Danish oils question

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!

DavidAttachment 428420

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

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.

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

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

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 :D).

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).

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Xanthorrhoeas

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

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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.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Christos

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

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Still waiting for them to dry??

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':D.

David

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% :D

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.