Paraffin oil to protect garden furniture

[manselc]

The care instructions for my habitat garden furniture (oak) say that I should regularly oil it using paraffin/furniture oil.

Do you know where it can be purchased?

thank you, CM

[monsoon]

hello, the care instructions for my Habitat garden furniture (oiled oak) recommend that I should oil it regularly using Paraffin/Vaselin oil.

Do you know where it can be purchased?

thank you, CM

[Andy Dingley]

Organoil stuff is good.

[Nick]

Never used Organoil and will have a look, but a traditional protective is Tung or Teak oil. Once a day for a week, once a week for a month, once a month for a year and once a year forever. I have some oak doors (external) that are approaching 100 years old and are in remarkably good fettle. Care instruction has been passed down through the family. HTH Nick.

[Mary Fisher]

Tell me more, please?

Mary

[Andy Dingley]

Tung isn't very good (alone) outdoors. Teak oil is only for teak, ipe or similar (it's mainly for appearance and assumes the wood is already inherently oily)

That's because they're oak. If they're English white oak (or French) then they'll last well just thrown outdoors and ignored, so long as they're a big enough cross-section that radial cracking isn't a structural problem. American white oak (Q. alba) isn't quite so robust, but is still pretty good.

I don't know what Habitat are using these days. It could be a red oak though, which is much less resistant and will need a finish.

[Mary Fisher]

Tht was my reaction. I've seen centuries old oak doors, untreated and in daily use, which are fine.

Mary

[Cameron]

Not sure if this helps but cuprinol do various treatments that ar white spirit based (decorative wood presserver, decking oil, etc) these are generally aimed at the trade (- ie dont go to B&Q) - I'v just used some of it on my guarden gate, good stuff kills all plants vermin and cats!! and the finish is what I wood describe as one tha shows of the wood, not one of those cheap B&Q gimmicky ones - you kno

- the ones come with those TV adverts and look like you've speared you fence with excrement. (if only I could spell)

Anyway what are you doing buying wooden furniture, your local builder merchants got a find select of wood and power tools to make your own!

Best regards

Cameron Taylo

-- Cameron

[Andy Dingley]

It's a tung oil base with a bunch of extra plant resins added to improve UV and anti-weather behaviour. Being Australian they make it from eucalyptus, kangaroo droppings and boiled up didgeridoos (or something).

The advantages are that it's light on petrochemical solvents, so it's low-smell, easy to apply without a risk of sticky patches that won't dry if you over-apply it, and pretty "green" if your client is into that. It also stores well, as it doesn't thicken up in the tin from these solvents going walkabout.

The garden oil is as good as anything else, but the woodturning polishes are the ones that are really outstanding. They're exceptionally quick to apply and produce a finished item with a hardened and smell-free finish on, ready for delivery. Great stuff for turning demonstrations at shows.

[bigcat]

is linseed oil not better?

NT

[Andy Dingley]

No it's terrible. It;s hard to apply without leaving stickiness behind, it yellows like crazy (why most finishing oils are based on tung, not linseed) and it has poor weather resistance unless you use the right sort of dried (aka boiled) oil - which is no longer clear.

[Mary Fisher]

Right, thanks for that.

We don't do that but I wonder if it's food safe?

Mary

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[Andy Dingley]

You ever seen a fat koala ?

These days I'm not sure if _food_ is food-safe.

You're skipping the white spirit component in most other finish, which is of course terrible stuff for liver damage, whether you're breathing or eating it. OTOH, there are various terpenes and phenols in "plant resins" and true turpentines, and they're little understood.

Better than lacquer I guess 8-)

[bigcat]

Interesting. Linseed oil paints are reckoned to have the longest recoating times of all wood paints, at 15 years. Maybe the density of pigment makes the yellowing not such an issue, and boiled is used?

NT

[Andy Dingley]

Paints are pigmented - this stops UV action on most of the layer and is the main reason why paint lasts better outdoors than varnish.

You can make perfectly usable linseed oil external finishing oils or varnish/oil mixtures, but you can't make them clear and light in colour.,

[Mary Fisher]

er - no. Never seen a thin one either.Or even an in-between one ...

OK, Guv, you've caught me out there!

Not what most people eat but I'm OK with my recycled goatskin:-)

Yes ... turpentine's been used as a medicine. And lots of people (NOT ME) swear by propolis (plant resin) andsome make a lot of money selling it for therapeutic purposes.

AAAAAaarrghhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh ..........

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