hi, in order to place our clothes drying rack over the bath i have two strips of wood that we place the dryer upon.
to prevent the wood strips soaking up too much water from the dripping clothes, i intend to put a drying oil on them. i chose walnut oil for its non-toxic qualities. is there a way that i could dilute the oil to make it go further since it is quite expensive.
many thanks for any advice. john west
Thinning it will not make it go further, just need more coats. There are cheaper non-toxic finishes you can use. Poly, BLO, shellac, tung oil, etc.
Poly = polyurethane. Many brands exist. BLO = boiled linseed oil, one of the oldest wood finishes around. Danish oil is very similar
Any finish available in the US (and probably the UK) is food safe once cured.
Oil is practically worthless as a protection against water or water vapor. If you already bought it, I hope you didn't open it so you can exchange it for something else. What you want is polyurethane or some other kind of varnish. It should be comparatively cheap too.
HEH!... I can get a quart of cooking walnut oil for $3.99, at my local Ralph's supermarket.
The brand is: " It's Delish ", which is distributed by Universal Merchants, Los Angeles, CA 90036.
Question for anyone else, would there be a difference between what I have and woodworking / finishing walnut oil?
Waterlox? Isn't that used inside of wooden flower vases for waterproofing?
Yes, definitely. The stuff in your store uses a "health" halo to justify its price. Usually boasts of being cold pressed and "natural", whatever that means. One thing the process does mean is that nut proteins can be present here, which are not in the solvent extracted oil used commercially. If you're allergic to nut proteins - potential problem, however slight.
The healthy stuff is better as a finish than the less expensive kind on the shelf. The one that contains antioxidants to retard spoilage. You _want_ the oil to oxidize and polymerize, remember?
Then there's the commercial product, extracted after the squeeze.
Waterlox is an oil and varnish blend, not pure oil.
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