Thread: Oil finish wanted on red cedar without using oil

Hi JB,

I finished this piece with Wattyl Teak (Scandinavian) Oil some years ago (about 5-6 I think) I opted against Shellac, which should probably be the finish of choice, but I think this gave a good finish. Most Danish oils don't actually have oil in them, though I think Organoil might.

Regards

Rob

That's a good look Rob. Does the Teak Oil protect as well as the Hard Burnishing Oil you use on your tables?

Hi JB,

Yes it does, if applied like you would HBO. See here for details of a recent evaluation I did for rsser among others.

I have to tell you that I went outside today to check if the Wattyl Oil darkens end grain on Red Cedar and of course it does!
I suggest that for the end rain on your Red Cedar, you use a sealer, like Shellac, or do what I did and go over the end grain with EEE cream and Trad Wax, rather than the Oil. Otherwise, the Wattyl stuff works well.

Regards,

Rob

Coatings with UV inhibitors tend to keep the timber from darkening excessively but most manufactures do not advertise the fact that they are used though.

To the best of my knowledge, all oils will darken the colour of the timber to some degree. Some more than others, of course, but most to at least as dark as just wetting the timber with water.

One day I'll conduct !!SCIENCE!! on the various oil brands I use, with a water-wetted piece of the same timber as a standard to compare against.

One day, but not today.


Using something with UV inhibitors will aid in preventing the timber from going darker due to UV exposure over time, but I doubt the inhibitors will make any difference to how it darkens the timber upon first application.


I suspect that the best product to do what you're looking for, Rusty, has been mentioned several times already in the posts above: Shellac.

Dewaxed White Shellac or Hard Shellac will do the job nicely, one of the few finishes that won't discolour timber any more than wetting it down with water. You can build a high shine or have it as a satin or flat finish by cutting it with the likes of wet and dry abrasives, Tripoli powder, pumice powder, or different grades of steel wool.

Cheers - Neil

The MSDS sheet for Wattyl Natural Teak oil" (http://www.wattyl.com.au/export/down...2509%2509%2509) is interesting.

The contents specified are
mineral turpentine 30 - 60%
synthetic oils 10-30 %
additives 1-10%
contains less than 0.1% benzene

I'm curious why the word Natural is used in the name but it uses synthetic oil. Reading on I discover that it's because the final "look" is natural but I still reckon its misleading.

Also, what happens when it contains only 30% turps?

Hi Bob,
If there is 30% Turps, I would suggest it doesn't get to market. If you at the figures, there is enough room for another oil in the mix. I did some testing comparing the Wattyl oil to Tung oil and BLO. I haven't used pure Teak Oil and I'm not sure that it is readily available.
The results for the Wattyl oil were very similar to both the BLO and the Tung Oil. My own opinion is that there is Tung Oil in the mix. But whatever the other ingredient might be, the Wattyl Natural Teak (Scandinavian) Oil gives a first class finish, is water resistant (even with red wine left lying on it for 4 hours) and durable.
I can show you furniture finished with Wattyl oil several years ago. There is absolutely not reduction in the shine and the reflection is as good as it is on the day it was finished. I use Wattyl when I want a great finish, but food safety is not an issue. On table tops I use Hard Burnishing Oil as it is listed as food safe.
The Wattyl oil takes less time to apply and finish. But if you are worried about it, then I suggest Shellac.

Regards,

Rob

Originally Posted by LGS

If there is 30% Turps, I would suggest it doesn't get to market.

I'm not sure what that means - do you mean that is too little or too much

If you at the figures, there is enough room for another oil in the mix.

Yep, Just after I wrote that post I remember that the MSDS does not have to state any additives that are natural and non-toxic.

I did some testing comparing the Wattyl oil to Tung oil and BLO. I haven't used pure Teak Oil and I'm not sure that it is readily available.
The results for the Wattyl oil were very similar to both the BLO and the Tung Oil. My own opinion is that there is Tung Oil in the mix.

I think you may be right about the Tung oil, I've tried it and love the texture but it made the chocolate brown jarrah I was using in on turn almost black.

I like the texture of the finish but have refrained from using it again given my experience with Jarrah darkening so much.