method that works extremely well; unfortunately his website appears to have been shut down but I found a description of his method here: Post #49 Basically sand down to 400 grit then flood the surface with oil. Add more oil every 20 minutes until no more is being absorbed; leave the oil on the surface and sand again starting with the last piece of 400 grit used; then 600, 800 etc as far as you want to go.

If your's is starting to "fur" my first thought would be the wood may not have been sufficiently dry before you started to add oil. Also; did you coat the bottom of the desk with oil at the same time? It's imperative that BOTH surfaces get coated.

Hi Jimfish.

Your problem , believe it or not, is probably excess oil, which has not fully burnished and is now starting to come up through the wood. The method works well, but it's very susceptible to oil coming up from in the wood onto the surface. This would be oil that hasn't burnished. Your method sounds perfect, just needs a tweak.

My suggestion is to wipe the table top down with a cotton cloth to take out oil still seeping up from the wood. Do this several times over a 24 hour period using a clean cloth each time. After this, you can go back through the grits, from 4000 to 100, or whatever was the starting grit you used. The table should now be dry and ready for oiling. Give the table about 12-24 hrs to dry out, then make sure that no more oil drops are forming on the area to be sanded. Now you are ready to start again. Give the table a coat of the oil, but do not saturate it yet. Lets see how it sits on the table. If, after an hour or so, all the oil has soaked in, give the table another coat of oil (in a saturated cotton cloth). Give it 10 minutes, then repeat. When the oil doesn't immediately soak in, but leaves wet patches, you can go on to the next step. There should be no need to wipe the table (this is counterproductive.)

Start with 400 grit and sand in long passes for 10 times up and back. You should start to see the slurry start to form. If so, you can go ahead through the rest of the grits, then wipe down with a dry cotton cloth. You're finish should look sensational. All the slurry should be gone and a shiny finish should show. If in doubt, give the top a brisk rub with the cotton cloth (maybe a new one) and this should fix it. Inspect the table after one hour to be sure that no drops are seeping up to the surface. If that is the case, redo the top using 1000 (or 800) then 2000 and 4000 grits.

This should fix the problem. (It happens sometimes!) It's very easy to go overboard with the oil, so use this method and see how you go. If it doesn't work, I'd be quite surprised. If you need more help, repost and describe the issue you have.

Regards,

Rob

Hi Brett,

Using the sander at maximum speed may not help. If you travel too fast, you sort of dilute the burnishing process. I use about half to 3/4 sander speed. Used the high rotate setting on the Festool ETS150-3. It's just easy to handle and get a smooth coverage of the piece in question. You really need to think through what you are doing and why. Use the Organoil HBO as your reference if you are keen on ultimately using a cheaper oil.

Regards,

Rob

Originally Posted by LGS

Using the sander at maximum speed will not help. If you travel to fast, you sort of dilute the burnishing process I use about half to 3/4 the sander speed. I also use the 3 setting on the Festool ETS150-3. It's just easy to handle and get a smooth coverage of the piece in question.

Rightio. I've wondered about how much heat - whenever I feel the surface after sanding on top speed (no oil) it only ever seems to be "fairly warm" and certainly never hot, so I've thought that the oil would need that maximum amount of heat generated (i.e. "fairly warm").

Thanks for the detailed response Rob, there was a few spots of oil coming up to the surface in the couple of days after the table was brought inside. I haven’t seen any come out for 3or 4 days now. Is it best to redo the whole top or can I just redo the section that has not burnished.
I have found the process enthralling and the finish has been great( apart from the few imperfections)not to mention the way my workshop smells now. This is the finish on the bench seat.

Hi Jimfish,

For the sake of consistency I'd do the whole table again. You'll find that it won't seem to take as long when you redo it. That bench is stunning! That's what you'll get with the table top!

Regards,

Rob

Originally Posted by jimfish

Had my first go at using Hard burnishing oil on my table top. My method was sand to 400 grit then apply oil liberally. I waited 2 1/2 hrs then applied a light coat of oil waiting around 15 mins before a light wipe off with paper towel and then sanding with 400 creating a nice slurry and continued sanding up to 4000
I was very happy with the result and after 6 days we sat at the table for breakfast and afterwards found the area where my forearm was resting had a different look and a slightly rough texture.
I am going to apply a little oil to sand paper and burnish this section again to see if it fix’s it. There are small sections of the bench seat that has the same issue. Is there a problem with the method I used, or is this finish prone to issues like this. I love the look of the table oiled up but I’m worried I may have ongoing issues.

Method is fully explained on yOutube.

Rob another question if you don’t mind.
How would you atack the chair backs, one side at a time or is it possible to do both sides?
Cheers Jim

Hi Jim,
If you want to do both sides at once, make sure you have a scrupulously clean bench, otherwise, you'll pick dust and other stuff which, once on, is very hard to get off.
There isn't any particular reason why you can't do both sides at once, but you'll have to work pretty quickly or the oil will begin to dry. I suggest you try one and see if you can get the finish you want in the time you want. If so, go for it. If not or if there's any doubt, just do one side at a time. That said, if you are comfortable leaving the oil for a few extra minutes you can wipe the second side with more oil when you turn the chair over and continue on. So in other words, I do, but to each his own. Do what works for you. Maybe also just do two at a time.

Regards,

Rob

Originally Posted by LGS

Hi Jim,
If you want to do both sides at once, make sure you have a scrupulously clean bench, otherwise, you'll pick dust and other stuff which, once on, is very hard to get off.
There isn't any particular reason why you can't do both sides at once, but you'll have to work pretty quickly or the oil will begin to dry. I suggest you try one and see if you can get the finish you want in the time you want. If so, go for it. If not or if there's any doubt, just do one side at a time. That said, if you are comfortable leaving the oil for a few extra minutes you can wipe the second side with more oil when you turn the chair over and continue on. So in other words, I do, but to each his own. Do what works for you. Maybe also just do two at a time.

Regards,

Rob

Thanks again Rob, I think I’ll do them one side at a time.
Cheers Jim