Thread: increasing gloss over danish oil

Originally Posted by android

i'm a bit new to the whole finishing realm and i've recently completed a bandsawn box that i've applied the first coat of WATCO danish oil to. i'd like to buff it a bit to bring out more of a sheen than the oil itself will lend.

here's where i'd like some advice,
1) how many coats of danish oil and should i apply them with some high grit sandpaper or just wipe on?
2) should i get some briwax or something similar and buff it on top of the oil finish to increase sheen?
3) when buffing, should i use a clean buffing wheel or just buff by hand?

thanks.

G'day Android,

Let's see:

1. Watco Danish Oil is a penetrating oil/varnish mix that dries very soft and therefore it cannot build a film. That means no matter how many coats you apply, you will always have to wipe off the excess and will still end up with essentially a very thin coat. Additional coats may also just cause "bleeding" (excess oil escaping from the pores) which will leave soft shiny spots on your box. A second coat only if you think you may have missed some spots. Danish oil always dries to a satin, so cannot be buffed higher without some sort of topcoat.

2. Depends how much sheen you want. A good carnauba wax, applied properly and buffed out will increase the sheen but not offer much protection. You could French Polish using shellac (hard yakka) or you could topcoat with something else that would leave a high shine. I would consider letting the oil cure at least 72 hours, sealing with a wash coat of dewaxed shellac, and then rubbing on several coats of a good wiping varnish like Waterlox or one of the General finishes. Or even a few coats of shellac buffed out with EEE or rottenstone.

3. For wax, the buffing wheel is the go for a higher sheen. Otherwise, work by hand.

We'll see if there are other suggestions as well.

Bob,
re Watco
is this product a pure oil, or similar to our DO that often has a sythetic hardener added.
the cabots brand here you can use like shellac and get a "french polish" finish
if applied with a rubber and body up

Astrid

You could add some "poly or varnish" to the Watco to increase the sheen, or you could make your own "oil finish"

1/3 boiled linseed oil or pure tung oil 1/3 white spirits or spirit turpentine, and 1/3 poly or varnish. keep it mixed well.

And becareful working with the cloths that you use to apply the oil finish.

Originally Posted by astrid

Bob,
re Watco
is this product a pure oil, or similar to our DO that often has a sythetic hardener added.
the cabots brand here you can use like shellac and get a "french polish" finish
if applied with a rubber and body up

Astrid

No, not a pure oil. Just an oil/varnish blend. The oil part (linseed oil, typically) makes it easy to apply but keeps it from drying hard. It can also be coloured to act as a stain or dye on the wood. It is a good finish for items which do not have hard use but for which a soft, natural-looking appearance is wanted.

I know it can be quite confusing since it seems no one makes the manufacturers state clearly on their labels just what is in there. That's why stuff labelled "tung oil finish" for example, rarely contains any real tung oil.

Varnish by itself yields a good protective finish. Varnish mixed with oil will always dry soft and yield a satin finish. Varnish mixed with mineral spirits (or whatever you want to call it--don't go there ) will yield a hard finish because the spirits evaporate, leaving the varnish.

Poly is just another type of varnish, so wiping poly is just poly mixed with spirits to make application easier.
HTH

For a higher sheen you can try wet sanding with your last grit, adding oil to the paper not the piece. This builds up a slurry but may also raise the grain over several weeks. Or you can just buff once the finish is dry and depending on what's in the can this will give you slight to significant lifts in sheen. Or finally get your sheen with a coat or two of paste wax lightly buffed.

what about trying some of our host's products (Ubeaut) - especially the EEE ultra shine (http://www.ubeaut.com.au/ubhome.htm) - it works a treat on boxes

"
EEE - Ultra Shine can also be used after the application of Shellawax to finely cut the surface giving a brilliant dry shine. Used over Organ Oil, Danish oil, polyurethane and lacquered surfacer as a final finish EEE - Ultra Shine will give the same brilliant dry shine rather than that wet looking shine that many finishes get.

Originally Posted by jaspr

what about trying some of our host's products (Ubeaut) - especially the EEE ultra shine (http://www.ubeaut.com.au/ubhome.htm) - it works a treat on boxes

"
EEE - Ultra Shine can also be used after the application of Shellawax to finely cut the surface giving a brilliant dry shine. Used over Organ Oil, Danish oil, polyurethane and lacquered surfacer as a final finish EEE - Ultra Shine will give the same brilliant dry shine rather than that wet looking shine that many finishes get.

EEE is the bees knees. But you can't make a silk purse out of a sow's ear. Danish Oil is Satin. Full stop.

And EEE will actually reduce any sheen.

I often use Watco danish oil for finishing.

As stated it gives a soft satin finish and doesn't suit hard wearing surfaces.

If you polish well with a soft cloth you can lift the sheen but it is still a shiny satin.

I often add about a third poly to the oil. This adds a bit more shine and it tends to hold the shine for longer than just plain oil.

A few times I have tried rubbing the oil in/off with wet and dry sandpaper. It seems a messy job and didn't seem to improve the finish IMHO.

Recently I have tried EEE-Ultra Shine after the several coats of DO have dried and polished.
I used Neil's recommendations and polished with a mop in an electric drill.

The finish looks great and feels smooth.

whack some canaubra wax over the top, its reasonably hard and will lift a shine on anything
astrid