While preparing some parts for assembly I applied a Watco Oil finish to the parts. I forgot that some surfaces must have additional parts glued to them later in the assembly. I neglected to cover these surfaces before oiling them. My questions are
1 - how will these oiled surfaces accept glue, Titebond, when it is applied?
2 - If it will not accept it how can i prepare the oiled surface so it will accept the glue?
3 - If there is no solution to questions 1 or 2 what other type of glue can I use? Thanks for any and all help.
Is this Watco Danish Oil? I'm pretty sure the main ingredient in this product is simply (boiled?) linseed oil (the same carrier used in artist's oil paints) and that stuff dries quite slowly. As such, if one were to assume that you could sand it off and get a good glue-able surface (I have no idea whether this is true), I would suggest you make *sure* it's totally cured first. I'd test this by saturating a small section of paper or a paper towel and laying it out to dry (FLAT!). You'll find it will probably take a good week for it really dry out; once your test piece is dry you can probably assume your workpiece is too, and only then would I try to sand the surface. Ideally, I would test this whole scenario on a piece of scrap wood to see if you can *really* get a good surface and if the glue joint will hold under pressure. Try to break the joint; if it comes apart only at the glue line then you probably have your answer...
---------------------------------------- I'd wait a MONTH for the Watco Oil to fully cure, then scrape the joints in question with a scraper that can be fabricated from any sharp blade or cabinet scraper.
What you are suggesting is a common method for gluing inherently oily wood (like Cocobolo), which is not what the OP is dealing with. The "oil" used in a product like Watco Danish Oil is designed to cure, and it will leave a thin film finish that will act as a barrier separating *any* glue (epoxy included) from the wood. It will not have the same properties as the natural (non-curing) oils found in most woods, and is not likely to be affected in the same way by solvents. Acetone will indeed "draw out" the non-curing oils in some wood (and it will do the same thing to your skin!), at least temporarily, and long enough for glue to adhere to the surface, but the most that acetone is going to do to cured linseed oil is (disclaimer: I am not scientist) damage and weaken it at the molecular level; I don't think it's going to "wick the oil away" in any fashion close to what you're suggesting. You might get slightly better results with this technique if the Watco is not yet cured, but I would use turpentine or mineral spirits first (both readily dissolve linseed oil), then follow up with acetone or lacquer thinner.
Having been an "artist" in my younger days I worked with oil colors a lot (and of course, later on as a woodworker). I know the smell of linseed oil a mile away, and I'm well acquainted with how it behaves. I don't completely dismiss the suggestion to try to remove it with the correct solvents, but I think I'd still follow up by sanding (or as Lew suggests, scraping) the surface after giving it plenty of time to cure.
Watco is linseed oil plus a bit of varnish. Once dry, you could glue stuff to it but it won't stick well. If you want it to stick well, you have to get rid of enough of the Watco so that the wood is absorbent. As Lew said, scrape it. Another possibility - untried by me - is lacquer thinner as it is pretty good at destroying finishes.
Chances are good that you're shit outta luck, dude. If you can take
3/32 of an inch of wood away from each of the mating surfaces, you might be able to fix it. What are you making? if it's mortise and tenon joints, you'll have to start all over.
-- Happiness is not a station you arrive at, but a manner of traveling. -- Margaret Lee Runbeck
The 'oil' in question is something like boiled linseed oil (a polymerizing finish), so paint remover will take it off. I'd use a bit of some non-water-cleanup type, with ventilation. The water-cleanup variant will work, but require sa day or so of dryout before it's ready for glueing. Sanding or scraping are possible, but oil DOES penetrate, so it could take some wood removal.
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