Danish oils question

[Xanthorrhoeas]

I have had great success with Rustins Danish oil on my turnings and helping others with their coasters etc. However, a very experienced woodturning teacher that I know has deserted Rustins and has started using Organoil Danish oil, so I have tried it on a new Australian cedar bowl I have turned. So far, I am really disappointed in it. It is so thin, like water, that it slops and flows/splashes everywhere. It does not seem to cross-link and set like Rustins, but stays oily for a very long time. I followed the instructions to the letter, but, having waited 7 days in over 30 degrees, it still didn't seem to set but I buffed it off and applied another coat.

i do not have great expectations but am interested to know if I have just received a bad batch or if this is the norm? Also, if I have it wrong - please let me know, always willing to learn!

DavidAustralian Cedar chatoyance bowl turned 21 Jan 2018 flash.jpg

[tony_A]

I've recently started using Rustins and am liking the finish I get. Do you know why your friend deserted Rustins. Haven't tried Organoil Danish but their HBO requires a certain level of skill (that I havent quite reached yet).

Tony

[Christos]

I have used the Organoil brand for years. I find a little dap on the end of a rag goes a long way. I guess my way of applying it on turnings or flat surfaces is to use as little as possible with a far amount of coats. I have never tried a soak this in method just enough to cover the surface ready for the next coat.

[Xanthorrhoeas]

Hi Tony,

He deserted Rustins because he found it went off in the can. I have had that problem when there is only a couple of ml left, so I don't think it is serious enough to bother me.

David

[Xanthorrhoeas]

Hi Christos,

I followed the instructions (and also the same way that I used Rustins) which was a generous coat, so it did not occur to me to try your method. Do you have any photos of the results?

David

[FenceFurniture]

My experience of them is that they are two completely different beasts.

I started with Organoil, which I was able to hard burnish. I found it gave an orange tint to the timber which I was not seeking, but it was reasonably acceptable. What it did, that I particularly disliked, was to bring up the grain resulting in a slightly furry finish (is this called napping?).

Then I switched to Rustins, and it was a completely different experience. I tried hard burnishing it (cut 50/50 with turps) and it just turned into a lumpy sticky mess that eventually could not be worked. So I rubbed it all off with turps and just applied by hand and got great results. I brush it on and then cloth it down after no more than 5 minutes. This is not for turnings, just flat work (well as flat as I can make things ).

Certainly I wouldn't go back to Organoil Danish. I suspect that the Rustins has a significantly higher % of PolyUrethane which would account for a) the stickiness under the heat of hard burnishing and b) earlier polymerisation in the can (i.e. lumps) which is a one way street from which there is no return, unfortunately. Once lumpyit has to be strained through a stocking and throw the lumps away (it's formed a polymer chain).

[Christos]

...... Do you have any photos of the results?.....

I had a quick look and was not able to locate any pieces that I have finished with the Danish oil. The only pieces that I have in the house since moving all have been finished with Wipe On Poly.

[FenceFurniture]

I had a quick look and was not able to locate any pieces that I have finished with the Danish oil.

Still waiting for them to dry??

[Xanthorrhoeas]

Thanks FF,

Yes, I have decided that my cedar bowl will be my one and only experience with the Organoil Danish. I'll be ordering some more Rustins pronto. My fall-back in the meantime is to use Shellawax Glow, which is great for smaller items but can be a bit tricky with larger bowls and platters, which I've been enjoying making for a while now. I'll clearly have to develop a finer technique than 'slop it on and rub it in'.

David

[Kuffy]

The Organoil danish oil has no resins in it. Treat it like tung oil with some solvent in it. I wouldn't be surprised if it is the exact same stuff as Hard Burnishing Oil. The rustins danish oil is loaded with resins, so you can treat that like a 30/30/30 resin/oil/solvent mix which will leave a very thin and weak film over the surface creating a higher shine. I used Rustins once, the stuff had gone off in the can (brand new can) and I didn't realise because I had never used the product before and assumed that the smell was just how it smelt because it was a distinct turps based smell. But after applying to the workpieces, it just smelt gross. Now I just mix my own 30% turps, 30% BLO, 30% gloss polyurethane. And of course I don't fill the bottle completely full because 3x30% = 90%

[FenceFurniture]

These storage bags will keep the air away from it, which should minimise the polymerising:
Finish Storage Bag - Lee Valley Tools

I usually divide a can into two bags - a user and a storer.