# Watco Danish Oil Natural finish is out of stock everywhere



## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

I decided to use Danish oil on my completed workbench. I thought no big deal, I'll just run to the BORG or Lowes and pick some up. Not so fast Home depot wants to charge me $79.00 to deliver a $9.00 can and Lowes says none within 100 miles with no delivery available. Amazon has it for $79.00 & $59.00. Move to the tinted stuff and it drops to $23.00 a pint. I was hoping to use natural but something must be going on to limit supply. Anybody know what is going on? Any ideas what else I can use?

My bench is SYP and I wanted to make the color pop a bit and give a little protection without making the benchtop slick.


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## MrUnix (May 18, 2012)

I got an almost full can you can have 

I don't like the stuff.. I can get the same look with wipe-on poly and not have to wait a lifetime for it to dry.

Cheers,
Brad

PS: Yes, it's weird how it seems to be unavailable even on Amazon.


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

Maybe that's God's way of telling you it's a poor choice for a workbench.


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## splintergroup (Jan 20, 2015)

I had a hard time finiding some to finish a project about 6 months ago. Scored 2 quarts. Check your local hardware stores (Ace, etc.) they have always had a full shelf when I needed some whereas the big box stores were out.


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## SMP (Aug 29, 2018)

Hmm, just saw some yesterday at my local HD, i'm not a fan of the stuff either. For my bench I followed Richard Maguire's instructions and did 50/50 BLO and terps (like $10 total at Walmart), and put on "too many" coats so the last coat remains as Richard calls it "grippy".

Another option you can buy the stuff at your BORG to make a maloof blend that would be similar to danish oil.


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

> Maybe that s God s way of telling you it s a poor choice for a workbench.
> 
> - Rich


Possibly so, which is why I included the bench wood and desired finish quality. Polyurethane I have ruled out and from what I understand BLO (my original choice) tends to get sticky over time. Looking for something that will pernitrate a little to allow some spills to be wiped up prior to staining and add color. All ideas are welcome!


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## Mosquito (Feb 15, 2012)

I'm not sure why Danish oil is a bad finish for a workbench, it's what I intended to use on mine but just never got around to. I'm fine with no finish on my bench after having used it that way for 7 years now. I'd use Natural Danish Oil if I was going to finish it. Maybe thin it down some, and don't go crazy with sanding.

If you can find any, that is…


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

Not sure what the source for BLO gettting sticky is but that's never been an issue for me. My bench is finished with BLO and it's served me well for several years. It's great for keeping glue/epoxy or finishes from sticking and I put a fresh coat on once a year and it's good to go for another 12 months.


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

> Not sure what the source for BLO gettting sticky is but that s never been an issue for me. My bench is finished with BLO and it s served me well for several years. It s great for keeping glue/epoxy or finishes from sticking and I put a fresh coat on once a year and it s good to go for another 12 months.
> 
> - HokieKen


Since I already have the BLO it looks like you're in the lead Kenny. How did you apply? Wipe on or brush? wipe off or let dry? I may ball up the rags and tape them tight in the driveway to see how long it takes to catch on fire.


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## metolius (May 26, 2016)

The shortage is true. I couldn't find any for a couple months this winter; not at the home stores, not at the hardware stores.

Then I did come across some at the local department store that sells the gammit from fishing rods to boxed cereal … $18/pint too.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

Pour it on and rag it all over. Let it sit for 30-60 minutes and wipe off the excess. Repeat every 24 hours until it quits soaking in. Something I read somewhere was "1 coat a day for the first week, one coat a week for the first month, one coat a month for the first year and one coat a year for life." I skipped the coat a month for a year and I think I probably only put on 4 or 5 coats initially but one a year seems to be a good idea and I'd give it all it will drink in off the bat. With SYP, unless it's really dry to begin with, that may only be a couple of coats.


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

Kenny, for original or maintaining do you do the whole bench or just the top?


