Cleaning an Organoil hard burnished finish.

[Muz G]

Hi,

I've read about 20 posts using the search function here on the hard burnishing of Organoil but I cannot find the information I am looking for hence this post.

I built a 1500 x 1500 blue gum dining table 3-4 years ago and finished it with the hard burning oil from Organoil. I followed the instructions exactly from Organoil and it came up a treat. At the time I remember the instructions saying that to maintain the timber you needed to use another Organoil product. Unfortunately at that time Organoil disappeared off the face of the planet I couldn't find any stockists. Having read through the posts here I can see they are back in business so I gave them a call and they have recommended a light application of Organoil Woodsheen to bring back the shine and lustre.

My question is (finally) after 3 years of crud worked into the surface by my 3 young lads is what should I clean the tabletop with prior to the application of the Woodsheen. The table is cleaned every night with a wet and soapy dishcloth but spilt milk, spaghetti, orange juice and god knows what else over the years may (maybe not?) have left some residue.

The lady at Organoil recommends just a warm soapy dishcloth over it and then let it air dry. Does this sound reasonable or is a harsher cleaning product required?

I should just add that besides the surface looking a little dull it is overall in very good condition.

Many thanks in advance.

[rrobor]

I used this on my kitchen table which is red box and the benchtops which are red gum. The red box I have no issues with ands its still like new. The benchtops obviously take a pounding and look a little dry at times. What I do is give it a good clean, let it dry then add a coat of vegetable oil and leave it overnight. I then polish it in the morning. Been doing this for a few years now and the gap between treatments widens so its not ongoing. I have read people say that some oils go rancid, I use olive oil and have done for 4 years now with no issues.

[Muz G]

Sorry that should read...

"The lady at Organoil recommends just a warm soapy dishcloth over it and then let it air dry before applying the woodsheen. Does this sound reasonable or is a harsher cleaning product required?"

Thanks for the advice rrobor however I intend to use the woodsheen on the table rather than oil. I was just wondering whether to clean it with something else other than a soapy dishcloth prior to applying the woodsheen.

Cheers

[ian]

anything stronger than warm soapy water is likely to start extracting oil from the timber

[rrobor]

Only thing I can think of is perhaps orange oil. Howards do this as a a cleaner for shellac but I suspect it would clean hard oil, though never tried it. I have though tried these other products to shine the wood, Though not the Woodsheen. I found them fine, did the job but were no better than a rub down with olive oil.
If the Table is real patchy it perhaps could do ith a recoat of of Hard burnishing. With me, I used to do this about every second month, On at night, buff it in the morning.. Now it just gets a bit dry looking every year or so, so the olive oil fixes that.
If its 3 years old and untouched since completed, yes Id say its a bit messy, I think it needs more than a wax coat. My advice would be try orange oil then another coat of hard burnishing.

[ubeaut]

Do not use Howards Orange Oil.

Strewth Muz..... You were given the right info directly from "the Lady at Organoil" Listen to her she knows. Honest.

Organoil have invested a lot of time and money in their products and any information you get fron them regarding their products and upkeep you can be sure will be the right info.

They want their product to last and be the best it possibly can be. If orange oil or linseed or paraffin, or grape-seed oil or olive oil were going to do the job better they would tell you so.

A warm soapy cloth is all that should be needed to clean most finishes, even French polish.

[rrobor]

Having a redgum benchtop finished with exactly the same product, I think my information was relevant.
The table has been washed with a warm soapy cloth many times, and as Muz G says it looks cruddy.. The table will have been subjected to vinegar and all sorts over its time and if its patchy, my doubt is whether a simple clean is enough. Over the years it has had no maintainance. Woodsheen is a light oil. That it will shine the table , I have no doubt, but I do doubt it will give a great overall finish on a table let go for 4 years with 3 kids hammering it.
My bench was dry in 3 months and was recoated, Over the years its had many wipe overs. These are my thoughts and findings gained from a benchtop in daily use. Muz G has the option to look at my findings, transpose those to his situation, then accept or reject them dependant on the actual condition of his table.
I never intended this to be argumentative and Im sorry if it seems so. I also have never seen a company select another product in preference to their own, so forgive me if Im sceptical of advice where sales are concerned. Rob

[Muz G]

Thanks to all for their advice. Very helpful. I've ordered the Woodsheen in any case so I'll give the table and good clean with a warm soapy dishcloth a few times and then see how that goes in the first instance.

