# What to use over Danish Oil



## Manitario

Sorry for the silly question; I'm staining some railings with Danish oil, and I want to put a final coat of something that will be a bit more durable than the D. oil itself; what would you recommend? Would a clear wipe-on poly work over the D. oil?
Thanks!


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## sbryan55

Rob, wipe-on poly will work just fine. Be sure to give the Danish oil time to cure. I would wait several days- depending on your shop temperature- before applying the polyurethane.


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## Rick Dennington

Rob,

Scott is absolutly right about the wipe-on poly over Danish oil.. I agree with that whole-heartly. A couple of months back I built an entertainment center (you can see it in my projects) for some folks. I put on 2 coats of d.o., let them cure for several days in between coats, and then 3 coats of Watco Wipe-on Ploy, buffing in between coats with 0000 steel wool, and then the final coat of poly. Turned out pretty nice. Try it…...Rick.


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## stevenhsieh

Danish oil itself already carries polyurethane, linseed oil, and mineral spirits.
I never understood why people want to top coat it with polyurethane.


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## stevenhsieh

If you want to top coat, let it dry 5-7 days.


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## Manitario

wipe-on poly it is! Thanks guys!


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## LeeBarker

There is no silly (or stupid) question, Manitario.

Steven, I agree with you on the makeup of DO, but one might want to go to poly, or natural (say, Watco) if you're using a toned one and have reached the character that you want.

Watco, applied per instructions, as many coats as you want, builds beautifully.

And Rick, thanks, in your explanation. for not saying "between each coat." It's impossible to do anything between one thing. "Between coats" or "After each coat" is correct. "Between each coat", sometimes seen immortalized on coating labels, should send the writer back to sixth grade.

There. I feel so much better. I'll sleep tonight, while Manitario's DO is a-drying.

Kindly,

Lee


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## rlrjr

Hey all. I'm using some Hornsbys' Danish Tung oil (Glossy) oil on some small boxes I'm making out of white wood and pine. Two questions: 1) Is Watco better than Hornsby and 2) exactly what kind of wood is "white wood"? It's sold at both big box stores in my area.

Thanks, Rick


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## Manitario

hmmm, good questions; I've never used Hornsby's d.o. As for "white wood" I've had the same question, personally I think it is code for "paint it because it has no grain"


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## MinnesotaMike

Actually, I think the "white wood" is likely aspen. Haven't worked any yet. Saw some at Fleet Farm this afternoon. Very white and virtually no visable grain - almost looks like basswood, but appears to be harder though very definately a softwood. Might be fun to use for playing with some multi-color dye finish. I think it was priced at about $2.50/bdft


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## rlrjr

Yep. I've got a can of Watco DO with dark walnut dye in it. I'm going to try it on some white wood and see how it does. On another note; do any of you fellas try to sell things at local flea markets?

Thanks, Rick


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## missingname

Hello. I used Arm-r-seal on top of Watco Oil on my tv stand: http://lumberjocks.com/projects/36956
It worked ok.


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## pjones46

Sent an email to Watco tech service and below is their reply:

"Thank you for your recent e-mail. The only clear coat that can be applied over the Danish Oil is an oil based polyurethane. After 72 hours of applying the Danish Oil, any oil based polyurethane can be applied."


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## WDHLT15

That is the way I do it with walnut. Apply danish oil to bring out the grain and figure. Let thoroughly dry. Buff with 0000 steel wool. Apply satin poly with a foam brush. Let dry, and buff with 0000 steel wool. Apply final coat or more if you like. More is not always better with poly. This gives a very pretty and durable finish.


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## Bertha

Another vote for wipe-on poly. My purpleheart humidor is about 10 years old and it's poly over danish oil. The finish is as good as when I placed it.


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## EPJartisan

I also agree with a wipe on Poly… why? Because after 8 years of working with black cherry in my whole condo, I discovered that Watco danish oil.. my oil of choice.. though it builds to a nice finish… living in Chicago (or the midwest) with the humidity and temp changes… Danish oil (even up to 8 coats) with no top coat has not held up to the changes and can either dry out or fade in "depth" which is the real reason to use oil in the first place. Seems Danish Oil offers little protection from direct moisture as well. I have come to refinish most of my black cherry with a naphtha/danish oil/beeswax (for trim) .... OR a few coats of wipe on Poly for high use areas. The poly just seems to last longer and without hand oil buildup, which can turn the finish grey. Just my thoughts on why top coat over danish oil.


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## grandmother

what is wipe on poly?


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## grandmother

What is wipe on poly?


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## grandmother

Looking for a little more shine that we're getting from the Watco Satin Wax. It's going on walnut over Watco Danish Oil. We already put on a coat. Any suggestions?


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## waho6o9

Practice on scraps first and find out which finish you like most.


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## Manitario

> What is wipe on poly?
> 
> - grandmother


It is regular polyurethane thinned with varnish; you can buy it like this eg. Minwax Wipe on Poly, if you want a bit more shine without the gloss of "gloss" (and the work that goes into getting a good gloss finish) just go with the satin wipe on poly; rag on very light coats and sand lightly with 220 b/t coats; after 3-4 coats you'll get a nice even shine.


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## CoffinFly

I used danish oil today..on pine. I back sanded to 220 before applying on a shaker candle box-unplugged project, Watco walnut-looks more like paper bag brown…not impressed.


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## HTown

> Sent an email to Watco tech service and below is their reply:
> 
> "Thank you for your recent e-mail. The only clear coat that can be applied over the Danish Oil is an oil based polyurethane. After 72 hours of applying the Danish Oil, any oil based polyurethane can be applied."
> 
> - pjones46


Please don't tell them I used lacquer over it and got great results on a sapele bench. I waited about a week before applying the lacquer.


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## Manitario

> I used danish oil today..on pine. I back sanded to 220 before applying on a shaker candle box-unplugged project, Watco walnut-looks more like paper bag brown…not impressed.
> 
> - CoffinFly


It's funny that this long dead thread popped up again. I haven't used Danish Oil in a few years now. Essentially, I get nicer results in staining the wood and then finish it with an oil based finish separately rather than try to combine the two a la Danish Oil.


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