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## RichT (Oct 14, 2016)

> Possibly so, which is why I included the bench wood and desired finish quality. Polyurethane I have ruled out and from what I understand BLO (my original choice) tends to get sticky over time. Looking for something that will pernitrate a little to allow some spills to be wiped up prior to staining and add color. All ideas are welcome!
> 
> - controlfreak


I was being a smartass. I honestly have no idea how it would do for a work bench. Maybe it'd be awesome, but I'm among those who simply don't like the stuff.

Kenny's experience with BLO sounds promising. The usual reasons for BLO to be sticky is applying it too thick and adding more coats too soon. Reactive finishes need contact with oxygen, and getting it too thick too soon can inhibit the curing. You can have the same problem with Danish, or most any other reactive finish. Adding Japan drier will greatly reduce the curing time.

I don't know enough about you or your work bench to tell you what to use, but I can share my experience when I sanded and refinished my birch top a while back. I chose OSMO Polyx-Oil based on its reputation for being durable and easy to repair. My experience with it since then has been overwhelmingly positive. It was easy to apply. I've had glue-PVA, epoxy and protein glue-dry on it and all of them popped right off. Once I spilled a few drops of undiluted TransTint and was unable to wipe it up for a few minutes. When I did, there was no color left behind.

I had occasion to test its repair-ability when I accidentally shoved my router plane and it carved a line out of the finish. Just doing a spot repair-no sanding, just wiping on some fresh oil-did the job. I can't even find where the repair was done.

Is OSMO the right choice for you? Only you can decide that.


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## bondogaposis (Dec 18, 2011)

Just make your own 1:1:1 poly/BLO/mineral spirits.


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## Smitty_Cabinetshop (Mar 26, 2011)

I use it on my workbench, love it, but had no idea it was a hot commodity right now. Right after the last refresh I did to the bench top.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

> Kenny, for original or maintaining do you do the whole bench or just the top?
> 
> - controlfreak


I sid the whole thing at first. I only do the benchtop for the annual maintenance unless the legs and stretchers look dry then I'll give them a drink too. Oh, and the vise chops, I do them annually too.


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## rwe2156 (May 7, 2014)

> Just make your own 1:1:1 poly/BLO/mineral spirits.
> 
> - bondogaposis


THIS ^^^^.

Don't use pure BLO.


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## HokieKen (Apr 14, 2015)

The BLO poly mix is a good finish. I use it for tool handles and such. I just didn't want any film on my bench so I went with straight BLO.


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

Yeah, I don't want a film coating on the benchtop.


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## CWWoodworking (Nov 28, 2017)

> Maybe that s God s way of telling you it s a poor choice for a workbench.
> 
> - Rich


Poor choice for anything. IMO, it's a terrible product.


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## controlfreak (Jun 29, 2019)

The jury has made a decision, first coat of BLO went on tonight. We shall see where it leads us. Thanks for all the input folks, That's what makes this place a home!


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## soedesh (Mar 5, 2021)

Hi, I am having the same problem finding the natural version of Watco danish oil. I've searched far and wide, and finally reached out to the manufacturer (Rust-Oleum) and after a couple rounds they said "We just checked internally and it seems as though we're out of stock also - which is why you're likely having trouble, and we apologize for that inconvenience. If you'd like to check in with us in a few weeks, we can provide an update with our inventory status.".


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## 280305 (Sep 28, 2008)

I have been looking too, with no luck.

A few days ago my wife was having trouble finding crumbled feta at the grocery store. A worker found some for her and said, "You're lucky we have any. There is a TikTok challenge involving baked feta pasta and we can't keep it in stock." Perhaps there is another challenge involving a recipe using danish oil. As we all know, only the natural variety is used in cooking.


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## avsmusic1 (Jul 10, 2016)

> The jury has made a decision, first coat of BLO went on tonight. We shall see where it leads us. Thanks for all the input folks, That s what makes this place a home!
> 
> - controlfreak


pics or it didn't happen


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