Thread: Liberton Finishing Oil

G'Day and welcome to the house of fun!

I haven't used Liberon oil as yet, but do want to try it. But for a really good durable finish that is heat resistant, fluid resistant and food safe, you can't go past Organoil Hard Burnishing Oil (HBO), finished as they recommend in their wet sanding guide (which is free at their web site).
Here's some pics of a coffee table finished in HBO. You don't need to use a finish over the top (unless you want to) and it can be wiped down quite happily with "Spray and Wipe".

Regards,

Rob

Rob,
Thank you. It was one of the other options. How many coats and did you sand between?
Richard

Hi Richard,

Use their recommended wet sanding regime. Here's my modification
First sand to 400g, then wipe down with Turps. Let the piece dry and saturate with HBO. Allow to soak in for about 15-20 minutes, then add another coat, fairly thick. Start sanding (Random Orbital Sander) straight away. You will notice a slurry start to form as you sand. This is good. It fills the grain while you finish the piece! I usually go up and back along the grain for about 8 reps. Change the sanding pad to something higher (600, 800g) then repeat sanding. Then move up to something higher (1000, 1200g) and repeat. If you want, you can go higher still. I use grits up to 4000. Wipe down with a clean dry cotton cloth. You should have a silky reflective finish with great grain pattern visible.
Important: Do not wipe the slurry off during the sanding process. If the sanding leaves the work piece dry, you can damp down the sanding pad with oil. Don't put any further oil onto the work piece surface.

Give it a try on a scrap piece of timber and make any personal mods you think are necessary. Remember that ambient temp and humidity will change the time needed for the oil to soak into the wood.
I'd love to see the finished product.

Regards,

Rob

Rob,
Thank you so very much for your excellent explanation. Did enjoy your table pictures, thank you. What I have is a classic old card table donated to the shead. The real issue is that it has seven sides with cut outs for your chips!!! These are long and dish/bowl hollows. Proving difficult to sand off what I think is shellac. Anyway only up to 120 grit at present still a way to go in sanding. will take some photos this weekend for you. thanks once again
richard