Removing Danish Oil - Update

[Ret.]

I followed the advice and set-to this morning with a pack of steel wool and bottle of white spirit. It worked a treat - although it was bloody hard work and took all morning!

As you are swirling the white spirit about with the pad of steel wool, you can 'feel' the bits that are still sticky and require extra scrubbing. You are regularly left with a sticky scum of danish oil dissolved in white spirit that has to be wiped off. I used an old towel cut into squares.

I thought that I had got right down to the bare wood - but it seems that there is still some of the original 'Osmo Oil' deep in the wood fibres. After getting down to what I thought was bare wood, I tried sanding-out some knife-cuts in the wood surface - but the sandpaper clogged up with hard oil in seconds.

The residual oil shouldn't be a problem as I'm re-treating this time with the same stuff.

I'm left with a beautifully smooth and totally matt finish that is now awaiting the arrival of my new tin of Osmo Worktop Oil that I'm advised was despatched yesterday.

My tip for you? If you have ever thought about having genuine beech-block kitchen worktops - DON'T!! They are a pain in the backside! They mark far too easily and require far too much maintenance to keep looking anywhere decent.

Incidentally, prior to deciding to re-oil the worktops, my wife and I investigated a firm called 'Granite Transformations'.

They manufacture work-top 'covers' made from sheets of crushed granite bound with resin. Their advertising blurb reckons it's the cheaper alternative to genuine granite worktops - and saves all the hassle of having your old worktops removed because they manfacture these ersatz granite 'covers' to fit precisely over your old worktops. I had one of their reps out to measure up and give me a quote. I have no idea how much genuine granite worktops cost - but his quote was £4,300.00 !!! We really liked the look and feel of the stuff - but I told him I could have my entire kitchen replaced for not much more than that!

Cheers for the removal advice.

Ret.

[Howard Neil]

Just a couple of words of advice that may help prevent you making the same mistake in the future:-

This is the same for all drying oils, whatever they are called.

Oil is not applied like paint or varnish. You apply it sparingly with a rag, let it soak in, then remove any excess after about 10 minutes. If you don't do that, you will be left with the mess you just had as the oil will fail to dry. If you wish to build up a surface, you need to do this very many times, letting each "coat" dry for a couple of days before the next one. Much more than three or four coats, though, is a bit of a waste of time IMHO.

When the final coat is thoroughly dry, give one coat of a good wax polish (this will take away the oily feel).

The whole procedure is simple but time consuming. One other thing, don't screw up the oily rags and throw them in a corner. As the oil dries, it creates a lot of heat. This can cause the rags to spontaneously combust. My way of dealing with them is to drop them into a wood burning stove (unlit) and burn them under control. You can also lay them out flat and let them dry naturally.

[Ret.]

Thanks for the advice Neil. I actually did this with the initial coatings of Osmo Oil. With the recent re-treatment with Danish Oil, however, I decided to use a brush to apply the oil (this is an accepted application method according to the tin!). Although I tried to keep the application as thin as possible, clearly it was not thin enough and simply lay on the top of the old coatings and did not dry out properly.

Ret.

[Howard Neil]

Perhaps you just did not remove the excess after about 10 minutes. That is the important bit. Bear in mind that the first application soaks into the wood and seals it. All later coats sit on the surface. I often just give the one coat to act as a sealer. I then finish with Briwax original. That is easier to use and builds up a superb finish. Oh, and it also smells nice (to most people).

[Ret.]

Actually, looking again at the instructions on the Danish Oil tin - and also on the tin of Osmo Oil that arrived today, there is no mention on either of removing excess oil. The Danish Oil instructions are:

1. Pour a generous amount of Refined Danish Oil onto a lint free cloth and wipe over the wood.
2. Rub the oil well into the grain of the wood.
3. Alternatively the oil can be applied sparingly using a brush.
4. If treating bare wood apply three coats leaving 6 hours drying time between coats.
5. When the final coat has dried, an improved sheen can be achieved by buffing with a clean lint free cloth.

The Osmo Oil instructions state:

Apply thinly, following the grain of the wood, with a thick natural bristle paintbrush or a with a cloth. Leave to dry overnight for at least 8-10 hours. Allow for good ventilation. If using a cloth, apply 3-4 thin coats.

So - no mention of removing any excess...................

Bear in mind that the first application

It can only smell better that the oils!! I'm going to apply the Osmo Oil this evening - and I will use a cloth and make the coat thin. Although the white spirit and steel wool has removed most of the old oil - there is still a coating deep in the wood fibres - water still beads on the surface of this. So I'm going to have to be careful not to face the same problem again with the new coat not soaking in.

Having said that, on the Osmo Oil tin it states:

For occasional renovation, re-apply Osmo Oil thinly to the cleaned surface.

So I should be ok!

Ret.

[Howard Neil]

You don't state the make of the Danish Oil but the instructions are wrong. You have found out the hard way what happens if you follow their instructions.

I have just checked my tin of Rustin's Danish Oil and it says "wipe off the excess after a few minutes". All drying oils are very similar and often the only difference is the colour. As long as you remove the excess, I'm sure you will now be fine. Good luck with it.

[Ret.]

Indeed! It's Colron.

I gave the first coating last evening using a cloth and being careful, as I went along, to remove all excess. It has dried beautifully and smoothly overnight to a nice matt/satin finish - no tackiness at all. I'll give it one further coat this evening and then that will be it - until next time!

Ret.

[Howard Neil]

Good news. If you maintain it with a good quality wax (Briwax Original?) you may never need to oil it again. As you found out, the original oil had set hard within the wood and you were only really looking at restoring the surface. This is my personal favourite method of finishing wood and it lasts a long time. I have a dining table I made about 15 years ago and the surface, using this method, is still good.

[Ret.]

I'll do as you suggest and get hold of some Briwax. I have now completed the second coating of Osmo - and that has also dried perfectly and left a nice finish. Thanks for your advice Howard.

Ret.

[Howard Neil]

No problem. Oil finishes are some of the easiest to do (once you understand the method) and, IMHO, the nicest to look at. Just remember the advice about drying the cloths as spontaneous combustion could be disastrous.

[Ret.]

Already done that!

Ret.