Orange oil has become popular for cleaning and preserving furniture and many things wood. I have seen it listed as being usable on even bare wood. Can it be used as an oil finish? Has anyone used it? `Casper
I don't think it "cures" like linseed or tung oil. My guess is it's not going to be durable and will need to be periodically refreshed.
Yes you can, you can use most anything for a finish. The question you need to ask yourself is what do you wan the finish to do. Orange oil will not add much protection so much as it will make the surface look a bit more shiny.
I want to bring out the grain of some pearwood and lightly protect it. I have a lot of orange oil (lots of boxed household gifts) and considered orange oil and beeswax (or Renaissance) as a finish.
I turned a pearwood Nostpinne. For those unfamiliar, a stick for turning yarn into balls. So it can't be sticky but it doesn't need an extremely protective finish. Just something light that can be reapplied if necessary to keep it smooth.
`Casper
Just about any oil can help bring out the grain and the wax help to keep it feeling smooth.
I remember being told that orange oil and lemon oil are mineral oil with color and scent added. The oil doesn't actually come from the fruit.
Mineral oil can be used on cutting boards and other kitchen utensils to give them a little protection from water, but it has to be reapplied often.
That's what I always heard, as well.
However, true lemon oil or orange oil is a real thing, called Limonene. It's what they squeeze out of the rind, distill, and sell as fragrance for all those orange cleaners you see everywhere.
I'm guessing there are no FDA or FTC standards for what can be called orange oil based on a percentage content. I'm also guessing that 100 percent orange oil would probably run $50 a quart, retail. That explains why you most often see it cut with a majority of mineral oil. As far as I can tell from my research, orange oil and mineral oil act the same, for all intents and purposes, besides that lovely smell.
Limonene is not just a fragrance it is a very useful solvent and cleaner used for all sorts of things. It has, for example, largely displaced the use of CFCs for cleaning printed circuit boards.
See Wikipedia and
I didn't say it was just a fragrance. But people associate citrus scent with clean. ie: "lemony fresh" I would venture to guess that at least 90 percent of its use is as a flagrance for other, much cheaper oils.
I wouldn't like to argue the point on that although my gut feeling is that industrial usage would now outweigh its use as a perfume.
I hope you didn't take my comment personally BTW, it wasn't meant like that, I was just trying to inform. I think anyone using it as a wood finish, should check up the MSDS before use for their own safety and to consider any hazards that might arise relating to the use of the finished product.
I suspect that the OP hasn't actually got much Limonene though - as you say, used as a fragrance with cheaper oils.
Exactly. Just too much of that Orange Oil wood cleaner/preserver. Seems to work fairly well on a couple of pieces I tested it on but have not tried it on bare wood. Thought since there is so much of it in the house it was worth looking into as a finish oil. `Casper
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