Danish oil: wiping off leaves streaks?

[jur]

I have a small problem using Rustin's Danish oil. I think it might apply to all Danish oils:

The idea is to spread the oil on the wood, then wipe of the excess after a few minutes. (Wet sanding optional.)

My problem is, I wipe it on and proceed to wipe it off after a short while; the wipe off tends to be streaky and you can still see these streaks after the oil has dried. I suppose I can wipe even harder to remove even more oil to the point of oil only remaining in the grain cavities, but that seems to defeat the purpose of the oil and besides, I like the slightly wet look I get from the thinnest of thin layers of oil remaining behind - the woodgrain is highlighted better.

How can I prevent the streakiness? Any ideas? (Tonight I will be trying out a fresh idea: taking a sponge and wrapping it with one of those disposable kitchen wipe "cloths" that SWMBO buys in packets.)

Another problem I have is, the work piece is my kitchen island benchtop and this is the mother-of-all-benchtops. It is so large that I can't wipe on, wipe off without some area getting tacky by the time I get back there. It is very messy and I would like the oil to not dry as fast so I can work the whole piece without battling the tackiness. Any idea for the tackiness problem, such as thinning?

Bear in mind this is Rustins. I am not sure there are specific issues there.

[Bob Willson]

I would tend to change the type of finish I am using if it gives that much trouble. Have you tried Organoil? It is very easy to apply and quite forgiving of errors.

PS OK sig but it will create a few fights for you. :)

[Ben from Vic.]

I've used Rustins a fair bit and it sounds to me like the streaks are build up from putting on to much oil and not wiping (buffing) properly between coats.

The finish your after can be achived with Rustins, you'll just nee to put a few coats on, say 5-ish or more.

Oils do tend to sit in the timber unlike a varnish which sits on the timber.
Many prefer the look of oils as they enhance the grain without the surface buildup.

If your after a bit more depth try a wax like Liberon on even the Ubeaut range sold by the owner of this BB.

You will need to be carefull with oil finish on a benchtop as there not very solvent resistant.


As for the tackness, I wouldn't worry about it.
Just start wiping off almost as soon as your finished, starting with the tacky bits.


Ben.

[rsser]

Yeah, as Ben says, wipe it off a bit sooner.

I use paper towel. (usual caveat about laying the towel out to dry on the lawn asap after).

As with Organoil, you can sand it while wet to build up a grain-filling oil/sawdust slurry and then wipe off with a cloth, and then buff - this will give you more sheen.

[Alastair]

As I prefer a satin finish, I apply DO in the following manner.

I wipe or brush on a relatively heavy coat. I keep this moist, using cloth or brush kept moist with DO for some 10 to 15 minutes, wiping to even out as the oil absorbs into the more porous areas, and to prevent tackiness developing. I then leave this to dry completely. This coat will inevitably be streaky. Once dry, I denib with 0000 steel wool. Depending on how absorbent the timber was, I might repeat this a second time.

I then wipe on a relatively thin second coat, and leave until it starts to ge sticky. Using the same cloth, I then wipe smooth, evening out the streaking. I repeat this, until stickiness starts to build up. I then change to paper towel, and firmly wipe off as much oil as I can, changing the towel frequently. This I continue repeating at increasing intervals, as the oil dries and absorbs, until the tendency to streak stops, and then allow to finish drying. This leaves me a "satin gloss" lustre, without nibbing, and generally streak free. If some areas were still too absorbent, and dull up on drying, I sometimes have to do this a second time.

I have always used the stock CABOT DO, but would expect the RUSTIN to behave similarly. If you are after a gloss finish, you need to ask someone else.

Hope this helps

Alastair

[rsser]

Final finish also depends on how close-grained your timber is.

Jarrah isn't in my experience, but multiple coats, wet sanding and buffing will get you a long way. Ah, you said, you'd grain filled, so do a test run underneath as the wise man suggested.

So oil finish is vulnerable to solvents, wax to water drops, and plastic to scratches. Scratches are hard to fix; water drops are easy to fix, and I can't speak for solvent damage. Anyone?

Guess you need to figure out your favoured form of abuse ;-}