# Avoiding Danish Oil 'Weeping' on Red Oak



## JohnnyBoy1981 (Mar 15, 2017)

I've read that Danish Oil will continue to seep out of the pores of red oak, sometimes for days after it's applied. Would applying a pre-stain cut down on this but still allow for the oil to penetrate the wood?


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## RobS888 (May 7, 2013)

I use Danish oil on almost everything I make on Red or White Oak, I don't leave it on that long. If I was doing say door trim, I would apply with a foam brush on the first side of each piece, rotate them,... and apply to all four sides, then start wiping off with paper towels, after I have most wiped off I get another towel and wipe them down really well, rubbing the finish in. I haven't had any weeping out in a long time.

I never had much luck following the directions on the can.


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

I've found that temperature plays a part. Heat tends to make any oil in the wood weep out and cold tends to draw it in.

This helped when I applied oil in the afternoon, wiped it down, then the cool evening kept it contained until it skinned over.

Of course this really doesn't help unless you have some good temperature control.

Alternatively, with oak I've just kept wiping it down every few hours and first thing in the morning (for the first 24 hours). After a week, I just leveled out the shiny weeping spots with #0000 wool before top coating.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

You could consider a pore filler. You can get pretty creative with it, or just color the filler to match the Danish oil color. I really dislike red oak because it is so porous. I never use it, but if I had to, I'd fill the pores.


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## OSU55 (Dec 14, 2012)

*Will pre stain conditioner cut down on the weeping and still allow absorption of the oil into the wood?*

Yes. Read about conditioners here. Also called blotch control. There is also a write up about blo and danish oils vs thinned poly.


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

I've found that if it continues to weep and harden into those annoying little spots. you can rub out the specks using a rag wet with Danish oil. It take significantly less time to dry then the first coat.


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## JohnnyBoy1981 (Mar 15, 2017)

Thanks for the advice!

The Danish oil I can get around here comes in a variety of tints. Is there just a basic, natural or tint-less version like a standard BLO?


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

Yes, Watco has a natural Danish oil. I've found it can really make the grain pop in rather bland colored woods.


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## JohnnyBoy1981 (Mar 15, 2017)

> Yes, Watco has a natural Danish oil. I ve found it can really make the grain pop in rather bland colored woods.
> 
> - BurlyBob


I'll pick some up then!


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## JohnnyBoy1981 (Mar 15, 2017)

I initially thought I could use dewaxed shellac as a first step conditioner/pore filler for the red oak, kind of like the pre-made Minwax pre-stain you can buy. But it looks as though shellac is really best as a sealer AFTER putting on, say, BSO, dutch oil, etc. Is that correct?
And then follow by a top coat like varnish, polyurethane or lacquer?


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

John That exactly what Charles Neil recommended I do for my wife's kitchen cabinets. They are red oak with a Watco natural Danish oil. Per his instructions I let them dry for a few days and sprayed on 2 coats 1 pound cut of blond shellac. Mr. Neil recommended a 1/2 pound cut and a single coat. I followed that with 3 coats of a water based poly. The results were excellent and this was my first large project spraying.

I have used oil based poly on red oak stained with Danish oil that has sat for only 2-3 days and it turned out quite nice. It's just got to be dry to the touch. The reason for the shellac on my kitchen cabinets was the Danish oil followed by water based poly. Like the old saying, oil and water don't mix. The shellac saved the day.


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## JohnnyBoy1981 (Mar 15, 2017)

Bob,
Did you do any sort of pre-stain prior to the Danish oil? Or was it:
1. Sand to final grit
2. Danish oil
3. Shellac (to seal)
4. Water based poly?


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## Picken5 (Jan 12, 2011)

I recently stained some red oak a rather dark color with an oil-based stain. About 24 hours later, it felt dry and very little came off when I rubbed it with a paper towel. Then I accidentally vacuumed (with my shop vac) some of the red oak boards that were, supposedly, pretty much dry. To my surprise, quite a bit of stain was sucked out of the pores and ended up on the surface of the wood (and some into the shop vac most likely). At that point, a fair amount of stain came off on my paper towel when I wiped it. I'm not sure, but I may have stumbled across a new technique (to me anyway) to speed up the drying of stain on red oak. I know red oak is definitely an "open grain" wood with relatively large pores so I reasoned that the stain that had gotten into the larger pores would take longer to dry. Anyway, the "vacuum technique" may work with danish oil also.


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## JohnnyBoy1981 (Mar 15, 2017)

> At that point, a fa I m not sure, but I may have stumbled across a new technique (to me anyway) to speed up the drying of stain on red oak. I know red oak is definitely an "open grain" wood with relatively large pores so I reasoned that the stain that had gotten into the larger pores would take longer to dry. Anyway, the "vacuum technique" may work with danish oil also.
> 
> - Picken5


Lol! I'll keep that in mind!


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## BurlyBob (Mar 13, 2012)

John those 4 steps are exactly what I did. I did given the shellac a wipe down with 600 grit wet/dry.

Another thing I do when sanding projects is after the 220 I give the wood a spray with water to swell the grain. Once that dries I hit with 320 for a super smooth finish. It saves a lot of headaches during the finishing and I think it helps me get a serious smooth finish. Some folks will say it takes up to much time. Well, yeah it does take time. But I'm retired and can take all the time I want. Besides it makes me feel better about my work and the effort I put into things.

Another thing I've done with Danish oak is to set the boards out in front of my shop in the sunlight. You'd be amazed how much that helps the Danish weep out. It also helps speed the drying after I spray water.


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