On close inspection the table top seems to have withstood the rigours of daily use fairly well so I'll give the Woodsheen a blast and see how that goes. If I get a poor result I'll try another tack.

Many thanks again.

[ubeaut]

Having a redgum benchtop finished with exactly the same product, I think my information was relevant.

And so it was.

Sorry rrobor - My comments weren't directed at you but at Muz G in an attempt to get to him before he used orange oil.

I also have never seen a company select another product in preference to their own, so forgive me if Im sceptical of advice where sales are concerned.

Organoil will often direct customers to another product if there's doesn't fit the bill. U-Beaut Polishes also does the same. However there are certain products that don't go well with others and may very well be detrimental, in that case a voice from someone in the know often can be a big help and even save some grief down the track.

I could just as well have recommended our Polish Reviver which is a tried and true product but I didn't for the same reason I said don't use orange oil.

There is no argument, just a bit of helpful information.

Cheers - Neil

[rrobor]

Neil, could you give your reasons for not using orange oil. Organoil has a product they recomend as maintainance, Wax and shine or something like that, and I have used that.
It also stinks of oranges so for sure it has citrus oils in it. Howard Orange oil is recomended by them for cleaning oil surfaces.
In future my need will be to remove part of the surface.
The reason being, its like maintaining a wok, its fine for a long time but the surface builds and darkens and you loose the warmth of the wood. I was then researching how to remove buildup and am contemplating a citrus product and a rub with the grain with 00 steel wool, Wash with pergaps sugar soap then clean water then re-oil when dry
I though do have an offcut of redgum in the workshop, polished and oiled and treated roughly
so it will be the test when the time comes.
Tables and benches continuously washed are not like fine furniture. So its not the usual standard processes, and this is where, I believe, the problem liss

[dedward.rocks]

I have an ironbark floor (in the kitchen as well) that has an organoil finish and is about 12 years old. If there is a spot that I really cant shift with a damp microfibre mop, I'll occassionally have a very gentle rub with some 0000 steel wool and then rinse very well, but otherwise it just gets a freshen up with woodsheen every few years when I can be bothered. It really only needs a very small amount of woodsheen to bring the shine back.

[ubeaut]

Neil, could you give your reasons for not using orange oil.

Same reason I didn't recommend our Polish Reviver. Organoil have a product that works and is designed to work with their range of products. I reckon ours will also work and possibly so will Orange oil. However only the Woodwipe is made to be compatible with Organoil. That being the case it's possible that the others could do something detrimental to the finish either initially or down the track a week, month or even a year or more later.

No evidence of this and nothing but a professional feeling that I could well be saving a bit of grief with this advice. If anyone has actually used orange oil over Organoil without a problem then I will be the first to say have a go and see how it works for you.

Organoil's Woodwipe may smell similar, but so will almost any oil that has even a small amount of d-Limonene (citrus oil) added to it.

The thing to remember is that citrus oils are pretty strong solvents and the last thing you want to do is soften what lies beneath. So a citrus nut oil blend like Woodwipe will be a lot less harsh on the finish it is applied to.

As for the Wax and Shine personally I wouldn't use that as it is basically a beeswax and my preferance would be for much harder waxes. Almost any wax with a high carnauba wax, and a low beeswax content would be my choice as these are not only easier to apply and buff, especially when it's cold, but will not attract finger marks, dirt, dust, etc. Unfortunately there aren't a lot of these type waxes around, probably because of the high price of carnauba wax. There are a few with a small or token amount of carnauba but the really good stuff is harder to find.

U-Beaut Polishes make it and so does Gilly Stevens in WA, others are mostly beeswax, paraffin wax or beeswax/paraffin wax mix. All should work. But some just work better. Some are better in the heat, some better in the cold, the few good ones are good across the board in all weathers and conditions.

Citrus oil may be just the thing for removing some of the surface at a later date but then again who knows, with all the oil that's been put on your bench tops over the years it might not even touch it. But Organoils Citrus Terpene could be the bees knees as it is sold as a solvent.

These questions should be directed to Organoil as they know their product better than anyone and may be able to short circuit the process and make it really easy for you. They are usually happy to help with all sorts of info.

Cheers

[rrobor]

Thank you Sir
I also wish to say sorry for leading you on to that detailed explanation.
Yes it was my intent for selfish reasons as I knew there was more to the answer than the quick off the cuff you gave at first, so shame on me, I prodded,. But perhaps we all learned something from an expert. With thanks Rob.