# Danish oil smells!



## ghazard (Oct 16, 2008)

I used Danish Oil for the first time on my last box. It stinks…still. After a few weeks the smell has not diminished much. I did not put anything over top of the oil. If I use a few costs of wipe on poly will that help? Obviously it will smell like poly then but my experience has been that the smell of poly goes away. Will that cover up the smell of the danish oil?

What do you all think?

Thanks,

Greg


----------



## CharlesNeil (Oct 21, 2007)

danis oil is BLO…with some japan drier..it dries slow , very slow, depending on the oil….yes a oil based poly will seal it in, a better choice is a coat of shellac first ..shellac will seal down about anything and as well will help to dry the oil, a wiped on coat of about a 2lb cut will do it…oil is not a good choice inside anything, drawers boxes etc, it will remain soft in many cases, there are alot of good oils that harden well…like General finish arm r seal, waterlox, formbys tung oil…minwax poly oil…danish oil isnt one of them…makes for a nice finish but if enclosed it seems to never dry…


----------



## PurpLev (May 30, 2008)

sounds like it hasn't fully cured yet? if thats the case I wouldn't cover it with anything until it's completely dry.


----------



## CharlieM1958 (Nov 7, 2006)

The smell can take a long time to go away, but as long as there is air exposure it will dissipate.


----------



## a1Jim (Aug 9, 2008)

I'm with Charlie it does smell , since getting Charles Neils A-Z DVD I use mostly water base a lot easier on the nose plus it does a good Job.


----------



## hObOmOnk (Feb 6, 2007)

So called "Danish Oil" is a generic term and has no specific meaning in the wood finishing industry.
It can contain anything the manufacturer wishes. Generally, it means a blend of drying oil, varnish and solvent.

For example, *Watco Danish Oil* contains Raw Linseed Oil (not BLO), resins (alkyd and others), Gilsonite (a coloring agent derived from asphalt) and lots of mineral spirit (about 75%). By design, it will dry/cure very slowly.

At the other end of this product spectrum is *Tried & True Brand Danish Oil*, which contains only 100% Polymerized Linseed Oil and no drying agents or solvents.

Shellac does not accelerate the the curing of oils and resins. However, it is an excellent sealant for blocking odors and creating a barrier coating for the next layer of finish. I only use shellac for the inside of boxes and drawers - or nothing at all.


----------

