Thread: Organ Oil - Hard Burnishing Oil

G'day all,

It seems I'm almost alone in my love for Hard Burnishing Oil around here, I wonder if there is anyone else that uses this for treating/finishing indoor furniture? Not to mention work surfaces.

Where exactly is gets it's name I'm unsure, but it certainly lives up to the 'hard' part well enough It's hard to get right, but equally durable once it has dried properly. I thought I'd share my method with you all and ask your thoughts:

1) Sand to 400 grit,
2) flood surfaces with HBO.
3) If within one hour sufficient soak has occured that the surface no longer appears shiny wet; re-apply.
4) Allow to dry for 24 hours in the shade, than apply another moderate coat of HBO with a brush.
5) After a further 24 hours the surface will appear like a poorly applied wax, buff the surface with a clean lint-free rag.
6) Now allow the peice to dry for at least 5 days. During this time inspect the surface on a daily basis for bleed-back and buffed out where neseccary.

On very oily timbers like Spotted Gum the drying process is much faster with little to no bleed-back.

Polishing

1) Once you're satisfied that the oil is dried (which can take up to two weeks depending on the timber and weather), very lightly re-sand the surface with 800+ grit wet/dry paper that has been lightly wet with HBO. 2) Be sure to clean up the slurry with a clean rag as you go and re-apply oil to the sand paper. Allow this to dry for 24 hours.
2) Buff the surface to the desired level of sheen, then apply your choice of wax or polish to finish.

It's a good deal of work, but I've found that the timber surface is significantly harder and more resilient to general knocks than plain timber. Being Tung oil based I understand it should have this effect, but I can't explain why.

Lastly, being a drying oil, it's very easy to repair the surface. It also responds really well to very light scraping to acheive a good level if sheen.

A penny for your thoughts.

Dave.