# Danish oil wont dry?



## watermark (Jan 29, 2013)

Update from last time I posted about the same project. After waiting a long time it finally dried enough to coat with poly but I and more importantly my wife didn't like the look so … many hours of sanding later I went back and re-coated with danish oil according to the directions on the can, only difference was using the method of sanding when applying. 2 weeks later and I am still getting seepage back to the surface and it's felling tacky still.

Anyone else had this problem? I brought it in from the enclosed garage to the house today to see if anything changes.

Thanks for any advice in advanced. Original post below.

I put my 3rd and final coat of Watco Dark Walnut Danish Oil on the Mango dinning table I am making for my wife 8 days ago.










I waited at least 2 days between coats and wiped off excess oil bleeding back while it dried. I just went to check if it would be ready to top coat with poly for more protection and had some stain rub off on a paper towel.










It feels dry to the touch and no longer smells of danish oil. Is it ready to top coat? And is oil based poly the best choice? Looking at some other threads it seems to be a popular choice.

Thanks for any advice


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## coachmancuso (Feb 10, 2013)

I wait 7 - 10 days after the last coat of oil before applying poly. Looks good


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## fredj (Jun 4, 2013)

Watco says give it 72 hours, as a rule that's not long enough. Above comment is about right. If you can still wipe off color, it's not dry, and even if you don't get color it might not be dry enough. Last month used Watco, waited 5 days, top coated and had a top coat of oil based poly that was still tacky more than a week latter. Never had the problem in the past, and I've used Watco with a oil based poly as a top coat for years. However here the Upstate of SC we have had rain almost every day for about two months. 
That top has interesting grain, never used any mango, what's it like to work with ?


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## ClintSearl (Dec 8, 2011)

The oil was a mistake. Scrub it down with naptha until the rag doesn't pull any color, wait a couple days, and finish with several coats of poly.


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## watermark (Jan 29, 2013)

Thanks coach.

Fredj - Where I'm at in Hawaii we get rain almost everyday and it's even more humid then normal lately. I don't have a lot of experience with different types of wood but from what I have worked with Mango has been nice. Some people have a reaction too it similar to Poison Oak These are all cross cut from the same log QS would have shown off the curl a little more.

Clint- No mistake it's the colour my wife wanted and a happy wife is a happy marriage.


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## tefinn (Sep 23, 2011)

watermark - Don't wait that long between coats with Danish oil. It's not a pure oil, it's a blend of oil (usually tung or linseed), mineral spirits, and a varnish of some type. You need to apply each coat to the last while still wet. Apply to the wood so its well soaked. After 15-20 minutes repeat. Do this one more time for a total of three applications. Wait one hour and wipe any oil off, do it again in another hour. The next day check for any oil bleeding out and wipe again. You can top coat after three or four days with your finish of choice or leave as is. *If you leave as is do not wax since you will need to renew the finish every so often*.

In your case, since the Danish oil was not put on in the above manner, you may have to wait a couple of weeks or more for it to cure enough for top coating.

Clint thinks it was a mistake because he doesn't seem to believe in any finish but straight poly.  In this case his suggestion to wipe it down and start over may need to be done, if the table is still tacky. If it's not tacky or bleeding any oil, wait another week to ten days for a full cure. Feel free to top coat after that. A nice poly would be my choice for durability.

Good luck!


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## watermark (Jan 29, 2013)

Thanks tefin lots of good advice.


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## Pono (Mar 10, 2012)

Aloha
put a fan on it when it is no longer wet feeling coat it.Mango is like a sponge.next time do all oli coats one day easier same effect.I used to do that lazy now just spray laquer 2 hours 4 coats ready to go.


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## watermark (Jan 29, 2013)

Mahalo Joseph. I have been running the fan while at work the last couple of days seems to be doing the trick.


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## watermark (Jan 29, 2013)

Went back to just Danish oil and 2 weeks later still not dry. Anyone else in places with high humidity have similar problems? Whats the remedy? Patience? Thanks for any advice


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## wapakfred (Jul 29, 2011)

Was that finish fresh when you applied it? That is, had the can been opened some time back? If true, that may be why it's not drying. If not true, to be honest I've never had to wait that long for it to dry out to the touch. Waiting may be your only choice, short of stripping and starting over. When you do top coat, remember "popular" may not mean "best". We collectively have been seduced by the dark side from guys like Norm who "applied a coat of poly". That said, it may be the only thing available; but look around for a non poly varnish. This would be something like Sherwin Williams Fast Dry Oil Varnish, Pratt and Lambert #38 (my favorite), or maybe Waterlox Original. Waterlox is a particularly tough finish. The urethane finishes have a plastic look to my eyes, the alkyd ones look much nicer (again, to me eyes). They are easier to apply (sanding between coats not needed unless you are smoothing out dust nibs). You might also consider a good waterborne, General Finishes make some good ones. Waterbornes are crystal clear, so they won't change the color you now have; the oil based ones may give it a different hue.


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## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

The wood has a natural oil and the danish oil is intermixing with it , like a rose wood or other oily wood, it may never totally dry ..Clint has it right , wash it down with naphtha and use a different finish, a coat of dewaxed shellac with a good varnish oil , Like Arm R Seal, Minwax Poly oil, Formby tung would be a good choice, these oils will form a fim finish, which is what you need.

HOWEVER Arm R Seal has some good driers in it, you MAY be able to put a light coat on ,After the wash off and allowing it to dry well, it may dry ok , if you do and its not dry with in 24 hours, its back to the shellac , which is being used to seal the natural oil in .


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## tefinn (Sep 23, 2011)

I think it's time to give up on the Danish oil. I'm with Charles. I've never used mango and don't know any of it's attributes, but if it's a naturally oily wood, he's right about it probably causing the drying problem. Finish it just as he says. If you really have to have it darker to please the wife, add some trans tint to the shellac. Test on scrap first, you've had to do too much to this table already.


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## HorizontalMike (Jun 3, 2010)

OPEN QUESTION:

 Would adding a small amount of Japan Drier to Watco Danish Oil ever help in situations like the this?


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## 1yeldud1 (Jan 26, 2010)

i had a step stool that wouldnt dry last summer and I ressorted to setting it out in the sun while I went to work (about 10 hours) and that did the trick


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## longgone (May 5, 2009)

Whenever I work with an oily wood I always wipe it down with acetone because the acetone will pull a lot of the oil from the wood surface. I learned this many years ago when doing wooden boat restorations and working with a lot of teak…an oily wood.
whether gluing or applying a finish, the acetone works quite well


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## watermark (Jan 29, 2013)

Thanks for all the advice!!!! Fred you may have nailed it, the can had been open since the first round of finishing. Thanks again everyone for you help I will check into some of the alternative finishes suggested and post back with what I go with .


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